Halftime -- Dramamine, please

The look on Ricky Stanzi's face kind of said it all.

Stunned, bewildered, tense.

A pick six on your first pass attempt of the game will do that to any QB.

Stanzi stood in the pocket, looked right and threw it right into the arms of Michigan cornerback Donovan Warren, who returned it untouched 40 yards for a 7-0 Michigan lead with 14:14 left in the first quarter.

But Stanzi, facing down the pressure of having absolutely no running game and some pretty shaky pass blocking, made enough plays to lift Iowa to a 20-14 halftime lead.

One pass, six points the other way.

It was Stanzi's third pick six of the season. The next drive started with a timeout. Iowa couldn't get the play in on time. As far as starts go, Iowa looked like the road team, a nervous, nervous road team.

Stanzi taketh away and then he gaveth.

On third-and-13 from Michigan's 35, Stanzi called an audible with three seconds left on the playclock. Whatever he saw, he saw it perfectly.

Stanzi took a short drop and hit TE Tony Moeaki just a few yards off the line of scrimmage. Moeaki trucked in untouched from 34 yards for a 7-7 tie with 9:20 left in the first quarter.

Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier returned the favor on the Wolverines' next possession, rolling right and throwing right to Iowa LB Jeremiha Hunter who picked it off and returned it to UM's 19.

On third-and-2 from the 11, Stanzi tried WR Marvin McNutt but Warren, the player of the first half, made a great play in the end zone to breakup a pass that McNutt had two hands on. Daniel Murray kicked a 28-yard field goal and the Hawkeyes had a 10-7 lead with 5:55 left in the first quarter.

The Forcier everyone in the Big Ten has been talking about showed up on the possession.

He accounted for 45 of a 72-yard scoring drive that SB Brandon Minor finished with a 3-yard charge, making it 14-10 Michigan with 1:12 left in the first quarter. That rush TD snapped Iowa's streak of 33 quarters without yielding a rushing TD.

After Iowa went three-and-out, Forcier had the ball fly out of his hand and Hunter recovered at Michigan's 46.

But again, Iowa was held to a field goal, a 41-yarder from Murray this time that pulled Iowa to 14-13 with 12:50 left in the second quarter. That was first down at UM's 19 and UM's 46 and only six points generated. That's the kind of thing that catches up to a team.

After pretty much sputtering for nearly an entire half, Stanzi locked in.

Mark down 10:09 left in the second quarter. That's when Stanzi's feet finally touched turf.

On third-andd -6 from Iowa's 26, Stanzi hit Stross for a diving 33-yard completion to Michigan's 41. And then, after a 14-yard loss on a botched shotgun snap set up a third-and-24, Stanzi winged a pass to WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, who split coverage and beat Warren, for a 47-yard gain to Michigan's 8.

Three plays later, RB Brandon Wegher jumped in from the 1 for a 20-14 lead 5:49 left before halftime.

Iowa's rushing duo of Wegher and Adam Robinson had just 21 yards between them. Iowa finished half with just 3 yards.

With no rushing game, Stanzi has a lot of pressure on his shoulder pads. He carried it well late in the second half, after, of course, his early-game nuttiness.

Stanzi finished the half 12 of 21 for 200 yards, INT and TD. Forcier finished 5 of 9 for 74 with an interception. Iowa's defense made it close with three turnovers, including a fumble caused by DT Karl Klug and covered by DE Adrian Clayborn at Iowa's 30 with 1:19 before halftime.

UM's Brandon Minor had 48 rushing yards and a TD. DE Brandon Graham had two sacks and was close to two more. Iowa had no answer for Graham, who made Bulaga and Calloway look silly on different plays in the first half.