When Iowa fans look back on this year’s game against Michigan, it’s pretty obvious that it won’t be considered memorable for either side. On the Iowa side of the ledger, the Hawkeyes didn’t score a point until the fourth quarter and trailed by 20 points with under 90 seconds to go.
From Michigan’s perspective, it wasn’t a very big game and the Wolverines did what they were supposed to do. Neither of those makes for a great or memorable afternoon, even in a win.
These five games are a far cry from the showing Iowa put up in Ann Arbor in October. These games were either memorable for their effort, the stakes involved or both, and they were all well-played contests by both teams. Here are the five greatest games between the Hawkeyes and the Wolverines, plus one that just missed the cut!
Just Missed: 2003, Iowa 30, Michigan 27
This was the game to show that Iowa had to stay in power under Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes’ rise from a mid-level Big Ten team to an Orange Bowl appearance was pure fun, as was Iowa’s 34-9 rout of Michigan the year before. But going into 2003 and replacing Brad Banks with Drew Tate meant that Iowa risked being a one-hit wonder and falling back to mediocrity or worse.
This game changed that. Iowa appeared to be in deep trouble when it fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, but the Hawkeyes’ resolve held firm. Even after losing to Michigan State the week before, Iowa refused to let that defeat snowball and slowed down Braylon Edwards until the receiver finally scored again in the fourth quarter.
By that time, Iowa had reversed the deficit and pulled ahead for a 30-20 lead, which meant that Edwards’ touchdown merely gave Michigan a chance in the final minutes. On the Wolverines’ final possession, the Hawkeyes’ pass defense stood firm, giving Iowa and Ferentz a thrilling win that showed that this program was becoming a real factor.
The 2003 win over Michigan can’t be overlooked. Had the Hawkeyes lost, they’d have taken a three-game losing streak into facing Penn State, and the season could have spiraled. Instead, they came up big when they needed a win.
5. 2005, Michigan 23, Iowa 20
Two years later in Kinnick Stadium, Michigan turned the tables. Iowa carried a 22-game winning streak at home into this contest, but this was a Michigan team that knew how to handle close games and could handle the pressure of Iowa’s crowd. Michigan came into this game having already played four Big Ten games decided in the game’s final minute, and the Wolverines’ experience with tight battles really paid off in the end.
For most of the contest, this was exactly Iowa’s kind of football game, as the Hawkeyes forced the Wolverines to grind out yardage and take what was available to them. But when things moved to the fourth quarter, the big plays began to bite the Hawkeyes hard. The biggest culprit was allowing Steve Breaston to break free on a screen pass, allowing the receiver to go 52 yards and give the Wolverines a 17-14 lead.
Despite the defensive lapse, Iowa wasn’t done. The Hawkeyes managed to get in range for a game-tying field goal as regulation expired, and on their first possession of overtime, the Hawks nailed a field goal to pull ahead. But Chad Henne became an NFL quarterback for a reason, and on Michigan’s possession, he found Jason Avant inside the 5-yard-line to set up Jerome Jackson’s rushing touchdown on third and goal. Just like that, Iowa’s home winning streak was over.
4. 1990, Iowa 24, Michigan 23
This game made Iowa’s last Rose Bowl under Hayden Fry possible, as the Hawkeyes picked up their fifth win in Big Ten play by pulling themselves off the ropes in the final quarter. Iowa appeared to be finished when the Hawkeyes got a punt blocked, turning a three-point Michigan lead into a 20-10 cushion early in the final quarter.
But to the shock of the Michigan Stadium crowd, the Hawkeyes responded. Iowa converted its final two possessions into touchdowns while Michigan only managed a field goal, putting the Hawkeyes ahead by one point with a mere 1:09 on the clock. The defense wasn’t going to waste that effort, as Iowa intercepted Elvis Grbac on Michigan’s last possession to lock down the win and give Iowa a 5-0 start in the Big Ten.
That win proved critical when bowl season came around because the Hawkeyes finished in a four-way tie with Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan State for first place in the Big Ten. Because the Hawkeyes went 3-0 against the Illini, Spartans, and Wolverines, Iowa made the trip to Pasadena — something that wouldn’t happen again for the Hawkeyes until Kirk Ferentz guided Iowa back to the Rose Bowl in 2015, 25 years after this thrilling comeback.
3. 2016, Iowa 14, Michigan 13
Wearing one of the most iconic football uniforms of their history, the 2016 game was the most Kirk Ferentz-style win ever for the Hawkeyes against the Wolverines. Michigan came in sporting a No. 2 ranking, but Iowa’s stern defense again proved to be an irritant for the Wolverines. Michigan could only muster 10 points in the first half on Iowa, which gave the Hawkeyes the time they needed to get the offense figured out and turn the game around.
Of course, the Iowa defense started the Hawkeyes’ comeback by notching a safety for Iowa’s first points of the day. The Hawkeyes then scored their first — and only — touchdown of the day after a mediocre punt from Michigan set them up near midfield. As the fourth quarter began, Iowa held an 11-10 lead, which has to be the most Ferentz-style score possible.
Somehow, Iowa finished the game on a normal football number without ever hitting an extra point. The Hawkeyes’ special teams created their winning score by drawing a face mask penalty against Michigan, setting up the offense on the Wolverines’ 36. C.J. Beathard did just enough with his legs to set Keith Duncan up for a game-winning 33-yard field goal, allowing the Hawks to emerge with a win despite just 66 passing yards on the day. The Hawkeyes couldn’t get a win that fit their coach better if they tried.
2. 1997, Michigan 28, Iowa 24
The best way to sum up this game is “what might have been”. Just as Nebraska had to survive the Kick Six game in Missouri to make it unscathed through 1997, Michigan had to get through a visit from Iowa and its outstanding special teams unit. Ironically, Iowa scored more points than anyone on Michigan in 1997, because the Hawkeyes had ace returner Tim Dwight and typically excellent play from the defense.
In fact, the score was deceptive, because this result wasn’t because Iowa putting up big numbers against Michigan’s vaunted defense. No, the Hawkeyes scored three second-quarter touchdowns because of Dwight returning a punt for a score and Ed Gibson intercepting a Brian Griese pass and returning it to Michigan’s one-yard line.
When the final quarter arrived, Michigan displayed the lockdown defense that made it a national champion in 1997. The Wolverines didn’t allow Iowa to score in the game’s final period, taking a four-point lead that required the Hawkeyes to go for the win against Michigan’s dominant defense when it mattered most.
As expected, the Hawkeyes couldn’t get the job done in the end. Iowa drove to the 15-yard line, but because the Hawks needed a touchdown, they had to force the issue against the Michigan defense. That culminated in Matt Sherman’s third interception of the day, leaving Iowa four points short in a season that saw the Hawkeyes lose three games by four or less.
1. 1985, Iowa 12, Michigan 10
How could it have been anything other than the only matchup between No. 1 and No. 2 in the series? These teams lived up to the hype with fierce defensive efforts, even with Iowa boasting Heisman contender Chuck Long at quarterback, one of the best Hawkeyes football players ever, and Michigan coming off a pair of 30-point outings against Wisconsin and Michigan State.
Iowa never scored a touchdown in the win, which made kicker Rob Houghtlin and a ball-control offense the standouts for the day. The Hawkeyes kept Michigan’s powerful attack under wraps and then made the right plays when needed to drive downfield for Houghtlin’s fourth field goal and the winning points.
Once again, a win over Michigan resulted in a trip to Pasadena, but this one truly had something special attached to it. At the time, Iowa had long been a Big Ten afterthought, as the Hawks hadn’t won the Big Ten outright since 1958. But Iowa rolled to a 7-1 mark in the league that year, only losing to Ohio State.
Michigan did beat Ohio State, but that wasn’t enough to catch the Hawkeyes because the Wolverines got caught by Illinois’ defense and had to settle for a 3-3 tie in Champaign before overtime existed. When the dust had cleared, Iowa stood alone atop the Big Ten for the first time in 27 years, earning a truly special Rose Bowl appearance.