The Iowa Hawkeyes did not waste much time rubbing in their dramatic win over the Michigan Wolverines.
No. 17 Iowa stunned No. 18 Michigan 20-19 in Ann Arbor on September 26, scoring on the final play to complete a fourth-quarter comeback and move to 4-0. Almost immediately afterward, Iowa’s official football account delivered a four-word message aimed directly at one of the strangest finishes of the young college football season.
“NO EXTRA TIME NECESSARY,” Iowa posted on X.
Subtle? Not particularly.
The reference was to Michigan’s controversial 13-12 win over Western Michigan in its season opener, when replay officials restored one second to the clock after what initially appeared to be the final play of the game. Michigan then used that extra second to connect on a game-winning 47-yard Hail Mary.
Iowa apparently had not forgotten.
Iowa Revives Michigan-Western Michigan Controversy
The September 5 finish between Michigan and Western Michigan became a national controversy because the Wolverines appeared to have lost before officials intervened.
Bryce Underwood’s initial Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete with the television clock showing zero. After a replay review, however, officials put one second back on the clock. Underwood then found JJ Buchanan for the touchdown that gave Michigan a 13-12 victory.
The Big Ten said its replay operation used a timing source that differed from the television clock. Western Michigan and the Mid-American Conference continued to question the process, with the MAC eventually asking that Western Michigan be treated as the winner for ranking and College Football Playoff purposes. The NCAA said there was no mechanism to overturn the result.
That made Iowa’s post impossible to misread.
The Hawkeyes walked into the same stadium three weeks later, beat Michigan in another game that went all the way to the final snap and immediately brought the clock controversy back to the surface.
Iowa Hands Michigan Its First Loss
The shot carried considerably more weight because of how the Hawkeyes won.
Michigan controlled much of the afternoon and generated 427 yards while holding Iowa to 204 through the late stages of the fourth quarter. Bryce Underwood threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns, while JJ Buchanan finished with 130 receiving yards and two scores.
Iowa still found a way.
The Hawkeyes rallied for 13 points in the fourth quarter and escaped the Big House with a 20-19 victory on the final play, improving to 4-0 and handing Michigan its first loss of the Kyle Whittingham era.
It was also Iowa’s first win over Michigan since 2016 after the Wolverines had won four straight meetings entering Saturday. Michigan had most recently blanked Iowa 26-0 in the 2023 Big Ten Championship Game.
Three weeks after Michigan survived because officials decided there was still time left, Iowa made sure to point out that its own last-second finish required no such intervention.
Four words did the job.
Michigan Gets Brutal Shot From Iowa After Wolverines’ Stunning Loss