Iowa wide receiver ‘blacked out’ after hauling in last-second game winner against Michigan

Iowa wide receiver Reece Vander Zee hauled in the catch of a lifetime as time expired in The Big House, but don’t ask him to recount what exactly went down on the field.

Vander Zee, who led the Hawkeyes in receptions against Michigan in Week 4, caught a 16-yard pass from quarterback Hank Brown to hand the Hawkeyes a stunning 20-19 win on the road against the Wolverines.

It was one of those magical moments, at least if you’re an Iowa fan, that portrays the magic of college football, and while Vander Zee explained that the Hawkeyes routinely run that exact play during practice, he doesn’t remember any of the exact details about the game-winner.

Reece Vander Zee #2 of the Iowa Hawkeyes catches the game winning touchdown in front of Smith Snowden #3 of the Michigan Wolverines with no time left to win 20-19 at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 26, 2026 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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“We run that play every week, just you know, end of game situations, we do that every week,” the junior pass catcher explained on Sirius XM. “It was crazy, I kind of blacked out. Don’t really remember. I just remember all my teammates in my face. But yeah, it was just a great great team win. It’s just great to see everybody having a good time. You know, coach Ferentz is just as happy as anyone, and just great to be great to play for him and great to have this opportunity, so it’s awesome.”

While the throw and catch between Brown and Vander Zee as time expired will go down in Iowa history, so too will the final drive the Hawkeyes put together to pull off the stunner.

Reece Vander Zee #2 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates his second half touchdown with Kamari Moulton #28 while playing the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 26, 2026 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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Trailing by five, Iowa received the ball with 1:37 remaining in the game before using its final timeout with 34 seconds on the clock on its own 42-yard line. A 15-yard penalty on Michigan with 26 seconds left moved the ball into Michigan territory, but the Hawkeyes didn’t move the football again until a 29-yard completion with two ticks on the clock.

Reece Vander Zee #2 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after his game winning touchdown catch to beat the Michigan Wolverines 20-19 at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 26, 2026 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Michigan defender John Henry Daley went down with an injury, which stopped the clock in a situation where Iowa may not have gotten another play off, but when gifted a stoppage in play, the Hawkeyes delivered the goods with a perfect ball from Brown into the hands of Vander Zee.

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Iowa moved to 4-0 on the year, setting up a massive showdown this Saturday against 3-1 Ohio State, while the Wolverines dropped to 3-1 and lost a huge margin for error if they want to make the College Football Playoff.