Michigan suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday against Iowa in a game it had no business losing. It was a classic case of Michigan losing the game rather than Iowa going out and winning it. Despite outgaining the Hawkeyes 429-285, the Wolverines repeatedly shot themselves in the foot to the point where they lost a game in which they were clearly the better team. Credit to Iowa, they played a disciplined game and capitalized on the repeated mistakes made by Michigan. But Kyle Whittingham’s squad flat-out gave the game away. Penalties, poor red zone execution, and poor coaching turned the narrative from a 4-0 team with an improving offense to a group that is now 3-1 and facing an uphill battle to make the College Football Playoff.
Here are my biggest takeaways from the performance and where the team goes from here.
1. Penalties are the biggest killer thus far
Through four games, Michigan has committed 32 penalties for 289 yards. The Wolverines are the most penalized team in the Big 10 and the 25th-most penalized team nationally. On Saturday, the lack of discipline proved to be Michigan’s undoing. Eight penalties for 75 yards, including one on the final drive, is simply unacceptable. Zeke Berry committed the most selfish penalty you will see on Iowa’s game-winning drive. After an incompletion that would have made it third-and-12, he shoved an Iowa receiver out of bounds to draw an unnecessary roughness call. Without that boneheaded play, we are most likely talking about a 4-0 Michigan team.
Illegal formation fouls on offense are becoming a regular occurrence, an issue that falls on the coaching staff. Holding is another repeated issue that is derailing drives. The offense was hit with three holding calls on Saturday, all coming on empty possessions. Kyle Whittingham came to Michigan with a pedigree of coaching disciplined, fundamentally sound teams. Four games in, this Michigan team is the polar opposite, and it cost them a win against Iowa.
2. Bryce Underwood continues to show growth
Bryce Underwood took a lot of heat after a dreadful game against Western Michigan. He took a step forward against Oklahoma, played well against UTEP, and put up arguably his best career game against Iowa. Underwood went 17/28 passing for 276 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and 36 rushing yards. He is still a work-in-progress as a passer, but is clearly gaining confidence and comfort in Jason Beck’s offense. Having two excellent wide receivers in JJ Buchanan and Andrew Marsh certainly helps, as both went for over 100 yards on Saturday.
Underwood was not perfect; the red zone interception was a killer mistake, though Kyle Whittingham said on Monday that it was a miscommunication with the receiver. The long touchdown pass to Buchanan in the fourth quarter was an incredible play by Underwood to avoid pressure, escape, and heave the ball downfield in stride to Buchanan. Iowa’s defense is no slouch, making what Underwood did even more impressive. He has shown growth every game this season after a really rough opener. Continued improvement as the rest of the season goes on will bode well for the Michigan offense.
3. Coaching failed the team on Saturday
Penalties are a result of poor coaching. Technique and discipline run downstream of practice and what is being taught by the staff. Kyle Whittingham has admitted the flags are an issue, but he has said that after every game with no change. Most of the issues are fixable. Illegal formations can be addressed with more emphasis during the week, as can issues up front. The stupid penalties, like what Zeke Berry did on the final drive, reflect a cultural issue left from the Sherrone Moore era. That will take time to address, but has to be a point of focus.
The other killer coming out of the loss was poor playcalling late in the game by Jason Beck and Jay Hill. After watching Underwood play his best football of the season, Beck took the ball out of his hands on the final offensive possession, electing to run the ball three times with no effect. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but the running game has not been effective this season. Not letting Underwood make a play to pick up a first down, and basically ending the game, did not make sense.
Jay Hill, who has done an excellent job so far as defensive coordinator, called another good game Saturday up until the final sequence. John Henry Daley went down with an injury, allowing Iowa to get one final play off from the 16-yard line. Instead of sending everyone in coverage back to the goal line, as is typical in that situation, Hill called press coverage with a QB spy, a baffling call that allowed the Iowa receiver to get an angle on Smith Snowden to catch the game-winner. Allowing Iowa to march 91 yards in 1:46 should never happen in the first place. Running press coverage on the final play is a coaching blunder by Jay Hill that, just like other mistakes throughout the game, did the Wolverines in.
4. Red zone and goal line offense has to improve
The offense moved the ball with ease, putting up 429 total yards. Yet, in the red zone, it scored one touchdown in four attempts. The other drives ended in a field goal, turnover on downs, and an interception. A failed two-point attempt proved to be the difference on the scoreboard as well. Through four games, the offense is 7/12 (58%) scoring touchdowns in the red zone. That number needs to be at least 70%, or higher, in order to compete going forward. The failed fourth-and-one QB sneak by Underwood was a bad play call by Jason Beck. Diving over the line should only happen on the goal line. Underwood is a big, physical runner. Another run design with him would have been more effective. Turning empty possessions, or field goals, deep in opposing territory into touchdowns has to be an area of emphasis going forward.
5. Michigan beat itself, but has a high ceiling if it can clean itself up
This is a game the Wolverines should have won by two or three scores. Iowa had less than 200 yards of offense before the final drive. Its first touchdown came on a kickoff return, meaning the defense only surrendered 13 points. The Michigan defense is very talented, and the offense is coming along. Assuming Bryce Underwood’s improvement is real, the passing game has to be reckoned with, which will help open up the running game.
Outside of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, I can’t remember a more frustrating Michigan loss in recent memory. The Wolverines did everything in their power to lose to Iowa. In doing so, they put themselves in a precarious position.
I am simultaneously immensely frustrated with Michigan’s loss to Iowa and somehow more optimistic about the prospects of this team than I was a few weeks ago. If the penalties are cleaned up, which clearly is not a given, they are going to contend in every remaining game. The defense is outstanding. The offense is rounding into form, with more room for improvement from Bryce Underwood and the run game.
I look at the rest of the schedule, which, while tough, is maybe not as daunting as we once thought, and do not see a reason why Michigan cannot contend in every remaining game if it gets its house in order. The margin for error is now gone, but this loss should serve as a wake-up call. If not, the season could go awry by mid-October. If this is a galvanizing moment, Michigan is as talented as anyone and can still make a run. As frustrating as Saturday afternoon at Michigan Stadium was, and boy was it frustrating to watch in-person, there is a lot of football left to play in 2026. Up next is Minnesota this Saturday before a bye week and a homestand against Penn State and Indiana.
Photo via MGoBlog
