Iowa stuns Michigan on the final play in Ann Arbor

A few weeks ago, Michigan needed an extra second to pull off a miracle against Western Michigan. Saturday at the Big House, Iowa used the final second of the game to stun the Wolverines. Quarterback Hank Brown connected with wide receiver Reece Vander Zee on the game’s final snap on a back-shoulder throw for a 16-yard touchdown to give Iowa a 20-19 win, and send the Michigan crowd home stunned. Iowa took over on their own 9-yard line with under two minutes remaining, trailing 19-14. But Brown and the Hawkeyes offense managed to get into the red zone and in position for the final play, thanks to a series of completions, including this stunning connection between Brown and tight end Addison Ostrenga to move the chains with mere seconds remaining: Unreal play to keep Iowa in it! pic.twitter.com/l6EY5M10t6 — CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 26, 2026 Somehow Ostrenga was able to pull in the completion, giving Iowa one last chance from the 16-yard line. They would take advantage of that last chance: IOWA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/RyB7za10SS — CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 26, 2026 Brown put the ball where only his receiver could catch it, and Vander Zee did just that, twisting back to the football and getting a foot down to complete the play. Here is another look at the effort from Vander Zee, which needed an official review to confirm the touchdown: AN UNBELIEVABLE SCENE IN ANN ARBOR! pic.twitter.com/iyz49GtMPk — CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 26, 2026 Michigan built a 10-7 halftime lead, and the Wolverines led by 13-7 when the fourth quarter began. But that is when the Iowa offense woke up, as the Hawkeyes outscored Michigan 13-6 over the final 15 minutes to go into Ann Arbor and pull out the win. After the game, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said he and the Hawkeyes would “get back to work” tomorrow: "We'll enjoy the heck out of it tonight, and back to work tomorrow." – Kirk Ferentz@JennyDell_ pic.twitter.com/9c3TDZ4y3b — CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 26, 2026 And here is what Vander Zee had to say about the game-winning moment: The man of the moment. Reece Vander Zee joins @JennyDell_ after his game-winning catch. pic.twitter.com/dWwLi475Iy — CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 26, 2026 Ferentz is probably on to something when he says that the Hawkeyes have to get back to work tomorrow. The Ohio State Buckeyes are up next for Iowa.

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