NCAA Football: Michigan mows over Iowa to win first Big Ten championship

Indianapolis, Indiana - The Michigan Wolverines are on a roll, riding the momentum from last week’s spectacular win into a monster domination in the Big Ten Championship Game over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Aidan Hutchinson (r) celebrated with the Big Ten Trophy after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Aidan Hutchinson (r) celebrated with the Big Ten Trophy after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game.  © Imago/UPI Photo

The second-ranked Wolverines clipped the 13th-ranked Hawkeyes in spectacular fashion. The game's 42-3 final score secured their fifth win in a row while snapping Iowa’s four-game winning streak.

Saturday night's win was Michigan’s first-ever appearance in the conference title game and the program’s first Big Ten conference crown.

Once the Wolverines settled in, they scored two-straight touchdowns before the Hawkeyes finally got on the scoreboard with a field goal to close out the first quarter, down 14-3.

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Iowa’s offensive attack seemingly ended with the first quarter itself because the Hawkeyes didn’t score another point for the rest of the game.

What makes it more shocking than usual is that Iowa only committed one turnover in the game – an interception late in the fourth quarter.

Michigan didn’t score in the second quarter but got back to the action midway through the third to bring the score up to 21-3.

They kept pouring it on in the fourth with three more touchdowns to finish off the Hawkeyes.

The player spotlight

Wolverines running back Hassan Haskins scored two touchdowns against Iowa on Saturday night.
Wolverines running back Hassan Haskins scored two touchdowns against Iowa on Saturday night.  © IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

Just like last weekend, the Wolverines got an impressive offensive output from their senior running back Hassan Haskins (22).

He didn’t score a handful of touchdowns, but his work on the ground for Michigan helped his team run away with the win in the second half.

He also put his name in the record books Saturday night by becoming the first running back in the school's history to score 20 touchdowns in a single season.

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Haskins finished the night with 17 carries for 56 yards and two touchdowns, along with three catches for 22 yards.

The big picture

Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh (c) received the Big Ten Championship trophy.
Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh (c) received the Big Ten Championship trophy.  © IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

With the championship victory, the Wolverines have now made a very strong case for one of the four available playoff spots, to be named this weekend.

They first beat Ohio State last week, in effect knocking the Buckeyes out of the running for college football's postseason, and have now claimed a huge victory for their conference title.

It's not bad for a team that fought all season long to finally sneak themselves into the nation’s top four.

The Wolverines will now have to wait and see where the playoff committee will place them, while Iowa also waits for word on which bowl game they’ll have up next.

Cover photo: Imago/UPI Photo

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