There’s heartbreak in Ann Arbor.
Three weeks after a controversial last-second win against Western Michigan to open the season, No. 18 Michigan lost 20-19 to No. 17 Iowa after Hank Brown found Reece Vander
Zee for a 16-yard score as time expired.
With two seconds left, Brown took a shotgun snap, stepped back and then delivered a perfect back-shoulder throw in the front left corner of the end zone.
That capped an 11-play, 91-yard drive that began near the Hawkeyes’ end zone and ended with the program’s first win in the Big House since 2010.
This is a devastating result for Michigan’s chances at the College Football Playoff. Let’s break down the win with the game’s biggest winners and losers:
Winners
Iowa’s two-minute offense
Trailing 19-14 earlier in the fourth quarter, Iowa attempted a 50-yard field goal on 4th-and-6 instead of trying to convert. Hey, that’s Kirk Ferentz. But after a defense stop and the two-minute warning, the offense faced the need to go nearly the distance of the field to score the win. The game-winning drive was carried by the passing game but also featured one key 15-yard penalty against Michigan on 3rd-and-12 that moved the Hawkeyes past midfield.
Hank Brown
The former Auburn transfer has taken over the starting job without any question and made this his offense. For one, he’s done a terrific job avoiding the type of mistakes that could derail the Hawkeyes. Brown has also been a competitive runner, though that’s not necessarily the biggest part of his skill set. What he’s brought to the table most of all is consistency as a passer: Brown went 21 of 35 for 227 yards and a score, and now has completed 66 of 97 attempts on the season for 700 yards with five total touchdowns and no interceptions.
JJ Buchanan
The 6-foot-4 Utah transfer has been the biggest offseason addition in Whittingham’s first month with the Wolverines. After pulling down 26 grabs for 427 yards as a freshman last season, Buchanan had 130 receiving yards and two scores to spark the Wolverines’ offense. On the year, the sophomore now has 20 catches for 399 yards and four touchdowns.
Losers
Bryce Underwood
Underwood went for a career-high 276 yards on 17 of 28 passing and tossed two scores for his third multiple-touchdown game against a Big Ten opponent. He also added 36 yards on 14 carries. While he did throw an interception after not doing so in his previous two games, Underwood seemed like he would be the difference for Michigan in a must-have game. But he couldn’t quite deliver the knockout blow in the fourth quarter, giving Iowa the opportunity to win as time ran out.
Michigan’s playoff chances
The loss is particularly damaging given what’s ahead: Michigan still has games to come against No. 14 Penn State, No. 4 Indiana, No. 16 Oregon and, of course, No. 6 Oho State. Beyond the obvious concerns that this team isn’t good enough to beat these opponents, losing to the Hawkeyes removes any real margin for error heading into the toughest part of this year’s schedule.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iowa-Michigan winners, losers include Hank Brown after last-play touchdown pass
