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Iowa Football: Three Do's and Three Don'ts From Michigan Game
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- Iowa Football: Three Do's and Three Don'ts From Michigan Game
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
To put it mildly, there were a lot of things that happened in No. 17 Iowa's dramatic 20-19 victory over No. 18 Michigan at Michigan Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Reece Vander Zee 's touchdown catch as time expired obviously topped the list, but when Kirk Ferentz and Co. finished up their film session on Sunday, they will definitely see numerous things that need to change if they want to continue this unexpected momentum surge into a massive conference home opener against No. 3 Ohio State this weekend.
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We'll have a lot to preview on that matchup later in the week, but for now, let's kick off Monday morning with our three do's and three don'ts from the Michigan game. For those of you who are knew, this weekly staple lists three things Iowa did in the contest that it should keep doing the rest of the season (the do's) and three things that we learned in the same game that should remain on the field (the don'ts).
Here we go.
Do's
Hank Brown's poise in fourth quarter: The game-winning drive was obviously where Brown made his money on Saturday, but his ability to bounce back with big play after big play in the fourth quarter after a rough start should be one of the main takeaways from the game. The fourth-year quarterback looked uncomfortable for the first 45 minutes of the game (8-for-16, 85 yards, no touchdowns), but when the lights were bright, he delivered, going 13-of-19 for 142 yards, a pair of scores, and (maybe most importantly) no interceptions. Iowa has been looking for its quarterback to meet the moment like that for a long time, and Brown did just that. His confidence has to be sky-high right now, and that's a very good thing for the Hawkeyes moving forward.
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Keep getting the ball to RVZ:One reason why Brown was so successful late in this game? He had a consistent rapport with wide receiver Reece Vander Zee. The game-winning touchdown is obviously going to make the headlines, but on a day when Michigan basically took Tony Diaz out of the equation, the Hawkeyes needed someone else to make a play. Vander Zee did that and more, catching all five of his targets for 66 yards and both of Iowa's offensive touchdowns. Needless to say, the Hawkeyes will benefit greatly if they can continue to get the 6-foot-4 Vander Zee involved, especially down in the red zone.
Boston Everitt continues to do his thing:Iowa was dominated in just about every facet of this game, but the one thing it did well was flip the field position battle. The man that made that happen was punter Boston Everitt, who's been a strong performer on special teams all season long. The Aussie booted six punts for 254 yards (just 10 yards off his season long against Iowa State ), with two landing inside the 10-yard line.
Don'ts
Kick a field goal down five points late in fourth quarter:There were mixed reactions from Iowa fans on social media after this occurred, but Ferentz's decision to kick a 51-yard field goal down by five points with under three minutes left in the contest was the wrong one, in my opinion. While Iowa did have all of its timeouts left, even if the kick went through the uprights, asking a defense that didn't exactly have an easy time stopping Michigan's offense to get you the ball back is a tough ask. It all worked out just fine on Saturday, but the Hawkeyes aren't going to get that lucky again.
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Leave an injured Tyler Brown on an island: Bryce Underwood 's 49-yard touchdown pass to JJ Buchanan early in the fourth quarter looked like blown coverage by Iowa's secondary live, but further replays appeared to show cornerback Tyler Brown shaken up earlier in the drive. Rather than pull Brown, who has already missed the first two games of the year because of a soft tissue injury, from the game, Iowa instead opted to leave him out there for a crucial drive, and he had no chance to keep up with the agile Buchanan.
Get dominated at the line of scrimmage:A game like this is almost always decided in the trenches, and Iowa was very fortunate to come out with a victory because it simply had no answers for Michigan up front. The Hawkeyes managed just 58 rushing yards (2.4 YPC), and Brown faced the most pressure he's had all season.
The defense wasn't much better, either. The Wolverines tallied 158 rushing yards, but the most alarming sign was the lack of pressure on Underwood. Michigan's sophomore quarterback had struggled up to this game, but he had little trouble wreaking havoc with his legs because Iowa couldn't get to the quarterback. That has to change if the Hawkeyes want to slow down an explosive Ohio State offense this weekend.
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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io
