ANN ARBOR - Win or lose, you can always expect a professional, stoic look from any Iowa football player that steps to the podium for a postgame press conference. 

That's just the way Kirk Ferentz runs his football program, but Saturday night was the perfect excuse to crack a smile and enjoy the moment. All five players (along with Ferentz himself) wore big smiles during their press conferences, but one man donned the largest smile of them all - wide receiver Reece Vander Zee. 

Of course it had to be Vander Zee. He was only minutes away from catching a game-winning, 16-yard touchdown pass from Hank Brown to beat No. 18 Michigan at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, so the reaction was justified. 

As soon as the first question was asked, there came the smile. 

"I mean, we we didn't quit. Yeah, you [the media] know that for sure," Vander Zee said. "We were going to go out swinging, and that's what we did. And I was fortunate to to go make a play." 

But this was no ordinary play - far from it. 

The fact that the Hawkeyes had a chance to win the game from the 16-yard line was stunning in the first place. Iowa had managed just 194 total yards of offense prior to its final drive, and its chances of winning seemed to slip away after a Michigan punt pinned quarterback Hank Brown and his offense back at their own 10 with just 1:46 to play 

Previous situations would've almost been a death sentence for Iowa, but Brown guided the Hawkeyes down the field in an instant. Vander Zee contributed early in the drive with a 12-yard reception on a 2nd and 5, but the play that put Iowa in position to have a shot at the win was a second tip drill (DJ Vonnahme's led to a touchdown earlier in the quarter) that fell into the arms of the other tight end, Addison Ostrenga. 

Only two seconds remained on the clock after the catch, so Iowa, which was out of timeouts, had to hustle to the line of scrimmage and spike the ball. A Michigan player suffered an injury just before that happened, though, essentially giving Iowa an extra timeout. 

After the dust settled, all eyes turned to the final snap of an intense Big Ten opener. Brown took the snap, looked to his left, and fired a perfect back shoulder pass to Vander Zee, who secured the ball and dragged his toes (it would've been good in the NFL, too) in the blue artificial end zone.

The officials did their jobs and briefly went to the monitor to review the play, but Vander Zee knew it was good as soon as he hauled in the football. He trusted Brown to get him the football in the first place, and the trust certainly paid off. 

"I knew that I was in a good position to get a back shoulder, and I felt my feet get in for sure," Vander Zee said. "So that was that was awesome to have that feeling and just celebrate with the team." 

Before he even had a chance to regain his feet, a swarm of happy white jerseys was already at Vander Zee's feet. He said it was a moment he'll always cherish, but this was more than a touchdown for Vander Zee - it's a culmination of the hard work he's put in to get to this point. 

Vander Zee finished with two touchdowns on Saturday. That's the first time he's done that since his collegiate debut two seasons ago. The third-year has battled through two injuries and a low volume of targets throughout the majority of that span, but like he repeatedly said about his team's performance today, the confidence and drive never wavered. 

"It's kind of crazy to reflect on the last time I had two touchdowns was two years ago, but [there's been] a lot of ups and downs," Vander Zee said. "I've changed a lot, and really thankful for everything that's happened to me. And it's it's all glory to God for sure." 

While some of his teammates coined the play an early nickname of "The Michigan Miracle" after the game, Vander Zee hasn't decided on one yet. The decision might come at a later date, but one thing is for certain: Vander Zee just etched his name in Hawkeye history. 

 "[Someone] a lot smarter than me can figure that one out." 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]