No storybook upset as Iowa is shut out by Michigan in Big Ten championship game

INDIANAPOLIS — Iowa fans had somewhat of a “Ted Lasso”-themed day on Saturday.

First, there was Jason Sudeikis, the actor who plays Lasso’s character in the show, doing the “Ted Lasso” dance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena while watching a women’s basketball game.

Over in Indianapolis, there was the Michigan band paying homage to the popular Apple streaming service show during its halftime performance.

But there was no AFC Richmond-esque upset in store for Iowa football, no matter how much the Hawkeyes believed, as Michigan pulled away with a 26-0 win in the Big Ten championship game.

“Tonight certainly wasn’t our night,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We knew we came in here needing to play pretty much a flawless game. Obviously didn’t do that.”

Iowa’s defense kept the game competitive for much of the game, but Michigan distanced itself in the third quarter with an unusual sequence of events.

It started with a Deacon Hill fumble recovered by Michigan’s Josh Wallace at the 12-yard line. The officials initially ruled it an incomplete pass before the replay official overturned the call.

“The arm was going forward, but the hand wasn't, which I'm not sure if that's possible mechanically,” Ferentz said regarding the officials’ explanation.

Was this a fumble or incomplete? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/tlBiT4WrI9

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 3, 2023

The turnover, combined with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on an Iowa assistant coach, set up Michigan for a 6-yard Blake Corum rushing touchdown on the next play.

The wheels fell off for Iowa at that point.

“Obviously, they had a lot of momentum there,” Hill said. “It’s hard to flip that. The defense did a great job all night trying to flip it back to us, but we just didn’t execute as well as we wanted to.”

Hill, after Michigan scored again on a 46-yard James Turner field goal, later took another strip-sack. This time, Michigan’s Braiden McGregor forced the fumble, and Kenneth Grant recovered it at the Iowa 15-yard line.

Iowa’s defense stopped the Wolverines on three straight plays after the turnover, but Turner hit a 36-yard field goal to expand the lead to 23-0.

Turner finished the day with four made field goals, including from as far out as 50 yards.

Even without the turnovers, Iowa’s offensive performance was far from satisfactory. It did not have a play that went for more than 10 yards until Addison Ostrenga’s 19-yard reception in the fourth quarter.

“We just didn’t execute our game plan well enough tonight,” Hill said. “We got caught in some tricky situations.”

Hill finished the day going 18-of-32 for 120 yards. Iowa’s rushing attack averaged a mere 1.5 yards per carry.

Neither offense had much production in the first half.

The lone touchdown of the first half was set up by an 87-yard punt return by Michigan’s Semaj Morgan to the Iowa 5-yard line. Two plays later, Corum scored on a 2-yard rush.

WHAT A PUNT RETURN BY MORGAN

@UMichFootbal pic.twitter.com/fbF0RRCDEA

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 3, 2023

Iowa’s defense did not force any turnovers although there were some close calls.

Perhaps the most tantalizing was when Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s pass went right to Iowa linebacker Nick Jackson, but Jackson could not hold on.

Iowa’s offense, on the other hand, gave up the ball three times.

Along with Hill’s two fumbles, running back Jaziun Patterson fumbled the ball in the first quarter on the periphery of field-goal range.

“Turnovers never help -- the two fumbles,” Hill said. “Then we get the ball in great field position, and then we have another fumble. ... Execution, we didn’t do well in that category.”

All three turnovers either prevented Iowa from scoring or set up easy scoring opportunities for Michigan.

Iowa’s turnovers masked what was largely a solid showing from the Phil Parker-led defense. Michigan’s potent rushing attack was limited to 1.9 yards per carry. McCarthy went 22-of-30 for 147 yards.

"My teammates went out there, and they competed,“ linebacker Jay Higgins said. ”That’s all I can ask for. ... You have to show up in big moments. I’m really proud of my defense.“

Iowa is now 0-2 against ranked opponents this season, and both games were shutouts. (Iowa lost, 31-0, to then-No. 7 Penn State on Sept. 23.)

The Hawkeyes are now 0-3 in their three Big Ten championship game appearances. The first two opponents went on to the College Football Playoff, and the same is expected for Michigan in 2023.

“If we had won that game (in 2015), which we didn’t then we would have been there,” Ferentz said of the CFP. “Michigan State wouldn’t have been. I don’t think people realize how tough it is to be one of those four teams.”

Iowa will go to its postseason bowl with a 10-3 record. This was the fifth 10-plus-win regular season for the Hawkeyes during the Kirk Ferentz era.

Iowa will learn its bowl destination on Sunday, with the most likely possibility being the Citrus Bowl.

“We still got another game,” Iowa defensive lineman Logan Lee said. “We're still going to come back, and we're going to be a better team. I know that for sure. But yeah, unmet expectations are never fun to deal with.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com