Michigan got a taste of its own medicine on Saturday at the Big House.
The Wolverines, who were the beneficiaries of a controversial last-second win in their season opener, were victimized in the final plays of a devastating 20-19 loss to rival Iowa.
On the penultimate play of Iowa’s game-winning drive, Hawkeyes quarterback Hank Brown connected with receiver Addison Ostrenga to get into the red zone — but with just two seconds on the clock, time was going to run out before the offense could get another play off.
Then Iowa was handed a lifeline.
Michigan defensive end John Henry Daley went down with an injury during the play, meaning that the game clock halted at two seconds, giving Iowa another crack to score a game-winning touchdown.
And the Hawkeyes took full advantage, with Brown finding wideout Reece Vander Zee in the corner of the end zone for a 16-yard game-winning score.
The extra time on the clock comes with a bit of irony, as the Wolverines controversially defeated Western Michigan, 13-12, in their Week 1 win after officials awarded Michigan an extra second because a defender touched the ball with a second left on the stadium clock on the Wolverines’ initial Hail Mary attempt.
Given a second chance, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood heaved a deep ball caught in the end zone by JJ Buchanan to seal the 13-12 win, which caused an uproar across college football.
On Saturday, however, it was Michigan on the receiving end as Iowa scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
“One thing about these guys is that they don’t quit,” Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz said in a postgame interview. “It wasn’t perfect, but they don’t give up.”
The win is Iowa’s first victory over a ranked Big Ten opponent since 2021, snapping a nine-game losing streak against such teams.
“Never won like this, so it’s what we’ll all remember,” Ferentz added.
“We’ll enjoy the heck out of it tonight, and back to work tomorrow.”
