THE COLUMN: It was there for the taking, and Iowa handed it back

Sloppy Hawkeyes can't accept the gift.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — They were three consecutive plays that defined Iowa’s 10-3 loss to Michigan, and they all came in the first quarter.

Donovan Peoples-Jones fumbled on a punt return, and the Wolverines recovered.

Christian Turner fumbled on the next play, and the Wolverines recovered.

Finally, on the ensuing play, Iowa safety Geno Stone intercepted a pass from Michigan’s Shea Patterson.

It was as if the Wolverines wanted to hand the Hawkeyes this game, and it wasn’t a gift Iowa wanted.

Consider that, on the second play after the Stone interception, Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley gave the ball right back on an interception. It was Stanley’s first interception of the season, the first of three he would throw in the game.

Here. You take it.

The Hawkeyes were turnover-prone and penalty-prone, and the Wolverines were willing to let them stumble.

All of Michigan’s points came in the first quarter. The Wolverines weren’t attacking on offense — yeah, they moved the ball, but they rarely threatened.

Michigan had 267 yards of offense, only six more than the Hawkeyes. The Wolverines only got into Iowa territory three times in their final 11 possessions. The deepest penetration in the second half was to the Hawkeyes’ 16-yard line, and that drive ended when Jake Moody missed a field goal wide left.

Here. You take it.

“We knew we had to execute on every play to give ourselves the best opportunity,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We came up short in that regard.”

Yep.

Iowa was 4-0 and ranked 14th in the nation because of steady play to start the season. Nothing seemed to fluster the Hawkeyes, and then they came into Michigan Stadium in front of an announced crowd of 111,519 and looked rattled.

It started on Iowa’s first offensive play, when running back Mekhi Sargent fumbled.

Iowa came into this game with just one turnover in the first four games, then committed four in this one.

Coughing up the ball like that isn’t going to win you a game anywhere, especially in a hot house like the Big House. And then when you throw in eight penalties for 60 yards...

“I just think we need to be more consistent,” Stanley said.

Stanley was 23-of-42 for 260 yards. His steady touch from the first four games was replaced with occasional shakiness that, granted, can come with being sacked eight times and constantly chased by the swarming Wolverines.

“It’s not fun when things start to get rolling,” Ferentz said. “Sometimes it’s done, and it’s a son of a gun to get the ball and tilt the field.”

Oh, the Hawkeyes did tilt the field at times. Six possessions got into Michigan territory, but the only points of the day would come on a Keith Duncan field goal in the second quarter.

Iowa had scored in every quarter coming into this game, and that streak ended.

The Hawkeyes were held without a touchdown for the first time since the 2017 Outback Bowl, a 30-3 loss to Florida.

The 10 points allowed by the Hawkeyes were the fewest points allowed in a loss since the 9-6 defeat to Iowa State in 2012. Before Saturday, Iowa was 61-1 when holding an opponent to 10 points or less.

It was there to be grabbed — a road win over a ranked Big Ten team.

Instead, it was a failure.

Here. You take it.

The Hawkeyes haven’t ventured into the West Division part of their schedule yet, so this isn’t a catastrophic loss.

Ferentz wants it to be an education.

“There’s a lot of football in front of us, and that’s what we have to focus on,” he said. “But it’s good to feel the sting. It kind of motivates you to move forward a little bit faster, maybe.”