Iowa upsets No. 2 Michigan 14-13 on last-second field goal

Given the extra chance, the Wolverines kicked the go-ahead field goal, as Kenny Allen was good from 51 yards with 9:35 to play, putting the Wolverines ahead 13-11. During the return on a short punt, MI was called for a critical facemask, which gave the Hawkeyes possession at U-M’s 36-yard line with 1:23 left. The duo combined for just three catches for 35 yards, and since MI was able to spread the field or take the top of the defense due to their struggles, Iowa was able to load up even more to stop the run.

If the Iowa defense could hold in the second half, they had a shot. Iowa has struggled offensively, putting up just 335.4 yards per game this season. The Wolverines were up late, 13-11, but the Hawkeyes drilled the game-winning field goal with just a minute left.

But the Hawkeyes have beaten MI at home three times in a row, and another victory would shake up the playoff picture and give a struggling Iowa program a major boost.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Freshman Jalen Hurts passed for career highs of 347 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 100 yards in less than three quarters in the Crimson Tide (10-0, 7-0 SEC) victory. If the Hawkeyes can give him enough time to make reads and get the ball to those playmakers early, it could change the way the Wolverines attack defensively – especially on third down. MI did not play to the best of its abilities, obviously, but if Iowa played like this all year we have at least three more wins on the schedule.

“That redshirt freshman fall camp, I was on the phone with my parents basically, ‘OK, I’m out, let’s find a different school.’ They were on board”. Iowa converted that turnover for a field goal. The result came as part of a wild Saturday that saw the nation’s second-, third- and fourth-ranked teams all lose.

Iowa got a field goal to lead off the second half after MI fumbled the kickoff. One-loss Louisville and Ohio State could jump past the Wolverines, but all that matters is being in the top four when the playoff committee makes its selections.

No. 2 MI at Iowa. Beathard was especially erratic, completing just 8-of-19 passes for 66 yards. Richard Lagow was 23 of 40 for 292 yards and two TDs, and Devine Redding ran 23 times for 108 yards and two scores.

Michigan’s defeat was the most stunning of all. The Big Ten East Division remains up for grabs, but Penn State – which survived IN earlier IN the day thanks to 24 points IN the fourth quarter – now has a real good shot of making a trip to Indy. Saturday’s game has created questions about MI perhaps for the first time all year, just two weeks ahead of a monster regular-season finale at Ohio State. Opening 2016 with a 63-3 win over Hawaii set the tone, and this past weekend’s 59-3 win over Maryland all but reaffirmed the Wolverines’ far-superior offensive skills. MI is now tied for first in the Big Ten East with Ohio State and Penn State, which beat the Buckeyes and lost to the Wolverines.

It can no longer be assumed that the annual rivalry game between the Wolverines (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) and Ohio State (9-1, 6-1) will determine the league’s playoff representative.

Did the win save Iowa’s season, as some have suggested?

Akrum Wadley had 115 yards rushing to help the Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) beat a top-five team for the first time in six years.