Final Score: #19 Michigan 10 #14 Iowa 3

Brief Recap: Defense, defense, defense. Oh, and more defense. The final score is indicative of that. Michigan actually led 10-0 with 8:33 left in the first quarter. This game looked like it would be a fireworks show offensively at that point. But then, over the next 51:27, three points were scored. Both defenses have to be given credit in this one — Iowa QB Nate Stanley was intercepted three times and Michigan gained 266 total yards and had to punt eight times.

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Key Moment: Not even five minutes into the game, Michigan QB Shea Patterson found WR Nico Collins for a 51-yard bomb. That pass and catch helped lead the Wolverines to the only TD scored by either team — a two-yard run by freshman RB Zach Charbonnet.

Key Stat: We’ll cheat and give two statistics here. The most sacks Michigan had in a game under Jim Harbaugh entering the Iowa contest was eight, when the Wolverines had eight sacks against Ohio state in 2016. Michigan matched that eight sack total today. Also, Nate Stanley was forced into three interceptions. Entering the game, Stanley had thrown eight TD and zero INT on the season.

Key Player: Once again, we’ll cheat. Michigan’s entire defense gets this nod. Iowa took 30 carries for 1 yard. Sure, sacks count against that total, but even with sacks taken out, the Hawkeyes gained 66 yards on the ground. Add Stanley throwing three interceptions into the mix and the Wolverines’ defense — after getting run over by Wisconsin for 359 rushing yards two weeks ago — have shown massive improvement.

What it means for Michigan: Michigan may have found the defense it needs going forward. Offensively, it’s still a work in progress. The 52-0 win over Rutgers a week ago didn’t mean much. We all knew that. But defensively, if the maize and blue can keep opponents from scoring touchdowns, they will be in every game this season (yes, we’re looking forward to games against Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State down the line).

What it means for Iowa: This one has to hurt. Iowa was 4-0 entering the game with a real shot at doing massive things this season. A 5-0 start overall and a win at Michigan would have proven that it can do more than just hang with Wisconsin in the Big Ten West division. Now, the Hawkeyes are a game behind, will surely fall in the polls and still has to play Penn State next week and travel to Madison to take on the Badgers in early November. Stanley throwing three interceptions after playing turnover free football the first four weeks is a bit alarming.