Final drive falls 3 yards short as Iowa bruises Michigan football team's Big Ten hopes, 24-16
The Iowa defense wrapped up Vincent Smith and the Michigan offense for much of the game.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Michigan made it interesting.
But in the end, the Wolverines' road to the Big Ten Championship game became all but impassable.
Denard Robinson led the Wolverines within 3 yards of a game-tying score with 16 seconds left, but four late passing attempts fell incomplete, handing Iowa a 24-16 victory and dealing a major blow to Michigan's hopes in the Big Ten Leaders Division.
"That's why you play 60 minutes of football," Michigan coach Brady Hoke said after the loss. "I didn't think we, as a team, played as well as we could (have) and should (have) throughout the game.
"We've got to do a better job of coaching, preparation, all those things."
Michigan is 7-2, and more importantly, 3-2 in the Big Ten. With Michigan State's 31-24 win over Minnesota on Saturday, the Wolverines sit a game back of the Spartans for the division lead with three games to play.
Michigan could win its final three games against Illinois, Nebraska and Ohio State, and still fall shy of a division crown.
"We have three more games and that's all we can worry about," Michigan senior defensive tackle Mike Martin said. "We can't tell the future, we just know we have the next game at Illinois.
"That's all we can think about."
After two first-half turnovers put the Wolverines in an early hole, Michigan found itself trailing 24-9 with 10:42 to play in the fourth quarter when Iowa sophomore running back Marcus Coker, the Big Ten's leading rusher entering the day, capped an 11-play drive with a 13-yard score.
Then the excitement began.
Robinson, who missed a third-quarter series with an arm injury, led Michigan on a rapid eight-play scoring drive that was capped by a 6-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Koger, making it a one-score game with 7:53 to play.
Iowa had two chances to ice the game, but the Hawkeye offense couldn't kill the clock, eventually punting and setting Michigan up with the ball on its own 18 with 2:15 remaining.
Lightning appeared to strike for the Wolverines on their first play when running back Vincent Smith squirted out of a hole and sprinted 82-yard for an apparent touchdown.
The play was reviewed, though, and Smith's arm was ruled down at the Michigan 29.
But Michigan wasn't finished, as Robinson continued the drive, connecting on five passes and eventually moving the Wolverines to the Iowa 3-yard-line with 16 seconds to play.
Junior Hemingway then appeared to be the hero, catching a heave from Robinson in the back of the end zone, but he was ruled out of bounds.
The officials reviewed the play, and opted to let the ruling on the field stand.
"I don't have a great seat," Hoke said with regard to his opinion on the Hemingway ruling. "I know one (official) in the back thought (it was in bounds) and the other guy thought (it wasn't."
Hemingway made his feelings about the call known on Twitter, saying: "I caught that 1 no If ands or buts about it!!!! #GoBlue all day."
It would be as close Michigan would come, as Robinson threw an incompletion to Smith before having a last-second pass to Roy Roundtree broken up by B.J. Lowery as time expired.
Robinson finished 17-for-37 passing with 194 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Michigan sophomore running back Fitzgerald Toussaint ran for 58 yards on 16 carries before leaving the game with an injury in the third quarter.
The Hawkeyes improved to 6-3, 3-2 in the Big Ten, and now have their first-ever three-game win streak over Michigan.
"I think the whole defense was ready (for overtime)," Michigan junior safety Jordan Kovacs said. "But it didn't work out like that."
With Iowa up 17-6 at the halftime, Michigan began to show signs of life on its first drive of the second half, moving the ball deep into Hawkeye territory before settling for a 32-yard field goal by Brendan Gibbons to make it a one-score game.
All wasn't positive on the drive, though, as Robinson was buried on a third-down play by Iowa's Tanner Miller, knocking him out of the game with an apparent right arm injury.
The Michigan defense then answered with a stop, but sophomore quarterback Devin Gardner was unable to muster anything offensively in place of Robinson, leading to an empty possession for the Wolverines with 1:09 left in the third.
The Hawkeyes took advantage, embarking on another physical, clock-eating drive. Iowa's 11-play, 62-yard march was finished off by an untouched 13-yard scoring run by Coker, giving the Hawkeyes a 24-9 lead with 10:42 remaining.
Iowa finished with 302 yards of total offense, led by Coker's 132 rushing yards and two scores.
Though Michigan's conference championship chances took a severe hit, Hoke emphasized the importance of moving forward.
It's still November. Michigan has three games remaining. And that's all he cares about.
"There's a lot of football to be played and a lot of things at stake," he said. "And we've got 24 seniors who are going to play their last three guaranteed games at Michigan.
"We're always going to coach for them and we're always going to play for them."
Nick Baumgardner covers Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2514, by email at nickbaumgardner@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.
Comments
The OSU
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 7:45 p.m.
1) Since I was at the 'Shoe watching the Buckeyes dispatch the Hoosiers, my observations about Blue's game are based on this site's comments. It is facinating that winners never complain about the quality of the officiating. Only losers gripe. As I predicted on this site on Wednesday, the Hokey-Pokey would grind to a halt in Iowa. DR is a gifted athlete but not a stellar QB. Blue is much improved but not yet a true contender. These next couple of weeks will continue to demonstrate that fact. 2) What happended in the Texas A&M game? I was at a restaurant and the game was being shown but without sound or closed-captioning. The game stopped while a policeman (state trooper?) talked with an Aggie prayer on the sideline. The player was then shown walking out of the stadium with a trainer and the trooper. Live TV devoted a lot of time to the event, but I can't find anything about the incident. What happened???
emueagles63
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 2:41 a.m.
Agreed @Johnny2x2x I read a few posts on here about Michigan's defense is improved and I've even heard some say that they are satisfied with this year's defense. This is true only if you are being content with holding the opponents to less than 200 rushing yards. Since when is getting ran on at will is acceptable. Before heading into today's game, Michigan's rush defense was ranked 55th giving up an average of 144 yards per game; 6 games at 100+ yards (two games 200+ yards, ND close with 198 yards). Props to Michigan for outscoring opponents but to my understanding, stopping the run is the key to a good defense. If you cant do that against good teams, winning those games will be tough with the outcome most likely to not be in your favor. A good rush defense is very important in B1G play as this is a predominately run first conference. A 3-2 conference record and tough games ahead, holding an opponent under 200 rushing yards with a shaky secondary may not be enough. The next three opponents all average 180+ yards a game while OSU and Illinois both holding their opponents to less than 120 yards per game. It would suck to see Michigan go 0-4 in November. I highly doubt it but, I wouldn't be surprised.
Jaxon5
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 2:39 a.m.
Guys, you're looking at a 7-5 season. Michigan has proven it is an inconsistent road team with mixed results. Illinois is a very good match up with Michigan - just look at last year's game. Michigan won at home in triple OT. This time it will be the Illini. Then, Nebraska and Ohio State are both too much for Michigan. Michigan is prone to so many mistakes that the edge goes to the Cornhuskers and the Buckeyes. So, the biggest accomplishment this season was the win at Northwestern. Michigan is not yet ready for prime time.
mike gatti
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 2:38 a.m.
The problem is you can't get pushed around all game and count on making the heroic comeback. Once they can line up and smack someone for an entire game they will be good again. Look at LSU and Alabama right now. They are going after each other. It is almost a little unsettling how good those teams look. Michigan just can't hang with the physical teams. Every week it is DRob and the big comeback and the coming in and leaving the game. Before him it was Tate Forcier. The script is getting old. DRob is a dynamic player and any team would be lucky to have him but they have to get it done all game.
Johnny2x2x
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 11:42 p.m.
Is anyone going to give Iowa one bit of credit for today's win? They were the better team today. Everything didn't go great for them either. I just think it's a little classless and arrogant to ignore the fact that Iowa outplayed Michigan and deserved to win today.
Smart Logic
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 12:21 a.m.
It didn't matter which way the refs skewed it, Iowa still would have won. They outplayed UM, fair and square. I am in complete agreement with you.
MRunner73
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 11:08 p.m.
...Breaking News...NW beats NE in Lincoln. Does anybody want to win the Legends Division? Michigan looked really good against NW on the road. IA has MSU at home. Who do you root for? My money is on IA. Meanwhile IA won't be a lock even if they were to beat Sparty. This divisional race has turned wild. It would be very big if Michigan can beat IL on the road, then close out at home with lots of hope.
Jonny Spirit
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 1:03 p.m.
Relax MRunner, you will NEVER beat Nebraska or Ohio State. You got your 2 wins in the big ten and that is it. I think Illinois will be a huge test for you and you will end up on the losing end.
Tally10
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 11:03 p.m.
Plain and simple, POOR PLAY CALLING!!! There's no sync with the offense, it's not just DR, the whole offense is performing worse than last year. Why: This team does not have chemistry or an identity, the past 4 years the players have run 4 different systems. 2008: new coach, system change. 2009: Fr. QB spread. 2010: So. QB spread w/RO. This year 2011: hybrid ( prostyle, w. coast, spread crap ). These players have had to change systems every year basically. This year and next, would have been good years to continue with the spread RO. What that does is build chemistry, you're doing the same thing for 3 years. With the improvement of the defense this year and if they had built upon last year's offense, this team could possibly be undefeated. Some fans do not like the spread, but we need to let the team be who they are, win and build the prostyle behind them.
MRunner73
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:26 p.m.
Michigan is not the only team that stumbled on the road this season in the B1G. It means with this loss, we blew a chance to get the upper hand. We had a taste at winning the Division but the bitter truth is Michigan is about as good as most of us thought they would be back in late August. I could get into the 101 reasons how Michigan has improved over last season and 101 reasons howy they could have done things better in each of these losses. Al Borges has admitted to some mistakes he has made and will probably do the same following this loss. I would have liked to see Denard use the option to run more during this game when the opportunity presented itself several times. Remember, IA did not turn the ball over. They played well enough to win. Next week will be Michigan's next chance to show redemption, eventhough it will be on the road.
cutty240
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:18 p.m.
This is what happenes when you play most of Games at Home.I know Pizza Man wants everybody to come to Ann-Arbor.Same thing happened to The Badgers,they went on the Road and lost Back to back games..Four Shots on The Goal Line,and didn't get in.Nobody to blame but youeselves.Don't blame the Officals,you cant' get HOME COOKING on the Road.
heartbreakM
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:48 p.m.
Yeah, but Brandon says that you can make millions of dollars that way, even if you play Eastern, App State, or UMass. That to him trumps championships and sport. We didn't lose today because of no road games, but we may have lost because we haven't been properly tested.
TrueBlueinOH
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:17 p.m.
I waited a few hours before "chiming in" because I was too emotional at the end of the game. As the evening wears on I am more angry. Mostly I am angry for the terrible play calling by Borges. I feel that he completely misused DR for most of the game. Let the kid make some plays with his legs! The most frustrating play was the pass at the end. I understand throwing on the first two downs with 16 secs left. But with 2 secs to go, knowing that it was the last play of the game, why not roll DR to the right and let him throw it if a receiver is open and if not try to run it in? Borges kept saying ever since he got here that he would not "try to fit a square peg into a round hole". Well, that is exactly what he did with DR in this game and it is the primary reason we lost.
Terry Star21
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:15 p.m.
I said it last year and again at the beginning of this season - Robinson is a class B quarterback. He isn't the only problem with our sometimes struggles this year - but enough of it. His 14 wins have been against lower division teams whose combined record from the beginning of the 2010 season to current is 68-85. His 8 losses have come against teams who during that same time period are 65-18. I stand by my assertion Brady Hoke is not playing the style of offense he really wants to - but adapting his beliefs for certain players, popular with the team, school, alums and community. I am always optimistic, but I don't see any change or improvement through this year and next. MgoBlueForTime............hurting and down, but not out.....
heartbreakM
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:55 p.m.
It seemed to me that Devin Gardner is totally pressing and is way too tentative out there when he is getting an opportunity to QB. He waited way too long to pass, and made ill-decided runs. He just has to settle in. I think he will be fine, but it is hard to come in the way he is and excel. When he is in there with DR, they are designed plays that they practiced, and that is why he has looked better. But against Iowa today, and against MSU when he was the "man" so to speak, he did not too well mostly because he is pressing. And the fact also is that cold young QBs get the blitzes from the other team to try to rattle them. That's why the backups usually struggle IMO.
southernblu
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:54 p.m.
Let's use some common sense here. It isn't the offensive formation itself that's a problem, it's the offensive playcalling on the part of Borges and decision making on the part of DR. There have been plenty of times when DR could have tucked the ball and run for the 1st down or more. Unfortunately, he wasn't doing that. It's a clear case of overcompensating. Borges and DR want to prove that DR can win a game with his arm and not solely with his legs. That's well and good, except when the situation clearly lends itself to the QB taking off and running. DR is staying in the pocket entirely too long when his men are covered AND there's running room. Even slow QBs can get SOME yards on rollouts or when everyone is covered but there is space for a run. This is why Maquies Gray is having success at Minnesota. Also, it makes no sense taking DR out and putting Gardner in RIGHT AFTER DR has made a clutch play. It screws up the offensive rhythm. I don't really have much to complain about the defense. They've done quite well, considering where they were last year and Blake Countess is a stud. The offensive game plan needs to improve NOW.
thebriguy
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:37 p.m.
...oh yeah, did I mention that I'm really tired of U of M's over the top sense of entitlement. Like there is an expectation that the refs slide things the Wolverine's way on close calls., etc I agree with the comments of Jonny Spirit and Jojo B Case Closed...Again!
southernblu
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:02 p.m.
I don't think UM fans believing the refs blew those calls is, as you say, an "over the top sense of entitlement." It would the sorry fan who didn't want his team to get the call that actually SHOULD HAVE BEEN tilted in his team's favor. Point taken about Michigan failing to do the things that would have prevented it from being in such a precarious situation. On the other hand, it makes sense to expect the refs to get calls right. After all, that is their job, correct? Otherwise, we could give anyone off the street a striped shirt and a whistle and tell them to just wing it regarding calls. I get tired of people who are so biased against Michigan that they can't tell the difference between an "over the top sense of entitlement" and being a fervent fan of their team. Case Closed III.
thebriguy
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:31 p.m.
Miami Blue, I appreciate your tenacity as a U of M fan. However, they have to earn a win by showing up for an entire game. They didn't. You're whining about the refs (even though you claim you aren't) costing the Wolverines the game. But you're forgetting about the reviews of the plays from the box, the botched extra point snap, the interceptions and fumbles, the poor tackling (like Coker going in untouched). And in general, Iowa just playing better football. Michigan has a long way to go before they can beat quality teams. Now THAT'S "case closed"!!!!! thebriguy
emueagles63
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:24 p.m.
When will UM fans stop blaming eveything and everyone other than UM players and coaches. Michigan can never do wrong can they. They can only be beat by bad referring or dirty play right? I'm sure those fans are the same people that blame other poeple for their personal misfortunes and feel that they are never wrong. Yeah...those are the types. Get over yourselves. As for the team, we've seen teams stacking the box and forcing Robinson to beat them in the air. This defensive strategy is effective against Robinson. It was last year in the B1G and its being proven this year. A QB like Gardner is the right type for Hoke and the future of Michigan football. You have a better chance of keeping the opponent's defense honest. A running back throwing the ball will lessen your chances for success against better teams. Look at the top 5 BCS teams and their QBs. Look at the skill level and attributes of them. Even reflect of some of the more winninest and successful QBs in the B1G, current and past. Robinson doesn't fit in. Hoke understands that and that's why Gardner is getting reps. Gardner must be showing Hoke something in practice for him to be in the game. I wouldn't be surprised if Gardner is the starting QB in 2012, whether Robinson stays or not.
tim
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:17 p.m.
You have to win on your bad days to win the Big Ten. UM is a better than Iowa but there were too many lost opportunities -- that's life in the Big Ten.
heartbreakM
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:52 p.m.
No--MIchigan is not better than Iowa. We lost, bad ref calls or not. And look at the records: we both have 2 conference losses. I'd like to think we were better, but we lost.
Smart Logic
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:07 p.m.
I think if the coach arbitrarily did what the Annarbor.com commentary told him to, it'd have been more like 48-3. Yes, I gave them credit for a token field goal.
Matthew Sotcan
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:05 p.m.
Need to just make a decision at QB and quit trying to make DRob into something he isn't. You either roll with Denard and let him run around and make plays in the spread or go with Gardner and run more of an I-formation offense and give Denard 12-15 carries a game or set up some screens for him and get in space. This rotating them in and out DOES NOT work....neither of them get in a rhythm. I never thought at the beginning of the year our defense would be the one playing well and our offense would be junk!! Goes to show how much coaching can make a difference. Borges is terrible....Mattison the real deal.
Kubrick66
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:04 p.m.
Al Borges is not playing to Denard's strengths. In fact in a lot of cases he's playing against them. Because of this the offense is leaving tons of yardage, and more importantly plenty of potential POINTS, on the field each and every week. Embrace Denard's skills, anything else is an injustice to the rest of the team... Not to mention us poor, helpless fans.
tim
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:20 p.m.
Amen. Denard could have run for twenty yards plenty of times while he waited for receivers to get open.
MiamiBlue
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:48 p.m.
OMG! JUST STOP WITH BRINGING BACK COACH ROD! We have the right coach! And reality is reality with Denard! Anyway! Move on and hopefully we can win a couple! GO BLUE!
Smart Logic
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:04 p.m.
Bring back Coach Rod
umgoblue47
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:43 p.m.
dear coach hoke, please bring back rr's spread offense, at least for the last 3 games. we have a good defense and a good RB to help take the load off DR. THIS IS NOT A ONE MAN SHOW so let DR run. . . GO BLUE!!!!!
azwolverine
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 1:07 a.m.
RR's spread didn't involve the RB. It also didn't involve scoring points against the better defenses, most notably Ohio. RR's spread is a recipe for failure with the Bucks coming up.
musthaved
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:18 p.m.
If I remember correctly, one of the many reason's that RR got run out of town was that his spread put up unlimited points against weak teams and bogged down against good teams. I'm guessing that's because DR isn't really a Division I QB. His passes are erratic and he locks on to 1 receiver. The guy covering Roundtree fell down at the line of scrimmage in the 4th quarter and DR didn't see that he was wide open until he was 30 yards down field. Then he overthrew him by the standard 10 yards.
Rufus
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:43 p.m.
Borges destroyed Denard by trying to turn him into Tom Brady. If Denard feels like he can run every time he dropped back to pass; we win the game by 2 touchdowns. Huge gaps to run through and he stays in the pocket forever and overthrows or throws an interception. On of the reasons RR failed so miserably is he wanted things his way rather than a transition using the players you have. Borges is doing the same thing. Horrible play calling, horrible passing, while Denard works on his future as a drop back quarterback. Guess what- he'll never be a good drop back quarterback. Minnesota beat them with a spread attack and we decide to play it the new way. I guess we don't have the players to run a spread attack? Duh. Bad game plan.
MiamiBlue
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:33 p.m.
Again. I hear those who are disagreeing with me. But I think you are missing my point. I am not talking about the entire game. I am talking about those 4 downs. The refs did rob us! Case Closed. But I will say this, I love Denard. But reality is reality. If this kid wants to be in the NFL he better well start it by being a Receiver. Look it is too late now to just throw Devin in. But next year? Yes, Denard you put up with a lot in these past 4 seasons, but if you want to get to the next level, you might as well start learning how to be a Receiver in your senior year at Michigan than to come to the rude awakening aka PAT WHITE, that you are not a college level or NFL level QB. Sorry to my fellow M family, but I am still pissed at this one! Hopefully, we can pull even on the road next week.
Smart Logic
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:05 p.m.
Michigan lost fair and square. The refs did not hand the game to the other team. Michigan is not a competing team this year, plain and simple.
Rufus
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:45 p.m.
It's Borges trying to make a race horse into a mule. Denard is doing what Al calls upstairs with Hoke's OK.
Jim Pryce
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:31 p.m.
We had 2 costly turnovers. The pick in the red zone & Denard's fumble which gave Iowa a short field goal, plus we botched an extra point.. Without them we don't put ourselves in the last second desperation mode. I'm sure though come midweek we'll get another lame apology from B1G about the wrong call, on Hemingway's catch. How many other passes did we drop? It is very tough to win on the road, no matter who you are.
lawrencelaundry
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:29 p.m.
Thank you al borges another terrible called game. How about just letting DR just being a spread qb out of the shotgun instead of trying to make him Joe Montana undercenter. Its funny how he changes it around always in the 4th when Michigan is down. Officials in the big ten suck too.
Jojo B
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 11:28 p.m.
I almost vomited when I saw yet another dual-QB Al Borges trick play. It didn't work the first time and it didn't work now. And it threw the whole rhythm of that drive off.
umgoblue47
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:27 p.m.
johnny sprit. . . minnesota is one of the worst teams in the big-ten and sparty played like a high-school football team against them and that was one ugly-lucky win! sparty does not belong in the top 25 either. i think you forgot to mention just how average sparty is! GO BLUE!!!!!!!!
Jonny Spirit
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 12:57 p.m.
Michigan has played NOBODY!!!!!! When you play crappy teams you get to pad your stats. Hey why isn't Denard's name coming up for Heisman any more. Just like last year play the bad teams get your hopes up, pad your stats, get all the rushing yards you can and then lose every big game you play. They are not better then last year. If they just play college football and play to win, instead of trying to change a kid for the next level. Michigan would be in the hunt for a National Champ Game. Denard is that good, let the kid play!
azwolverine
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 1:01 a.m.
Jonny, Michigan is not great, nor were they expected to be. They are MUCH BETTER than they have been and are getting better. Who would have expected a top 10 defense this year just a year removed from the #110 defense? NO ONE! No, Michigan is not as great as we've usually been...yet.
Jonny Spirit
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:46 p.m.
Once again when they right an article about MSU I would say the same thing. Why don't all you Michigan fans worry about Michigan and not what everybody else is doing. It's funny when Michigan loses it was the ref's fault, the clock, the other team was mean, we played thugs, it's never you were out played. I agree MSU is an average team, they played like crap and I am scared to travel to Iowa. I see another "L". Now lets keep the posts to the article. Let's keep talking how bad Michigan is.
garrisondyer
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:26 p.m.
That was a frustrating game, with a few short sequences of situational progress. Lots of things went wrong, though, not the least of which was Michigan's overall performance. Those blown calls were just the icing on the cake. (And, oh man, did they irritate me, to put it politely.) Michigan's gotta come out ready to play hard every single game starting at kickoff. I'll hope for a better game to watch next week, with a better outcome.
jcj
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:22 p.m.
The best thing that might come out of this is. The Devin Gardner experiment should be over!
azwolverine
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 12:57 a.m.
Rufus, 24 points total in three years against OSU is NOT good offense. Get over it.
Matt Patercsak
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:35 p.m.
god willing. he is awful
heartbreakM
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:50 p.m.
Rufus: You mean the offense that couldn't move the ball against OSU, MSU, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Miss State? That offense? You saw that today and against MSU this year.
Rufus
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:48 p.m.
The Denard as a drop back quarterback should be over. I want the offense I saw last year.
burton163
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:17 p.m.
And what was up with burning a timeout JUST BEFORE THEY PUNT IT TO US WHEN WE'RE DOWN BY 8 WITH 2 MINUTES LEFT????
azwolverine
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 12:56 a.m.
To keep some time on the clock for the ensuing drive. At least when Michigan has the ball, they can get out of bounds, spike the ball, etc to stop the clock if they need to. Iowa could have burned a lot of time before punting if Michigan had not called that TO.
musthaved
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:14 p.m.
I knew we were in trouble before the game started when I found out the entire officiating crew were Iowa alums ; ). The last 2 terrible calls robbed everyone of the ability to see if Michigan could get the 2 points they had earned the right to try for. Brady has at least made a bunch of RR castoffs competitive against decent teams. Everyone knows that Robinson isn't a Division I QB. He is too talented and too exciting to not play, so you are kind of stuck with him. He seems a lot less quick and exciting against real competition just like he has his entire career. Based on the improvement, we should be looking at a team competing for the National Championship in a couple of years after Brady has a chance to recruit some men. For today, we got robbed. Nothing to do but move on and try to play harder and smarter.
Tally10
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10 p.m.
It's obvious your not an athlete!
heartbreakM
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:49 p.m.
Joe Kidd: I love DR as much as anyone--his character is above reproach and he is exciting. But come on now--against the better defenses (i.e. upper half B10 teams and Miss State last year), he has struggled big time. Records or not--top level QBs eventually distinguish themselves against the best. So far, DR is known as exciting, but he has not really stepped it up against top competition.
Joe Kidd
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:23 p.m.
Not a division I QB? He was on the road to setting Michigan records last year. Maybe he did set records. How is that not a div I QB? The problem is this offense does not let him use his skills.
burton163
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:12 p.m.
Iowa deserved to win the game today. They were more disciplined, made very few, if any, mistakes, and their QB deserves credit for consistently making plays and moving the chains. Props to Ferentz and his coordinators as well. Despite a pretty shoddy performance, Michigan made some plays and made it exciting at the end. They did get robbed...that was clearly a TD by Hemingway ( and a heck of a one-handed catch) and it was clearly pass interference on the last play, but those thing happen and you shouldn't put yourself in that situation if you want to win on the road. The question I have is, why not roll Denard out with a run/pass option on at least ONE of those four downs from the 3 yard line???
BuckFanHater
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:53 p.m.
I do agree with throwing the ball on the first 3 plays...but on fourth down I agree with you Burton...roll Denard out on a pass/run option play...it's the final chance...game clock is no longer important at this point.
saveferris
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:07 p.m.
Is it almost 4 years now since we've beaten a Big 10 team with a winning record? Incredibly frustrating. Makes we want to watch Michael Jackson trial highlights instead of watching UM games.
DBH
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:07 p.m.
Fortunately, football is just a game. A game.
Shaville
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:34 p.m.
Lame.
Joe Kidd
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:07 p.m.
I can't believe with three yards the plays called were all passes. Many times Michigan has scored TDS with DRob running to the far side and tossing the ball to an open receiver in front of him or taking it in himself. I thought that was going to be the call. I think the coaching was horrible, the offense lacking. Why they think Gardner has to play is questionable and I how that plan has ended after this. Spielberg was right on questioning that. Coach Choke is not using the player to the best of their ability.
Matt Beal
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:39 p.m.
Figure it out Michigan fans, this game was fixed, just like the Michigan State game and most of the Michigan games in recent years, especially the "miraculous" loss to Appalachian State. Read all about the wholesale fixing of college and professional sports here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Fix-Is-In/372952554878" rel='nofollow'>https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Fix-Is-In/372952554878</a>
heartbreakM
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:47 p.m.
Spielberg produced his worst horror film yet, this one.
Shaville
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:50 p.m.
Rufus: Agree generally, but it would have been a huge mistake to run before fourth down.
Rufus
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:47 p.m.
Borges clearly had him shackled and afraid to run. What a waste of a great athlete.
Shaville
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:21 p.m.
They couldn't run the ball until fourth down because if they didn't make it the clock would have run out with no time outs.
Jonny Spirit
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:02 p.m.
Once again you get respect by going on the road and winning. Michigan can not and have not done this. They have played NOBODY ranked and won. The only teams they have beat in the big ten is the 2 last place teams. They are who we thought they were, an average team with an average coach. Not a number 15 ranked team. They should drop right out of the Top 25 until they at least win on the road.
azwolverine
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 12:51 a.m.
Hey Jonny, UM beat NW on the road, the same NW that just beat Nebraska in Lincoln. Northwestern must be pretty darn good if they can beat Nebraska in Lincoln, wouldn't you say?
Jonny Spirit
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 11:24 p.m.
What are you talking about buckfanhater Michigan was down I think 20 that was close, 3 scores. Keep dreaming, it was a bad first half and Michigan does what Michigan does and tries to win it in the 4th qrt. It almost happen, if it was in Ann Arbor it would of. Don't put yourself in those situations and you won't have to blame the refs.
BuckFanHater
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:57 p.m.
Hey Jonny...2 bad plays that are turnovers by Denard are the difference in this game. Iowa gets 3 points off the fumble by Denard and we miss an opportunity for points at the other end with his interception at the end of the first half. That's just a cpl plays away from a victory. IMO this team is at least headed upward instead of downward. The coaching will figure it out. AL Borges....Jury is out still
Joe Kidd
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:09 p.m.
Next week huh? Is beating Illinois enough? No to restore confidence this was not a big mistake they have to win out.
zimmats
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 7:58 p.m.
the interception in the 1st half really swung the game and wasn't really DR's fault - tough luck. can't say the same about the fumble. i watched the hemingway catch five times - it was definitely a touchdown and it's fair to be pissed about that. i also agree that there was clear interference on the last pass, but refs let that stuff go all the time in that type of situation. just gotta bring it again next week against Illinois.
Jojo B
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 7:51 p.m.
@MiamiBlue: I know you don't want to hear it but Iowa and the refs didn't beat Michigan; Michigan lost the game for themselves. You can blame a bad call or two at the end, but then you can also look back at some other games where we didn't get pass interference called against us. If Michigan was really in the game, they wouldn't have to rely on a single call to win.
Jonny Spirit
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 1:13 p.m.
I hear ya, if I (MSU) had a solid pocket QB and a front O line and a running back that didn't fumble every other run I (MSU) would have a good team to. But guess what, we don't so we squeeze our butt cheeks together and hope Cousins doesn't take another sake or Baker fumbling the ball and sometimes it works out. I will say it again Michigan is not a good football team and Michigan State is at best average! I say average just because we beat you the past 4 year :)
mookienation
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 12:06 a.m.
@Jonny Spirit: I never said Michigan was a good team. Never said it. Not once. But since we're talking about it, yeah, I do think they're a pretty good team. And yes, I do think they could beat several top 20 teams. There's no reason why they wouldn't be able to go toe-to-toe with Penn State, Houston, Arizona State, or Kansas State (those are top 20 teams, right?) Not saying they would crush those teams, but I would say Michigan is at the same level as those teams. If we had a solid pocket quarterback, we would probably be better than those teams.
Jonny Spirit
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 11:54 p.m.
@ mookienation come on, you really think Michigan is a good team. Do you really think they could play anybody in the top 20 and win. They are a good team at times and then the true Michigan comes out. The same with Michigan State, but State just happens to pull it together better. The big Ten is soft, but I am sorry to say Michigan will not get another win all year. And next year when you think they will be better when they have a real schedule, there gonna stink worse! Hello Alabama, uh oh!
mookienation
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:18 p.m.
I agree with most of what everyone is saying. Michigan shouldn't put themselves in a position where they have to score a touchdown to tie with less than 15 seconds left in the game. Couldn't agree more. But that's not really the issue, here. Michigan has problems. No doubt about it. Most reasonable UM fans didn't expect them to be very good this year. They've actually exceeded my expectations and I still don't think they're any better than the 20th-25th best team in the nation. The issue is Big Ten officials making bad calls. Or, more specifically, one bad call in particular. I keep watching video of that Hemingway catch and I can't find any evidence of it NOT being a catch. Catch, control, secured, knee in the end zone, comes down, rolls over, ball still secured. Which part were they unsure about? If it had been ruled a touchdown, Michigan still might not have converted on the two-point conversion. And if they did convert, they might have lost in overtime. But. It was still a bad call. That's more of a fact than an opinion. And it's reason for concern. Not just for Michigan, but for every Big Ten team.
heartbreakM
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:46 p.m.
I think the refs did not call a great game overall, especially at the end. But Michigan can't put themselves in position to rely on a last second play and pray for a good call. You can't put the ball on the ground, you can't turn it over in the red zone, and you can't be soft against the run. Better yet, you better have reliable pass plays that work throughout the game.
Jojo B
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:44 p.m.
@mookienation: Don't get me wrong; yes of course many football games are decided on the final moments, but in this case, I do think that blaming the refs is lame. This was the play that wouldn't have won the game for us, this was the play that would have allowed us to try to get a 2-point conversion (very unlikely given our performance today) to just tie the game and draw out our loss. No, we didn't deserve to win today. We were not the better team and we blew 8-15 points that we should have gotten in the first half. So while I'm sad that we didn't get the pass interference call (or the questionable TD), we would have lost anyway. To be the Big 10 Champions, we DO have to win solidly. We can't win every game with a Notre Dame hail mary in the last few seconds. Our luck ran out this time and we need to get more solid.
mookienation
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:10 p.m.
So, in your opinion, a team doesn't deserve to win a football game unless they play flawless football and outplay the opposing team by a sizable margin? Football games come down to final plays and final drives all the time. That's the absolute worst time for the officiating to be anything less than solid.
Joe Kidd
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:19 p.m.
Me too. Blaming the refs is lame.
Jonny Spirit
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:08 p.m.
I agree 100% Jojo B. Cool name :)
MiamiBlue
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 7:47 p.m.
I would rather lose fairly than lose because of the refs. Football is about opportunities and moreover WHEN! So I don't want to hear from anyone that, well in the 2nd Quarter or this. I am talking about those last four downs. Number 1, IT WAS A TD. His knees were down and he had possession of the ball and his body was inbound.. Number 2. ON 4th down, THAT WAS PASS INTERFERENCE. Whether or not we would have gotten the 2 point conversion, remains to be seen. HOWEVER, we set ourselves up for that opportunity, only to have the refs rob us! Case closed! Again, to lose fairly is one thing. But to have the refs take it away from us.. I AM SO TICKED!!
mookienation
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 9:03 p.m.
"Wrong. The problem with the phantom touchdown was the original call. The ref thought he didn't catch it, calling it incomplete. If the video cannot clearly reverse that the call stands. Had the ref called it a TD, that would have stood too, since the video couldn't reveal anything." The video revealed plenty. I watched it. Ball caught, knee down in bounds, ball in control and secure. I don't know. Maybe the refs were contemplating quantum physics and the nature of reality. "Sorry, but the ruling on the field stands because we can't actually 'prove' that the football actually exists or that there's even a football field here at all." Total bummer. Being a ref isn't easy, though.
Shaville
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:17 p.m.
The notion that errors earlier in the game by Michigan means that referees didn't lead to a Michigan loss with their awful officiating is absurd. That means that because no one ever plays a perfect game (which is true), no bad calls by referees HAVE EVER caused a team to lose in a close game at the end (which is false). The truth is this: without the officiating errors in the last four plays, Michigan would have had a two point conversion opportunity. We didn't get that opportunity because of two atrocious calls in four plays. Further, the Iowa fan analysis ignores the terrible failure to call pass interference when they intercepted the Michigan pass at the 2 earlier in the game. Michigan would have scored if the refs weren't incompetent during that play, and we would have sealed the deal with a field goal on the last drive, obviating the need to Iowa fans to mount this ridiculous defense of their "victory."
Jonny Spirit
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:05 p.m.
You can't put yourself in those situations where the Ref could blow the game. If it was close the whole game I would understand. But when you play your Micheal Jordan card and try to get a foul the last play because your Michigan, your crazy. Win all 4 quarters and you don't have to worry about this play. Hey coach let #16 play. He is your only chance.
Joe Kidd
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 8:01 p.m.
Wrong. The problem with the phantom touchdown was the original call. The ref thought he didn't catch it, calling it incomplete. If the video cannot clearly reverse that the call stands. Had the ref called it a TD, that would have stood too, since the video couldn't reveal anything.