Michigan football suffocates Iowa, 26-0, for third straight Big Ten Championship

INDIANAPOLIS — The game seemed a formality from the beginning. At no point was there any doubt.

When Michigan football's Semaj Morgan set a Big Ten record with an 87-yard punt return late in the first quarter and Blake Corum was in the end zone two plays later, Lucas Oil Stadium felt more like Ann Arbor South than the league's centrally located indoor stadium.

But the reality really set in early in the third quarter when a review determined Mike Sainristil had forced his second fumble of the game, and Michigan's offense was again set up with first-and-goal.

Corum plowed his way into the end zone once more — the 55th time in his career to tie Anthony Thomas for the Michigan program record — as U-M suffocated Iowa, 26-0, to win the 2023 Big Ten championship on Saturday.

"I've been trying to grasp it because I'vee been watching on TV the last two years and I'm finally in it, so it feels real to me," Morgan said. "I've been telling people my whole college journey these, just this whole 10 months, 11 months, it feels like a dream to me.

"The team I'm on, the coaches I'm around, everybody that supports us. Feels like a dream, like a movie."

It's the first time in 144 seasons of Michigan football that the Wolverines have won three consecutive outright Big Ten titles.

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While it certainly makes a statement about the past three seasons — Michigan is now 39-3 during that stretch, now in consideration for the best era of all-time — it most importantly keeps the dream alive in 2023, as U-M is assured to be one of four teams in the College Football Playoff.

Who or where Michigan will play? That's another, not-yet-clear, story, but a trip to Pasadena, California, and the Rose Bowl seems the most likely scenario. The College Football Playoff committee, which includes U-M athletic director Warde Manuel, will announce its decision at noon Sunday.

"I was just talking in the locker room to (former U-M wide receiver) Jason Avant and he was saying how he played in two Rose bowls," said Cornelius Johnson, who had a team-high nine catches for 64 yards, on which destination he would prefer. "Especially like for the history of it, at Michigan and in the Big Ten.

"But I mean the Sugar Bowl, either one, never been to New Orleans in my life. So it would be fun to see."

The Wolverines (13-0) won't be sweating their spot in the field because they didn't overlook the Hawkeyes. As ugly as it was, U-M put together a simple, yet effective (enough) game plan. J.J. McCarthy completed 22 of 30 passes for 147 yards and Corum added 16 rushes for 52 yards and two scores.

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But the defense was the star of the day.

The unit forced more punts (seven) than allowed first downs (five). It also forced two turnovers and three turnovers on downs and also came away with the second shutout in Big Ten title game history, led by Sainristil who had two forced fumbles, a quarterback hit, a pass break up and a tackle.

"Just a playmaker, when a play has to be made, when the magic needs to happen, Mike makes it happen," head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "It's been game after game. Especially down the stretch here these final four games, he has been a stalwart.

"He intercepts, makes the big hit, makes the big hit in the fumble, causes a fumble. Just an incredible player."

Offense struggles early

The Wolverines' best drive of the half was their first, when they marched methodically down the field.

McCarthy found AJ Barner for a gain of 13 to get to midfield, then found his other tight end, Colston Loveland, on fourth-and-7 to keep the drive alive a few plays later. The Wolverines again faced fourth-and-1 later on the possession, but center Drake Nugent left the game on the play prior with an injury, so U-M, satisfied it had milked more than 7 minutes off the clock, opted for a 35-yard James Turner field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.

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However, that drive represented nearly half (52) of U-M's first-half total yards (111), in what was the most sluggish offensive half of the season. Michigan punted on four straight drives in the period before McCarthy was sacked on the final play of the half.

"Uncharacteristically we had some drops and uncharacteristically we had some protection issues andthings that we'll work on, and definitely Zak (Zinter) was missed," Harbaugh said. "I mean, (McCarthy never hung his head. Never got on anybody. He has just got this demeanor, and the more you hit him, the more he is just motivated to come back, which is amazing."

The only time Michigan's offense scored a touchdown, a two-yard run by Corum, was with 1:07 to play in the first quarter and that was set up by Morgan's show-stopping punt return effort.

On U-M's third drive, Trente Jones was flagged for holding and McCarthy was sacked on third down to force a punt. Then, facing third-and-10 on the next drive, McCarthy tried to extend the play with his legs but slipped and fell for a sack.

Another three-and-out followed, then a quick punt when Loveland dropped a would-be first down on third-and-6. The Wolverines finished the half 1-for-7 on third down and taking sack yards into consideration, their 15 rushing attempts tallied 16 yards.

"Today's performance, it wasn't our best, but there's nothing better than winning," Corum said. "It got the job done. Shout-out to the defense, special teams... Iowa's defense was good, but we have things to clean up."

Defense holds strong

The reason none of U-M's offensive struggles mattered, other than as a point of frustration for fans, was because Jesse Minter's defense stifled the Hawkeyes from the get-go.

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Iowa's longest play of the first half? An 8-yard pass to Nico Ragaini that came with 6:00 left and got the Hawkeyes to the Michigan 30. The only reason the Hawkeyes were in scoring position was because a Tommy Doman punt bounced directly backward, netted just 25 yards and was downed at the U-M 38.

But three plays later, on third-and-2 from the U-M 30, Sainristil forced a fumble and Kris Jenkins recovered it to keep Iowa off the board. Though that was the most notable play, there were a number that continued to set Iowa behind the sticks.

On the first drive of the second quarter, Sainristil jumped a third-and-3 pass and nearly came away with an interception, but settled for a pass breakup. On Iowa's next drive, Kenneth Grant blew up a first-down run for a loss of 3.

The drive after that was the Jenkins fumble recovery, and the time after that, Josaiah Stewart came away with a batted ball at the line of scrimmage to force a three-and-out, before one final punt.

Iowa netted 61 yards in the half and had six punts compared to two first downs.

"Glorious defensive performance," Harbaugh said. "Just tremendous, lights-out. Three-and-outs, I think we're maybe four on the game. Then one first down and out. Incredible shutout. How many turnovers were there?

"Three or four — three plus the four fourth-down stops. That's, like, seven turnovers. And giving the ball to the offense in great position. So just spectacular"

The final touches

Michigan's offense crossed midfield to open the half and punted shortly thereafter, but the special teams helped bail the offense out and pinned Iowa at its five. On second down of that drive, Sainristil came flying around the right edge to make the game-changing play

The call on the field was an incompletion, and the reaction from many when it went to review was that the replay didn't do much to overturn that. The call, however, was reversed and the result was a career-high seventh turnover forced by Sainristil.

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On its next possession, U-M's defense allowed two first downs for the first time all day, but Junior Colson and Michael Barrett went over the pile and stopped a tush-push attempt on fourth-and-1 to stifle the drive.

Then, in the fourth quarter, Braiden McGregor swatted Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill's throwing arm and forced a fumble, which Grant jumped on. However, much like after the defense forced a turnover on downs, Michigan's offense couldn't capitalize on a short field and had to settle for a field goal.

Turner finished the day 4-for-4 on field goals — the three in the second half were from 46 yards, 36 yards and then a Big Ten title game record 50-yarder with 3:38 to play in the game.

"To me, it feels 10 out of 10 happy," Harbaugh said. "Like it did last year, and like it did in '21."

Contact Tony Garcia: apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him at @realtonygarcia.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football wins third straight Big Ten title, 26-0 over Iowa