Michigan Falls to Iowa 20-19 as Late Flags Overshadow Passing Outburst
The short version
- Michigan lost to No. 17 Iowa 20-19 on a touchdown on the final play at Michigan Stadium.
- Bryce Underwood went 17-of-28 for 276 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
- JJ Buchanan caught five passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns; Andrew Marsh had seven catches for 106 yards.
- Michigan was penalized eight times for 75 yards, including several that stalled drives or extended Iowa possessions.
- The Wolverines had been flagged 20 combined times in wins over Western Michigan and Oklahoma.
Bryce Underwood threw for 276 yards and two scores, but eight Michigan penalties for 75 yards proved costly in a last-play loss to No. 17 Iowa.
Michigan dropped a 20-19 decision to No. 17 Iowa on Saturday at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, with the Hawkeyes scoring a touchdown as time expired. The defeat came despite one of the Wolverines' strongest passing performances of the season and was undermined repeatedly by penalty trouble.
The brightest spot for Michigan was its aerial attack. Offensive coordinator Jason Beck came out aggressive, letting quarterback Bryce Underwood throw early and often rather than leaning on a run game that has been ineffective this season.
Underwood opened with a nine-play, 89-yard touchdown drive, going 5-of-6 for 77 yards on the march. He connected with JJ Buchanan on an 18-yard touchdown in the first quarter and added completions of 27 and 20 yards in the opening period.
The production continued throughout. Underwood found Buchanan for 32 yards in the second quarter, hit Andrew Marsh for 22 yards and Hiter for 19 in the third, and delivered a 49-yard touchdown to Buchanan in the fourth that put Michigan back in front after Iowa had taken the lead. Underwood finished 17-of-28 for 276 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Buchanan was the standout receiver with five catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns, while Marsh added seven receptions for 106 yards. The performance came against an Iowa defense that is annually among the nation's best against the pass, and followed an otherwise inconsistent stretch for the Michigan offense apart from the previous week's game against UTEP.
What cost Michigan was a series of poorly timed penalties. The Wolverines were flagged eight times for 75 yards, and several of the calls stalled drives or extended Iowa possessions.
On Michigan's opening series, a false start on Buchanan turned a 3rd-and-3 into a longer down, and after Underwood converted, a holding call on right guard Brady Norton contributed to a punt. In the second quarter, another conversion was wiped out by a holding penalty on center Jake Guarnera, leading to another punt. In the third quarter, a hold on tight end Zack Marshall at the Iowa 14-yard line pushed Michigan back, and Underwood threw an interception to defensive back Deshaun Lee three plays later.
The defense was also penalized at critical moments. A face mask call on defensive tackle Trey Pierce gave Iowa a free 15 yards and an automatic first down on a drive that otherwise would have been stopped. On Iowa's final possession, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on cornerback Zeke Berry negated what would have been a 4th-and-12 situation, and Iowa went on to score the winning touchdown on the game's final play.
Penalties had not hurt Michigan as sharply in earlier games against Western Michigan and Oklahoma, when the team drew 20 combined flags but still won. Against Iowa, the mistakes proved decisive.
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