What You Need to Know
This will be the 65th meeting between Michigan and Iowa; U-M holds a 45-15-4 series advantage.
The defense ranks in the top 10 nationally in four categories: passing yards allowed (8th, 123.7 ypg), tackles for loss (9th, 8.3 per game), total defense (10th, 220.0 ypg) and sacks (10th, 3.33 per game).
Linebacker Troy Bowles is sixth in the Big Ten in tackles (8.3 per game) and leads the Wolverines with 25 on the season.
Quarterback Bryce Underwood has completed 40-of-64 passes for 504 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
Wide receiver JJ Buchanan leads the team with 266 receiving yards on 15 receptions (17.7 yards per catch).
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Michigan vs. Iowa
This will be the 65th meeting between Michigan and Iowa.
The Wolverines hold a 45-15-4 lead in the all-time series and have claimed victories in 15 of the last 22 games between the two schools.
Michigan has a 24-5-3 record against Iowa at Michigan Stadium and a 25-6-3 all-time mark in Ann Arbor.
U-M has a 17-8-1 mark in Iowa City, including a 16-8-1 record at Kinnick Stadium.
The Wolverines hold a 13-7 advantage in the last 20 meetings between the two programs, but the teams have split the last 10 meetings in the series.
The Wolverines hold a 3-1 advantage in games played at neutral sites, including victories in the 2021 (42-3) and 2023 (26-0) Big Ten Championship Games at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
The only other neutral-site games between Michigan and Iowa were the first two meetings in the series, with the Hawkeyes winning 28-5 in 1900 (Detroit, Mich.) and the Wolverines claiming a 50-0 victory in 1901 (Chicago, Ill.).
Team
The Wolverines are 3-0, with two wins against teams that won 10-plus games last season (Oklahoma, Western Michigan, 10 each). Three such opponents remain on the 2026 schedule: Indiana (15 wins in 2025), Oregon (13), Ohio State (12).
Michigan has emerged from the nonconference schedule unbeaten in nonconference play for the first time since 2023 and the fourth time in the last six seasons.
In the 20 years that Kyle Whittingham’s Utah teams played at least two nonconference games (excluding 2020), the Utes went unbeaten in nonconference play 11 times (2008, 2013-19, 2023-25; does not include postseason).
The win against UTEP marked Whittingham’s 180th FBS win as a head coach. Only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (216 wins) and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney (189 before Week 3) have more among active FBS head coaches.
After UTEP took a 14-7 lead (5:58 Q2), Michigan outgained the Miners 308-28 the rest of the way.
Ten (10) Wolverines made their collegiate or U-M debut in the opener against Western Michigan and another five debuted against UTEP: quarterback Tommy Carr, linebacker Markel Dabney, defensive end Carter Meadows, defensive back Ernest Nunley and tight end Jimmy Pisani.
Seven Wolverines have made their first collegiate starts this season: tight end Jalen Hoffman, linebackers Troy Bowles and Chase Taylor and defensive end Dom Nichols against Western Michigan; tight end Eli Owens against Oklahoma; cornerback Shamari Earls and wide receiver Salesi Moa against UTEP.
Offense
Offensive coordinator Jason Beck is in his fourth year as an O.C. Beck’s offenses have been top-five in the FBS in both rushing and total offense in consecutive seasons, averaging 253.6 rushing yards and 484.3 total yards per game at New Mexico (2024) and 266.3 rushing yards and 482.9 total yards per game at Utah (2025).
The offense scored 52 points against UTEP, its first 50-point game since Week 3 last season (Sept. 25), when U-M scored 63 against Central Michigan.
Michigan has balanced offensive production so far. U-M has scored 11 touchdowns on offense; six rushing and five passing, with six different touchdown scorers overall.
Three players have accounted for those rushing touchdowns with two each: Bryce Underwood, Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter, who led the team in rushing for the first time last weekend.
U-M has two receivers with 100-yard games this season: JJ Buchanan (126 vs. WMU) and Andrew Marsh (105 vs. UTEP). Of the team’s seven pass-catchers so far this year, three are freshmen (Savion Hiter, Salesi Moa, Travis Johnson).
Underwood has thrown three of the team’s five passing touchdowns. Tommy Carr saw his first collegiate action last weekend and threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Moa among his two completions.
Underwood also has two of U-M’s six rushing touchdowns on the season and eight in his career. Adjusted for sacks, Underwood has averaged 5.5 yards per carry during his career (99 rushes for 550 yards) and has 29 carries for 159 yards so far in 2026.
The offensive line continues to gel; four players have now made double-digit starts at Michigan: left guard Evan Link (20 starts, 19 at tackle), right tackle Andrew Sprague (15), center Jake Guarnera (14; 12 at guard) and left tackle Blake Frazier (11, including one at right tackle).
The line is permitting 3.5 negative plays per game, ranking 31st in TFLs allowed.
When it matters most, U-M’s offense has converted, ranking among 24 teams that remain perfect on fourth down (4-for-4) this season. Last weekend, first-year wide receiver Travis Johnson made his first collegiate catch to move the chains on fourth-and-four.
Defense
Defensive coordinator Jay Hill is in his fifth year as a D.C. Hill’s defenses are known for their physical play and propensity to generate turnovers. The BYU units Hill coordinated over the past three years totaled eight defensive touchdowns, ranking 21st (2025, 19.1 points per game) and 18th (2024, 19.6) in scoring in the two most recent seasons.
Through three games, the U-M defense has yielded just three touchdowns and ranks 16th overall in scoring defense (11 points per game allowed). No team has scored more than seven points in a quarter, or 14 points in a half, against U-M this year.
Twelve (12) different players combined for 11 tackles for loss against UTEP, the most by a U-M defense in a single game since 2022 (11 against Colorado State, Sept. 3).
U-M ranks ninth nationally in TFLs per game (8.3) and 18th nationally in sacks per game (3.0). Fifteen (15) different players have at least a share of a TFL through three games.
John Henry Daley leads the defense with 2.5 sacks; Dom Nichols and Nate Marshall each have 2.0.
Linebacker Troy Bowles has led U-M in tackles in two of three games this year and ranks ninth nationally at 10.5 per game.
The pass defense also has limited opponents, ranking 34th in pass efficiency defense (104.9) and 23rd in passing yards allowed (139 per game).
The defense has forced three turnovers through as many games, including two interceptions. Jonah Lea’ea recorded the shortest pick-six in program history when he returned an interception nine yards for the score against UTEP last weekend.
Jyaire Hill recorded the first interception of the season against Oklahoma. It was the third of his career, tying him with Zeke Berry for second-most among corners on the roster (Smith Snowden, four). Among all defensive backs, safety Rod Moore (seven) is the leader.
Twenty (20) different players recorded a pass breakup or intercepted a pass in 2025, led by Zeke Berry (11, including one interception). Five players have recorded at least one so far this season, led by Snowden (two).
Special Teams
Kicker Trey Butkowski was 19-of-22 on field goals in his lone season at Pitt after joining the team as a walk-on. He converted a 40-yarder against Oklahoma for his first try of the year and a 49-yarder against UTEP.
Punter Cam Brown averaged 42.9 yards on 22 punts during his freshman season at Utah and has averaged 43.5 yards per punt (42.3 net) so far this season.
Brown has punted 14 times this season, with eight punts inside the 20-yard line. He has forced eight fair catches and had two punts downed at the one-yard line against Oklahoma, when he pinned the Sooners inside their 20 on six of seven attempts.
Kickoff specialist Jacob Baggett has generated 11 touchbacks on 14 kickoffs. Opponents have returned two kickoffs for a total of 39 yards.
Up Next
Michigan at Minnesota
Saturday, Oct. 3 • 11 a.m. CT • Minneapolis, Minn.
Upcoming Games
Michigan vs. Penn State
Saturday, Oct. 17 • TBA • Michigan Stadium
Michigan vs. Indiana
Saturday, Oct. 24 • TBA • Michigan Stadium