It’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.
On Saturday, September 26th, No. 17 undefeated Iowa hit the road for the first time this season to kick off Big Ten play. Their first in-conference game already looked to be their most important. The No. 18 Michigan Wolverines, who also boasted an undefeated record, were a rather similar team to the Hawkeyes. Yes, in the national rankings, but also a team still finding its identity on offense and relying on its elite defense. But this game grew increasingly more crucial leading up to it, as other than Ohio State next week, Iowa didn’t have any more ranked opponents left on their schedule. If you want yourself a prove-it game, you’ve got it here.
The game started as almost everyone expected, with the defense dominating. The Wolverines found a spark on their second possession, as the Hawkeyes had trouble accounting for Bryce Underwood’s dual-threat ability. The former five-star recruit was creating plays on both designed runs and rollouts. On a third-and-7 down in the red zone, Underwood rolled out to his right and found an open J.J. Buchanan for an 18-yard touchdown and the game’s first points. However, the excitement coursing through the Big House was quickly silenced.
On the ensuing kickoff, redshirt freshman Braeden Jackson, coming off a big performance in last week’s win over Northern Iowa, fielded the return and found an open gap. The former track star saw green grass ahead of him and ran it all the way for a 99-yard kick return touchdown. If there’s any team in the nation you should account for on special teams, it’s Iowa without a doubt. And with how low-scoring the game had been, Jackson’s touchdown was felt all the way back in Iowa City.
However, that magic wasn’t present in the Hawkeye offense. Entering the game, Iowa had the 10th-best rushing offense in the nation. But you couldn’t tell against Michigan’s feisty front seven. Kamari Moulton returned to the starting lineup, making up 44 of Iowa’s 58 team rushing yards. His backups, Jackson and Xavier Williams, didn’t bring in much on their end. So for the first time in what has felt like forever, Iowa had to find answers in the passing game, which struggled. Without Jackson’s kick return, the Hawks would have had a donut entering halftime.
Fortunately, the Hawkeyes held up defensively on that end. Outside of a 41-yard field goal from Trey Butkowski, Michigan couldn’t get much of anything else going. With under four minutes in the second quarter, the Wolverines kept their offense out on a fourth-and-1 from the Iowa 18-yard line and passed up a kick. Underwood from under center tried to leap over and reach across for the first down, but a brigade of Hawkeye defenders met him in the gap, forcing a turnover on downs. That kept Michigan’s lead to just 10-7 at halftime.
The score may look ideal to the defensive-favored eye, but the truth was the Wolverines found weaknesses in the Iowa defense throughout the first half. Second-half adjustments really came to fruition, and Michigan exploited it well, with Underwood coming out slinging the rock to open up the third. It could’ve gone much more disastrously if not for the penalties the Wolverines were racking up.
On a third-and-11 from inside Iowa’s 20, Underwood darted a pass towards the left pylon, straight into the arms of his former high school teammate, Deshaun Lee, who made the interception. When they played at Belleville High School in Michigan, they were a part of the school’s first-ever state title in 2021. Even as former teammates, neither player texted the other in the week leading up to kickoff.
Iowa still couldn’t find any success in the run game and punted it back to Michigan. The Wolverines’ run game this time around began causing problems for the Iowa defense. Underwood and his backfield duo of Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter ran it down the throats of the Hawks, getting down inside the five. They wouldn’t throw once until on third-and-goal, where Underwood fled out on another designed rollout, looking for Buchanan on nearly the exact play they had scored on prior. But those second-half adjustments were used on both ends. Iowa played it to perfection and forced Underwood to toss it away, making Michigan settle for three, taking a 13-7 lead.
Iowa needed to get a momentum swing, and fast. On an early third-and-five, Hank Brown rolled out to his right and found an open, and quiet up to that point, Tony Diaz on a corner route. He took it down to the Michigan 40-yard line. A third-and-9 came up, and a very lucky tip off the glove of Diaz dropped perfectly into the arms of D.J. Vonnahme. Vonnahme, who was questionable entering the game, ended up starting and was a meaningful part of the Hawkeyes’ offense, catching four passes for 44 yards. After a long review that confirmed the Vonnahme catch, Brown hit Reece Vander Zee in stride for a 16-yard touchdown. Iowa took a 14-13 lead within the first minute of the fourth quarter.
But the joy on the Iowa sideline wouldn’t last very long. Michigan drove to midfield where on second-and-10, Underwood escaped a collapsed pocket and scrambled outside. J.J. Buchanan would improvise and cut his route back up the field, getting to a zone left uncovered. Underwood saw it and dropped the football in the bucket, as Buchanan took it in for a 49-yard bomb touchdown, his second of the evening. The Wolverines ‘ two-point try failed as they took a 19-14 lead.
A score like that in that situation doesn’t usually make the opposing team fret, as 12 minutes were still on the clock. But in the Big House with over 100,000 Wolverine fans, it was certainly felt much more. Iowa drove up to around the Michigan 45-yard line before heavy pressure on second and third downs forced back-to-back Hank Brown passes to hit the dirt. Punter Boston Everitt pinned Michigan at the 1-yard line, marking his second great punt of the game.
The Wolverines only picked up one first down on a questionable spot, as the Hawkeyes got the ball back at midfield with just over five minutes to play. If you know Iowa’s tendencies, you know this was very likely the final drive. They got a good start on a rollout pass to Zach Ortwerth for 13 yards, but a third-and-3 give to Braeden Jackson ended up a yard short. With less than three minutes to go, the Hawkeyes kept the offense out on a gutsy fourth-and-1 call. The offense lined up ready to go until left guard Leighton Jones tipped over in his stance and fell down. Head coach Kirk Ferentz decided to take the offense off the field after the rare mental mistake and send on the Cy-Hawk hero, Caden Buhr, to attempt a career-long 51-yard field goal. The kick was never on target and missed wide right.
The game wasn’t over yet, as Iowa still had all three timeouts and the two-minute warning in their pocket. It was just a matter of the offense performing in crunch time. Wouldn’t you know it, the Hawkeyes stood up Michigan on their three run plays. Evan James decided not to field the ensuing punt and let the ball roll down to the 9-yard line. So out came Hank Brown and the offense one last time. Down five with just under two minutes to play, only one timeout left, and 91 yards to go.
Relying heavily on the five-wide empty backfield set, Tim Lester’s offense moved their way down the field slowly but surely. Passes over the middle to Diaz, Vander Zee, and Vonnahme got Iowa to their own 45, where they used their only remaining timeout with 0:34 left before third down. A false start penalty on Kade Pieper moved them back for third-and-12. Brown put up a ball on the near sideline for Tony Diaz, where Wolverines defensive back Jyaire Hill had the best chance to bring it down. It was incomplete, and now Iowa had to get ready for a desperate fourth-and-12.
But then came the flag.
After the incompletion and the play ruled dead, Michigan defender Zeke Berry approached and delivered a late hit on Diaz, drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty, giving the Hawks an automatic first down to the Michigan 45. Iowa would get an opportunity, not a great one, but one at that. Brown threw back-to -back incompletions intended for Ostrenga and Diaz, bringing up third-and-10 with 11 seconds to play.
Brown looked deep downfield and across the middle for Ostrenga. The fifth-year tight end got a hand on the ball and tipped it directly up in the air. Ostrenga got underneath the ball and brought it down for the catch at the 16-yard line. The offense raced to spike it before officials stopped the clock due to a Michigan injury. The Hawkeyes had time for one more play, 16 yards out from the endzone.
Once again, they came out in the five-wide set. From the left hashmark, Brown took the snap and went through his routine three-step dropback. He zeroed in on his first read, Reece Vander Zee, streaking up the near sideline. With a corner guarding him tightly and taking away the inside, Brown spiraled a back shoulder throw towards Vander Zee. The junior wideout, who made his way into the starting lineup immediately as a true freshman two years ago, saw the ball coming his way. A chance at glory. He made the adjustment by turning his inside shoulder around, pinning the ball to his chest. Now falling to the outside and out of bounds, he got both of his feet down in the endzone. The catch was made, but officials didn’t call anything initially. You could see the breath being snatched out of the Big House. After what felt like the longest wait of all time, the official gave the ruling: Touchdown, Iowa.
Some believe that the Wolverines completely outplayed and outcoached Iowa in this game. And truth be told, they aren’t completely off. Michigan had 144 more offensive yards than Iowa; they got more first downs, nearly tripled Iowa in rushing offense, and had nearly nine minutes more of possession. Stats aside, it’s undeniable Michigan had control of the game. They had more success in every aspect offensively; their defense completely took away Iowa’s run game and kept their pass game heavily limited. You look at all of this and think, how could Iowa even have won this game?
And that’s the difference maker between this team and the rest. They aren’t a team full of superstars. They don’t recruit as well as the elite schools of the Big Ten or SEC. They don’t have mind-blowing stats or performances. But what they have is a team that will play for each other. A team that sticks with it from beginning to end. A team that doesn’t stop believing. And the nation is beginning to notice. Iowa is now 4-0; they are looking to continue rising in the rankings, and College Gameday is coming back to Iowa City next week for their game against Ohio State. After what we just witnessed in Michigan and how enthusiastic the city is, who knows what’ll take place next Saturday?
But KRUI’s very own Ryan Paris called it best: “Western Michigan, and the college football world, Iowa has your back.”
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