Jim Harbaugh, No. 19 Michigan Beat No. 14 Iowa in Gritty Big Ten Matchup

The 19th-ranked Michigan Wolverines defended home field and defeated the 14th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes 10-3 at the Big House on Saturday. 

The Wolverines were led by a ferocious defense, with Kwity Paye (2.5 sacks) and Jordan Glasgow (two sacks) coming up big. Josh Metellus, Lavert Hill and Ambry Thomas each nabbed interceptions as well.

Michigan improves to 4-1 with the victory, moving to 2-1 in conference play. Meanwhile, Iowa (4-1) suffers its first loss of the season.

Notable Performances

Iowa

QB Nate Stanley: 23-for-42, 260 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions

RB Toren Young: eight carries, 40 yards

WR Tyler Goodson: five catches, 62 yards

WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette: four catches, 60 yards

Michigan

QB Shea Patterson: 14-for-26, 147 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception

RB Zach Charbonnet: 13 carries, 42 yards, one touchdown

WR Nico Collins: three catches, 63 yards

WR Donovan Peoples-Jones: four catches, 26 yards

Strong Start Powers Wolverines to Victory

Michigan has now faced a pair of Top 15 teams this season, and the two games couldn't have started any differently.

Back on Sept. 21, Michigan allowed Wisconsin to open the game with a 75-yard touchdown drive. That set the tone for the game, as the Badgers ultimately held a 35-0 lead as they cruised to victory at home.

This time around, though, it was the Wolverines who grabbed control early.

After a quiet start by the offense, the Michigan defense got the Big House rocking by forcing a fumble on Iowa's first offensive play of the game, setting the offense up at the 18-yard line. That great field position resulted in an early 3-0 lead.

Patterson finally showed signs of life on the Wolverines' next possession, starting the drive with a 51-yard pass to Nico Collins:

Five plays later, the lead grew to 10 thanks to a two-yard Zach Charbonnet touchdown.

Patterson and the offense had a hard time sustaining drives for the majority of the day, but a quick start proved to be enough to secure the victory.

Nate Stanley, Iowa Can't Figure Out Michigan Defense

Hawkeyes quarterback Nate Stanley had been impressive to start the season, piling up 965 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions through his first four games. 

It would be a rough day for Stanley.

Iowa's first four drives resulted in 16 total yards, one turnover and zero points. That helped dig an early hole, one that proved to be insurmountable against a Wolverines defense that came ready to play.

The Michigan defense pressured Stanley early and often. It recorded eight sacks on the day and created four turnovers, including three interceptions:

Entering the day, Stanley had appeared in 37 games for the Hawkeyes. He had just one multi-interception and had never thrown more than two picks in a single game. But with the Wolverines pressuring him all day, he was forced into a number of mistakes.

Don't forget, it was just two games ago that the Wolverines surrendered 487 yards (including 359 rushing yards) and 35 points to the Badgers. Their response to that embarrassing performance has been exactly what coach Jim Harbaugh was looking for.

Michigan held Rutgers to just 152 total yards while recording a shutout last week. Although it was a nice response for a defense that was destroyed the previous week, it's hard to take anything of substance from a game involving Rutgers. Of note, the Hawkeyes also shut out the Scarlet Knights 30-0 on Sept. 7.

Facing Stanley and an Iowa offense that had scored 30-plus points in three of its first four games was no easy task. But Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown was ready for the challenge.

What's Next

Both teams will be back in action on Oct. 12. Iowa will return home to host No. 12 Penn State, while Michigan will hit the road for a clash with Illinois.