Game No. 6: Iowa Michigan Stadium Coverage from The Michigan Daily Monday, Oct. 20, 1997

Survival of the fittest

Michigan comeback drowns Hawkeyes

	Michigan 28
	Iowa 24

As linebacker Sam Sword squeezed the football to his chest with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter Saturday, three hours of mayhem came to an appropriate end. Sword's interception iced No. 5 Michigan's 28-24 victory over No. 15 Iowa on a day the Wolverines' defense saved them from themselves before 106,505 at Michigan Stadium.

Sloppy play on offense and special teams put the Wolverines behind, 21-7, at halftime. Two of quarterback Brian Griese's three interceptions led to Iowa touchdowns, and the Wolverines watched Tim Dwight return a punt 61 yards for a touchdown as time

WARREN ZINN/Daily Jerame Tuman, Michigan's All-America tight end, eluded Iowa defenders all day in Michigan's 28-24 victory over Iowa. The senior made seven catches for 85 yards, but none were bigger than his touchdown catch with 2:55 to play.

expired.

But none of that mattered in the end because of a defense that allowed a lone field goal in the second half - a defense that put Griese in position to throw the game-winning touchdown pass to tight end Jerame Tuman with 2:55 remaining.

The Hawkeyes' field goal was just the third the Wolverines have given up in the second half this season. No team has scored a touchdown in the second half. No team has scored a point in the fourth quarter.

"Most of the reason we were down was because of me, and I knew I had to come back and play well," said Griese, who rushed for a one-yard touchdown and finished 15-for-23 for 165 yards and three touchdowns. The first half was "my worst half of football since I've been here, but I never lost confidence in myself or my team. I know what we have here."

Except for tailback Tavian Banks's 53-yard touchdown run with 13:29 remaining in the second quarter - the longest run of the season given up by a defense that had been allowing just 68 yards rushing per game - the Wolverines (3-0 Big Ten, 6-0 overall) shut down the Hawkeyes (1-2, 4-2) in a battle of bests.

The Wolverines entered the game with the nation's top-ranked scoring defense, giving up 5.2 points per game. They were second in total defense at 211.8 yards per game and allowed the Hawkeyes, who had the league's top offense, 187 yards.

Banks, the league's leading rusher, finished with 99 yards rushing. Tim Dwight, one of the league's top receivers, caught one pass for seven yards under the coverage of All-America cornerback Charles Woodson. Matt Sherman, the most efficient quarterback in the league, threw three interceptions and finished 8-for-21 for 86 yards and no touchdowns.

Iowa coach Hayden Fry said the Wolverines "proved in the second half that they have one of the best college defenses. We just didn't execute. You just shouldn't lose like that."

"Our defense was tremendous from the beginning to the end," added Michigan coach Lloyd Carr.

11-22-97