Michigan didn’t start off Big Ten play the way it wanted to. After surviving against Western Michigan in Week 1 on a Hail Mary, Iowa repaid the favor on a last-second touchdown in the endzone to walk away undefeated and hand the Wolverines their first loss.
Arguably, Michigan played its best game of the year so far against the Hawkeyes, but there are still major problems as to why the Wolverines lost their first Big Ten game of the season.
Looking to bounce back in its first road game of the year in Week
5 at Minnesota for the 100th battle for the Little Brown Jug, here are the keys to victory for Michigan:
Minimize the penalties
There were a lot of reasons Michigan didn’t beat Iowa last weekend. The biggest, undoubtedly, was penalties. One can point fingers to cornerback Zeke Berry that set up an opportunity for Iowa to win the game, but realistically the problem was game long and has been season long.
The Wolverines are averaging eight penalties per game through four games, which is tied for third-worst in the Big Ten with none other than Minnesota, both only behind UCLA and Northwestern. Who would have thought a penalty battle could decide the game? But in another physical Big Ten matchup where both teams are going to need all the yards they can get, having a surplus of penalties could be crushing.
Slow down Drake Lindsey and Minnesota’s passing game
Lindsey has been great for the Golden Gophers through four games. He’s thrown for 951 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions and has three receivers over 100 yards — Javon Tracy, Noah Jennings and Jalen Smith.
In every game so far, Lindsey has thrown for over 200 yards. Michigan has only allowed Iowa’s Hank Brown throw for that many yards, but 62 yards came on the final drive. Nonetheless, the Wolverines’ secondary that has been so strong all season is going to have yet another test in the first half of the season as they try to contain Lindsey and the Minnesota receivers.
For Michigan to win, it’s going to have to slow down the Gophers’ passing attack — and a foolproof way to do that is by generating turnovers
Generate takeaways, win the turnover battle
Another major takeaway from the Wolverines’ loss to the Hawkeyes was their inability to generate turnovers. Michigan, and quarterback Byrce Underwood especially, has done a much better job from season to season and as the 2026 season has progressed about holding onto the football.
The Wolverines only have six turnovers on the year, but when you compare that to only generating three turnovers in four games, there becomes an issue. For as good as Michigan’s defense is — with 28 tackles for loss and 12 sacks, good for 20th and 18th in the nation — it seemingly can’t find a way to turn the ball over.
Against a Minnesota offense that’s great at holding onto the ball and utilizing the passing attack, only giving away three turnovers this season on two interceptions and a single fumble, the Wolverines are simply going to have to find a way to reverse the script to create more chances for their offense.
What do you think Michigan need to do to win the 100th edition of the Little Brown Jug? Let us know in the comments below.
