Report Card: High Marks for Bryce Underwood, Low Marks For the Coaching Staff as Michigan Loses to Iowa

The grades are in, and they are all over the map. That’s probably appropriate for a game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. It’s even more appropriate when the Michigan Wolverines obliged the Hawkeyes in playing their style of football game.

Michigan’s offense had some big moments, with two big touchdown passes to JJ Buchanan. Their run game looked better in spurts. Their defense looked dominant in some moments.

They also wilted late, made crucial mistakes on special teams, and played not to lose the game rather than to win at the end of the game.

All of that adds up to a report card that likely leaves you with as many questions as the Michigan coaching staff is facing as they move on to Minnesota.

Pass Offense

Bryce Underwood has arrived. Ok, maybe that is still a little premature, but Saturday was Underwood’s best game as a Michigan Wolverine.

He threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns. That includes the best play of his career, a 46-yard touchdown pass to JJ Buchanan where he looked comfortable and poised while navigating pressure from Iowa’s defense.

Buchanan and Andrew Marsh both went over 100 yards individually, and helped keep Michigan’s offense on track through most of the game.

There are still things to work on. The passing game does have Underwood on the move a lot, which is good to play to his strengths. It’s also true that at some point he’ll likely have to play more from the pocket against some of the better teams on Michigan’s schedule later in the season.

Bryce Underwood making things happen! pic.twitter.com/PSGvaCaXxk
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 26, 2026

Underwood also deserved a better fate than what happened at the end of the game. With the way he had played throughout Saturday’s game, Underwood earned a chance to win the game with his arm on Michigan’s final possession.

Instead, Jason Beck chose to take the ball out of his hands. We will get to that later, but high marks only for Underwood, with the only thing keeping it from an ‘A’ being an interception that appeared to be a miscommunication between Underwood and Marsh.

Grade: B-Plus

Rush Offense

The run game looked better in spurts on Saturday. Michigan’s offensive line looked more physical. Savion Hiter looked more decisive. Jordan Marshall ran as hard as he had all season before exiting the game with an apparent injury that Kyle Whittingham would not confirm at the end of the game.

Marshall and Hiter combined for 112 yards on 25 carries. Not great, but it felt like progress during the game.

The Bryce Underwood portion of the run game was shut down. Iowa’s defense did a good job overall against the Wolverines, but there are signs of hope that the ground game could find its footing before the season ends.

They need to figure out what is going on with Marshall and get him healthy. He’s a violent runner that gives their run game a personality that they need.

Grade: C

Pass Defense

A mixed bag for the pass defense. On one hand, Iowa could hardly move the ball for the majority of the game.

On the other hand, they allowed the Hawkeyes to drive 91 yards for a game-winning touchdown.

The pass rush was hot-and-cold for most of the game, and they only finished with two sacks on the day.

They slowed down Tony Diaz, but were beaten up by Reece Vander Zee for two touchdowns on 66 yards receiving. They had at least two interceptions that hit them in the hands that were ultimately dropped. Two tipped passes landed in the hands of the Hawkeyes.

Call it bad luck if you’d like, but every defensive coordinator will tell his defense that they have to come down with tips and overthrows.

Michigan missed the mark on both. Ultimately, it was Michigan’s secondary that made the two worst plays of the game. Zeke Berry’s boneheaded penalty, which we will discuss later, and Smith Snowden getting beat by Vander Zee for the game-winning touchdown.

YIKES: Zeke Berry's cheap shot cost Michigan the game

This is definitely not a leader at his best 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/ny4JLYhBdm
— Intrinsic (@intrinsicvalyou) September 26, 2026

A mixed bag, but big mistakes dragging the final grade down.

Grade: C

Rush Defense

The blueprint felt simple. Stop the run game and force the Hawkeyes into obvious passing situations. The first part was mission accomplished.

Iowa’s dynamic run game was held to 58 total yards. Their leading rusher had 44 yards on 13 carries.

That’s going to get the job done against any team in the country. The spine of Michigan’s defense felt like a concern coming into the season.

Now, it feels like a legitimate strength.

Grade: A

Special Teams

Trey Butkowski made all of his kicks. There weren’t any major blunders in the punt game.

Andrew Marsh still looks uncomfortable as a punt returner, but there were no major blunders there.

There was, however, one of the biggest blunders in the game. After Michigan scored the first touchdown of the game, Braeden Jackson took the ensuing kickoff 99-yards for a touchdown to tie the game at seven.

It’s talked about anytime that Iowa is on the schedule. Do not give them opportunities on special teams. That was a huge momentum shift in a game that Michigan really could have started to squeeze Iowa’s offense if they ever got a chance to get on the field.

If you give up a touchdown in kick coverage, you have to make a big play of your own to get out of a failing grade. Michigan’s special teams did not do that.

Grade: F

Coaching

Discipline is supposed to be what Kyle Whittingham does. Forgive me, but I’m still waiting to see it. Fifth-year senior Zeke Berry getting a personal foul penalty in the manner he did was absolutely inexcusable.

He’s a senior, not a freshman. This was not a bogus whistle, it was boneheaded. There’s not other way to put it.

A coach who has a trademark of discipline? That makes it worse. At some point, Whittingham is not fixing those issues, and they continue to plague the Wolverines in the worst spots.

That’s not even the worst thing the coaching staff did on Saturday. Undisciplined play is inexcusable, but in theory a fixable problem as the season wears on.

The conservatism that Michigan’s two play callers showed in the fourth quarter? It was malpractice.

Jason Beck running the ball on third-and-5 with a non-dominant run game and a hot quarterback was as cowardly as it was predictable. Michigan played the clock rather than playing to win. Playing not to lose, typically leads to losing.

Jay Hill did the same as Iowa got the ball on offense. His pressure packages took a backseat to a prevent defense.

The only thing the prevent defense does is prevent your team from winning the game. Hill and the Wolverines learned the hard way.

Yes, players have to make plays, but the coaches have to show belief in their players. Whittingham, Beck, and Hill all failed in that regard on Saturday.

Grade: F

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