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An Iowa football player in a white uniform with the number 2 leaps to catch a football while being defended by a Michigan player in a blue uniform.An Iowa football player in a white uniform with the number 2 leaps to catch a football while being defended by a Michigan player in a blue uniform.
Football

Vander Zee's Last Second Touchdown Pushes No. 17 Iowa Past No. 18 Michigan

The No. 17 Iowa football team edged No. 18 Michigan, 20-19, on a last-second touchdown reception by Reece Vander Zee on Saturday at Michigan Stadium.

Opens in a new window Box Score (PDF) Ferentz News Conference Transcript (PDF)
Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The No. 17 University of Iowa football team edged No. 18 Michigan, 20-19, on a last-second touchdown reception by Reece Vander Zee on Saturday evening at Michigan Stadium.

Trailing 19-14, Iowa took possession at its own 9-yard line with 1:46 remaining. The Hawkeyes marched 91 yards on 11 plays. Facing a fourth down from the Michigan 16-yard line with two seconds remaining, fourth-year quarterback Hank Brown found third-year wide receiver Reece Vander Zee in the corner of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

Iowa finished with 285 yards of total offense and 16 first downs, while Michigan totaled 429 yards and 21 first downs.

Brown completed 21 of 35 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with Vander Zee five times for 66 yards and two scores, including the game-winning 16-yard touchdown on the final play of the game.

Iowa rushed for 58 yards on 24 carries. Fourth-year running back Kamari Moulton led the Hawkeyes with 44 yards on 13 carries. Second-year running back Braeden Jackson added 13 rushing yards and returned two kickoffs for 119 yards, including a 99-yard touchdown.

Defensively, fourth-year defensive back Zach Lutmer led Iowa with 12 tackles, while third-year linebacker Cam Buffington recorded 11. Fifth-year linebacker Jayden Montgomery registered Iowa's lone sack, and fifth-year defensive back Deshaun Lee intercepted a pass in the red zone in the third quarter.

QUOTING KIRK FERENTZ

"We're really proud of our players. Phenomenal effort and really a result of all week long and everybody associated with the team—the support staff, everybody—just did a great job.

Today was clearly a total team effort. You guys were all at the game, there's nothing easy out there and we anticipated that going into it. But the good news is nobody flinched, everybody just kept playing. And that's why they get 60 minutes up there. So, just really proud of our guys there.

Everybody's going to remember the end of this one, rightfully so, but it's a little bit like the Capital One Bowl. It's really all about the 59 minutes prior that get you there. Couldn't be prouder of the way the guys hung in there and what they did, how they executed that last possession.

It took the total effort. We knew things weren't going to be easy coming into this game. That was one of the emphasis points, we'll live with three-yard runs if we get them, just keep pushing it and just keep playing, that's the biggest thing.

Michigan's a really talented team, a really good team and extremely well-coached. But again, just really proud of our guys and the effort that they put in. It really got down to mental toughness for us—our guys, staying the course and going in there. Going back to Tom Moore, "the hardest the longest." And if you're doing it right, you give yourself a chance to make that and that's really what it got down to.

So, obviously happy. We'll leave here at some point and go back to Iowa. Nobody's in a hurry in there right now. So we'll look forward to that, going to enjoy it tonight, study it tomorrow just like we would any game. A lot to learn from it certainly, in all facets, all three areas, plenty to improve upon, but we're going to enjoy that.

It really gets down to it being a 13-day race for us and that's really what our mindset's been. So, four games into it, obviously happy with what we've done so far. But the next 13 days are really going to be important for this team, and we're developing, we're getting better moving forward. But obviously a lot of work to do still and that's—that's the beauty of the season."

A football team in yellow and black uniforms walks onto the field with their coach and mascot, as spectators fill the stadium stands under a clear blue sky.

PHOTOS

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Michigan struck first when Bryce Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan for an 18-yard touchdown pass with 1:58 remaining in the first quarter.
  • The Hawkeyes answered immediately as Jackson returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown.
  • The Wolverines regained the lead on a 41-yard field goal by Trey Butkowski with 12:58 remaining in the second quarter.
  • Michigan extended its lead to 13-7 on a 22-yard field goal by Butkowski with 1:29 remaining in the third quarter.
  • Brown found Vander Zee for a 16-yard touchdown pass, and Caden Buhr's extra point gave Iowa a 14-13 lead with 14:02 remaining in the fourth quarter.
  • The Wolverines responded on the ensuing drive when Underwood connected with Buchanan for a 49-yard touchdown pass with 12:11 remaining.
  • On the final play of the game, Vander Zee hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Brown to lift Iowa to the 20-19 victory.

POSTGAME NOTES
No. 17 Iowa (4-0, 1-0) defeated 18th-ranked Michigan (3-1, 0-1), 20-19, on Saturday in front of 111,126 fans at Michigan Stadium.

  • The Hawkeyes are 4-0 for the first time since the 2021 season and for the seventh time under head coach Kirk Ferentz.
  • Saturday’s win is Iowa’s first road win over a ranked opponent since 2015 at Northwestern.
  • It is Iowa’s eighth win all-time at the Big House and the third under head coach Kirk Ferentz.
  • The 111,126 crowd is the fifth-largest road crowd Iowa has played in front of in program history.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

  • QB Hank Brown completed 21-of-35 attempts for 227 yards and two touchdown – a pair of 16-yarders to Reece Vander Zee both in the fourth quarter.
    • Brown completed 14 consecutive passes (12 straight vs. UNI, first two at Michigan) spanning two games before a drop in the first quarter against the Wolverines.
  • WR Reece Vander Zee had a 16-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, giving Iowa a 14-13 lead.
    • It was his first touchdown of the season and the sixth of his career.
  • RB Braeden Jackson went untouched for 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter to tie the game at seven. It was Iowa’s first kickoff return of the 2026 season.
    • The 99-yard touchdown return for a touchdown ties for the seventh longest in program history.
    • Iowa has had a kick return for a touchdown in three consecutive seasons. The team has returned both a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in three straight seasons.
    • It is the first kickoff return for a touchdown allowed by Michigan since 2019.
  • Iowa had three players – DB Zach Lutmer (12), LB Cam Buffington (11) and LB Landyn Van Kekerix (10) – with double digit tackles for the first time since October 12, 2024 against Washington – Higgins (14), Jackson (11), Nwankpa (10).
  • Lutmer and Van Kekerix both notched career-highs in tackles.
    • Lutmer finished with 12 stops (seven solo) for his first career double-digit tackle contest.
    • Van Kekerix had 10 tackles.
  • DB Deshaun Lee had his second interception of the season (fifth of his career), picking off his high school teammate Bryce Underwood at the 2-yard line in the third quarter.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Michigan held Iowa to 77 yards in the first half with five first downs.
  • Michigan’s offense finished with 429 yards of total offense. It is just the fifth time in the last 58 games that Iowa has allowed 400+ yards.
    • Iowa’s defense has forced a punt on the opponent’s opening possession in each of the last 10 games dating back to the 2025 season.
  • Michigan won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. The Hawkeyes have played 345 games under head coach Kirk Ferentz. Iowa has opened the game on offense 254 times (165-89). The Hawkeyes have opened the game on defense 91 times (52-39).

UP NEXT
Iowa returns home to host nationally ranked Ohio State on Oct. 3 inside Kinnick Stadium.  Game time is set for 2:30 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised on CBS.