Michigan football grades: Defense is perfect with shutout of Iowa in Big Ten championship

INDIANAPOLIS — Free Press sports writer Tony Garcia grades Michigan football on a scale of A to F after the Wolverines' 26-0 victory over Iowa in Saturday's Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium:

Offense: D-minus

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Iowa's defense is one of the best in the nation. And the Wolverines knew even with an extremely conservative game plan they could likely outscore a feeble Hawkeyes attack. But U-M's offense put on the field Saturday evening was concerning heading into a third straight College Football Playoff. Both of U-M's touchdown drive came on extremely short fields, needing just 5 and 6 yards respectively. Blake Corum, who tied Anthony Thomas' all-time program touchdown record (55) with his two scores, ran 16 times for just 52 yards (3.3 yards per carry). J.J. McCarthy didn't turn the ball over (however an Iowa linebacker did drop one potential pick), but completed just 22 of 30 passes for 147 yards. The 11 first downs and 213 total yards of offense were season lows. As a team, U-M ran 31 times for 106 yards (3.5 yards per carry) and converted just 3 of 15 third downs. Michigan's passing game has scored one touchdown in the past five weeks.

Defense: A-plus

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Yes, it got the benefit of playing a terrible Iowa attack, but Michigan allowed the same number of first downs (seven) as punts it forced. And Jesse Minter's unit forced three turnovers and three turnovers on downs. Midway through the second quarter, Mike Sainristil forced a fumble on one of two occasions Iowa had the ball in U-M territory. But the pivotal turnover came early in the third quarter. Sainristil originally appeared to force an incompletion, but after a review was credited with a strip sack and Josh Wallace the recovery to set up first-and-goal. The third turnover was in the fourth quarter, when Braiden McGregor came around Iowa's left tackle and hit quarterback Deacon Hill from the blind side and forced strip sack, which was recovered by Kenneth Grant. Iowa had just 155 total yards, went 4-for-18 combined on third and fourth down and averaged 2.8 yards per play. "The MVP trophy is not just for me," said Sainristil after he was given the honor postgame. "This is for the whole team."

Special teams: A-minus

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The most exciting play of the night came when freshman Semaj Morgan took the first punt of the game, made two would-be tacklers miss and then scampered 87 yards up the left sideline for the longest punt return in the history of the Big Ten championship game. "All I remember is I kept looking at the ball and peeking down at the gunners," he said postgame. "I'm like 'should I fair catch it or not' and then I'm like 'it is what it is, I'm gonna catch it and go' ... then, like I said, my blocks were already set up for me." Michigan kicker James Turner nailed all four of his field goals and has now gone 7-for-7 in the past two weeks. His first kick was a 35-yarder to get U-M on the board in the first quarter. He added a 46-yarder in the third quarter and then a 36-yarder in the fourth before he knocked home a 50-yard field goal with 3:38 to play, the longest field goal in Big Ten history. U-M allowed 89 return yards and one of Tommy Doman's five punts traveled just 25 yards and set Iowa up on the U-M 38-yard line.

Coaching: B-plus

Michigan was held to a season-low in total yards and a late field goal is the only reason it didn't score its fewest points of the season, too. But the staff had U-M well prepared to do what it needed to do to win. One rule against Iowa is you have to win the turnover battle and Michigan did so, 3-0, as it stays undefeated in games under Harbaugh in which it hasn't turned the ball over. Harbaugh, meanwhile, was back on the sideline after his second three-game suspension this year. Sainristil welcomed him back at the postgame news conference to which Harbaugh turned, grinned and said, "I never left!" Minter's defense was exceptional and Jay Harbaugh's special teams was great in the kicking game and with a game-changing return. The Wolverines didn't show any offensive imagination, but did enough to never leave any doubt.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football grades: Defense shuts out Iowa for Big Ten title