Michigan football beats Iowa in its first road test, 27-14

IOWA CITY — Any questions as to whether Michigan would be intimidated by the Iowa crowd were answered on the first possession in an eventual 27-14 U-M win. The Wolverines drove 75 yards in 11 plays, capped by a 16-yard touchdown on a reverse to Ronnie Bell, and never trailed.

They made it interesting in the fourth quarter by letting the Hawkeyes hang around, but big defensive stops were the difference.

FIRST QUARTER: U-M jumps out to an early lead behind dominant run game.

The Michigan offensive line dominated early, mixing run and pass and owning the line of scrimmage. The Wolverines rushed for 51 yards and sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw for 24 on the drive. 

The U-M defense did its part on the first drive, holding Iowa to a three-and-out. The offense was driving again, but McCarthy tripped over right guard Zak Zinter’s foot on first down near midfield. The Wolverines would end up punting, and the Hawkeyes started moving from inside their own 10. 

The drive stalled at midfield, and the Wolverines got the ball back at the 20 when the punt went into the end zone for a touchback. 

SECOND QUARTER: Michigan offense continues to grind

The Michigan offense went right back to work. They owned Iowa on the ground and had a chance to go up 14. But McCarthy missed a wide-open Roman Wilson on a deep ball, and Iowa held. Grad student kicker Jake Moody connected from 44 yards out and gave the Wolverines a 10-0 lead. 

A 10-yard holding penalty should have ended the next Iowa drive, but the defense gave up a 19-yard pass on first-and-20 to Brody Brecht. The Hawkeyes got a first down, but a clipping penalty forced a first-and-25 from their own 31. 

U-M got off the field when grad student Taylor Upshaw sniffed out a screen for a 4-yard loss. 

Michigan marched the field again, dominating in the trenches. The big play — a 29-yard pass to Andrel Anthony down the left sideline. The drive stalled again, however, after a couple penalties — a hold and a delay of game — and Moody kicked a 35-yard field goal. 

Michigan outgained Iowa 236-91 in the first half. Corum led the rushers with 79 yards on 16 carries, while sophomore Donovan Edwards added 29 on 4. McCarthy was 13-for-18 for 105 yards in the stanza. 

THIRD QUARTER: The Wolverines take control, give it up

Michigan freshman defensive tackle Mason Graham set the tone for the half on the first play after Iowa received the kickoff. His sack of quarterback Spencer Petras for minus-9 yards led to a punt, and the Wolverines took over again. 

Once again, the offense marched right down the field. The running game continued to be strong, and an 18-yard pass from McCarthy to grad student tight end Luke Schoonmaker moved Michigan well into Iowa territory. 

Another pass to Schoonmaker set up first-and-10 from the 15, and a 7-yard McCarthy pass to Edwards on a third-down scramble put the Wolverines up 20-0. 

The defense stepped up yet again. Senior Mike Morris’ third-down sack forced a punt after a near-pick from senior corner DJ Turner, and the Wolverines got the ball back with 4:48 to go in the third quarter. 

They narrowly avoided disaster when McCarthy, on second down, fumbled and the ball rolled back inside his own 5 before U-M recovered it, setting up third-and-28. A short Brad Robbins punt gave Iowa the ball at the Michigan 45. 

A third-and-1 pass to the tight end moved the ball to the Michigan 18. A big play inside the 5 was negated by a 15-yard personal foul behind the play, but a 28-yard pass to the 2 on third-and-22 kept the Hawkeyes alive. 

FOURTH QUARTER: Michigan holds on to win

Iowa scored on the first play of the fourth quarter, a 2-yard run, and the door opened. A three-and-out forced a punt and the Hawkeyes were very much alive, the crowd into it. 

A 34-yard pass to tight end Luke Lachey moved Iowa into Michigan territory and had the Michigan contingent restless. They drove to the 19 through the air, and then inside the 10. A fourth-and-2 stop gave the Wolverines the ball back at their own 50-yard line with 5:41 remaining, still up 20-7. 

A three-and-out gave it right back, and the Hawkeyes took over at their own 42 with 4:01 remaining. 

Morris and Eyabi Okie then took over, providing pressure and a sack apiece on four straight snaps. Michigan took over at the Iowa 28 with 2:30 remaining, and the Hawkeyes fans started heading for the exits.

Corum essentially ended it with a 20-yard touchdown run with 1:19 remaining, making it 27-7. The defense, though, allowed Iowa to drive the field and score with 8 seconds remaining to make the final score 27-14.

Corum ran 29 times for 133 yards in the win. McCarthy completed 18-of-24 passes for 155 yards and a score.