The Hawkeyes looked dead in the water - until they didn't. Hank Brown engineered an improbable 90-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a thrilling game winning touchdown to Reece Vander Zee as time expired.
ANN ARBOR - No. 17 Iowa looked dead in the water.
A brutal game management mistake by Kirk Ferentz seemed to destroy Iowa's chances at ending an 11-year losing streak to ranked Big Ten teams on the road, but then the improbable happened.
Hank Brown was backed up at his own 10 with 1:46 to play, but he engineered a 90-yard drive that ended with one of the most wild plays in Iowa football history: a 16-yard touchdown pass to Reece Vander Zee as time expired.
No matter what happened before that, Iowa is somehow 4-0.
Here are some instant takeaways from the Hawkeyes' wild win. More will definitely be coming on the final play.
Ferentz kicks a field goal down five?
There were two fourth down blunders that doomed Iowa in this game. We'll talk about the first one later on in this piece, but the second mistake deservedly takes the top spot here.
Trailing 19-14 with just over three minutes to go in the game, the Hawkeyes had a 4th and 1 on the Michigan 28. Leighton Jones ruined the short yardage chance by committing a false start penalty, but then Kirk Ferentz responded by not even leaving his offense on the field, instead opting for a 51-yard field goal attempt down five points.
To no one's surprised, Caden Buhr's kick sailed right, and Iowa was turned away with nothing. It would get one more chance with the ball late, but by then it was backed up at its own 10 and facing a raucous Michigan Stadium crowd.
Circus play leads to first offensive TD
Sometimes you'd rather be lucky than good, and that's exactly what happened to Iowa early in the fourth quarter. The Hawkeye offense wasn't doing much through the first three quarters, but it saved one of the luckiest plays you'll ever see at the best moment.
Facing 3rd and 9 from the Michigan 38 on the first play of the fourth, Brown took the snap and bought himself time by rolling out to his right. He attempted to force the ball to wide receiver Tony Diaz on the sideline, but it was deflected into the air by Diaz and somehow found the arms of tight end DJ Vonnahme, who had reestablished himself in bounds to catch the ball.
A lengthy official review upheld the 21-yard play, and Iowa took advantage by scoring its first offensive touchdown on the very next play. The Hawkeyes haven't got these kinds of
Buff with the stuff
Linebacker Cam Buffington has arguably been Iowa's best defensive player this year, and he continued to be his stellar self on Saturday. He finished with 10 tackles, but the most important tackle of the game came in the first half.
Michigan was moving the ball at will throughout the entire first half and figured it could convert an easy 4th and 1 to take a two touchdown lead late in the second quarter. Quarterback Bryce Underwood took the snap and immediately leaped over the crowd of bodies to reach for the line, but Buffington was right there to prevent him from doing so.
It didn't lead to any Hawkeye points, but Buffington's play prevented the Wolverines from likely taking a two possession lead into the break.
Jackson to the house
Iowa entered this game without a kickoff return this season, but the drought finally came to an end on Saturday. Walk-on running back Braeden Jackson was back deep for the second game in a row, and once the ball was finally in his hands, it's safe to say he took advantage of the opportunity.
After getting comfortable with a 23-yard return on the opening kick, Jackson brought the Hawkeyes a much-needed momentum boost with a 99-yard touchdown sprint on his next return. All it took was a tiny seem on the right side to break him loose, and the natural ability that Iowa fans fell in love with last weekend against Northern Iowa continues to blossom into of the best storylines of the 2026 season.
Iowa punts the ball on 4th and 1
Facing a 4th and 1 from the Michigan 45 on their opening drive, the Hawkeyes lined up not once, but twice to go for it.
The Wolverines frantically called a timeout to prevent a 12 men on the field penalty just before the play clock expired on the first snap, but the second one was all on Iowa. The Hawkeyes struggled to get to the line in time (play was going to be a quarterback draw) which forced Kirk Ferentz to burn a timeout.
Iowa then just decided to punt it away after all of that and missed out on an early chance to score. Considering how the game transpired, any points on that opening drive may have changed the outcome.
Up Next
Iowa returns to action next weekend for its Big Ten home opener against No. 7 Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 3-1 on the season after besting Illinois earlier on Saturday.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.
