Iowa (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) is still perfect. The Hawkeyes walked off Michigan (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) with a wild, 20-19 win from the Big House that ended with a 16-yard Hank Brown touchdown pass to Reece Vander Zee as time expired.
In the process, Iowa beat a ranked Big Ten team on the road for the first time since it topped Northwestern in 2015.
Brown finished his day 21 of 35 passing for 227 yards and two touchdowns.
As Iowa captures a signature win, what were some of the game's key takeaways?
Hank Brown delivered late
Iowa had just 77 yards of total offense at halftime and it looked like more of the same from a Hawkeye offense against a ranked Big Ten squad.
Through three quarters, Hank Brown was 8 of 16 passing for 85 yards and Iowa's offense was just 2 of 8 on third down. But,
Iowa's signal-caller came alive late, completing 13 of his 19 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Iowa was 4 of 6 on third down in the fourth quarter.
Reece Vander Zee, Hank Brown enter Iowa lore
Reece Vander Zee burst onto the scene as a freshman in his first game as a Hawkeye. The Rock Rapids, Iowa, product had a pair of touchdowns and 66 receiving yards on five grabs in his first-ever game as a Hawkeye back in 2024.
Then, injuries played a part in slowing Vander Zee's growth down.
Vander Zee caught and toe-drug an all-timer on Saturday. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound receiver has plenty of football still in front of him at Iowa, but this is a moment that will never be forgotten.
It wasn't just the final touchdown either. Vander Zee had two touchdown catches in the win, finishing with five grabs for 66 yards. Welcome to Hawkeye lore, Hank Brown and Reece Vander Zee.
HANK BROWN FINDS REECE VANDER ZEE FOR THE @HawkeyeFootball WIN 😱‼️ pic.twitter.com/QRBjWjg43j
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 26, 2026
Braeden Jackson's 99-yard kickoff return touchdown kept Iowa afloat
BRAEDEN JACKSON HOUSE CALL IN THE BIG HOUSE! pic.twitter.com/EBQ55WtKZL
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 26, 2026
Iowa doesn't win this game without Braeden Jackson's 99-yard kickoff return touchdown. It was an immediate response to Michigan's opening 18-yard touchdown strike from Bryce Underwood to JJ Buchanan.
It's now consecutive weeks where Jackson is carving out an impactful role on this 2026 Hawkeye squad. Jackson rushed for 125 yards and had a pair of touchdowns last week in Iowa's 55-0 win over Northern Iowa.
Like it so often does, Iowa found a necessary special teams spark en route to a big win.
Iowa's defense surrenders 429 yards, but finds 1 pivotal takeaway and some other key stops
Iowa with a fourth-down stop. pic.twitter.com/lN6kvHcQXL
— Hawkeyes Wire (@HawkeyesWire) September 26, 2026
It wasn't a banner day for Iowa's defense.
Underwood finished 17 of 28 passing for 276 yards with a pair of touchdown passes. That included a defensive breakdown on a 49-yard touchdown pass from Underwood to JJ Buchanan for Buchanan's second touchdown of the day.
But, Iowa's Deshaun Lee picked off his former high school teammate to take points off the board. The Hawkeyes had another key fourth-down stop before Lee's takeaway and limited two other Wolverine drives to field goals.
It wasn't an elite defensive day, but Iowa's defense came up with two key stops late to give its offense the chance to go win the game.
Deshaun Lee picks off Bryce Underwood to take Michigan points off the scoreboard. pic.twitter.com/JcRLThI06F
— Hawkeyes Wire (@HawkeyesWire) September 26, 2026
Iowa still needs to find its run game versus power foes
Iowa ran for just 93 yards (3.2 yards per carry) in its 16-13 win over Iowa State and for just 58 yards (2.4 yards per carry) against Michigan.
That's not the right long-term recipe for Iowa. The Hawkeyes have to improve there in a meaningful way.
Iowa finally beat Michigan in a Big Ten opener
Iowa and Michigan had met 11 times previously in their respective Big Ten openers. Michigan was 11-0. Not anymore. And Iowa captured its first W over Michigan in those circumstances in truly unforgettable fashion.
It's the third win at Michigan for Kirk Ferentz and Iowa improves to 5-4-1 in the Big House in games where both teams enter ranked in the AP poll.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Takeaways as Iowa football stuns Michigan in wild, walk-off winner
