WOLVERINES NOTEBOOK

UM’s strong defensive effort not enough

Michigan linebacker Brennen Beyer returns an interception seven yards for an early touchdown.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — In an injury-abbreviated season, linebacker Jake Ryan had arguably one of his best games.

Linebacker Brennen Beyer gave the Michigan football team early life with a touchdown off an interception return.

Cornerback Blake Countess grabbed his fifth interception, best in the Big Ten.

Despite those efforts, Michigan’s defense still got burned by Iowa in a 24-21 loss.

The Hawkeyes had 38 second-half plays to Michigan’s 23 and finished with 407 yards. Quarterback Jake Rudock went 19 for 30 passing for 239 yards and two touchdowns, while fullback Mark Weisman led the Hawkeyes with 88 yards rushing and a touchdown.

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The Hawkeyes also won despite turning the ball over four times — the Wolverines intercepted Rudock three times.

“The defense kept us alive,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, whose team limited Michigan’s offense to 158 yards. “It’s just not a good formula. I don’t want to try that again because we probably dodged a bullet Typically, you’re not going to win when you lose that lopsidedly.”

Iowa, however, did.

AMONG THE INJURED: Michigan’s defense lost a pair of key contributors in Saturday’s loss, linebackers Desmond Morgan and James Ross III.

Hoke did not specify their injuries or their status for Saturday’s game against Ohio State.

“You’ve got two guys who, between them, have played probably 1,000 snaps,” Hoke said. “Not between them, but individually, maybe. Joe Bolden plays a lot and Ben Gedeon, I saw him on some tackles.”

Bolden, a sophomore, had four tackles while Gedeon, a freshman, had three tackles.

Morgan left the game in the first half, and Ross had six tackles before he left in the second half.

Additionally, running back Thomas Rawls was injured on the opening kickoff and had to be carted off the field; Michigan’s radio broadcast said that Rawls suffered a lower body injury.

LOCAL TIES: Rogers graduate Damond Powell had one carry for seven yards for the Hawkeyes against Michigan — his second carry of the season.

Powell is a junior wide receiver for the Hawkeyes and has 12 catches for 291 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games.

Andrew Donnal, a junior from Anthony Wayne, rotated at guard on Iowa’s offensive line.

BRRRR: The temperature in Iowa City was 18 degrees at kickoff. It was the coldest kickoff temperature in more than 20 years at Kinnick Stadium, besting the previous mark of 28 degrees when Iowa hosted Minnesota in 1991.

HOKE IN BSU HALL: Ball State announced Friday that Brady Hoke will be inducted into the school’s athletics hall of fame.

Hoke was a linebacker at Ball State from 1977-80 and was a team captain in 1980. Hoke coached the Cardinals from 2003 to 2008 and led Ball State to a 12-0 regular season and the MAC West Division championship in his final season as head coach.

BIG TEN ATTENDANCE: Announced attendance Saturday at Kinnick Stadium was 65,708, on a day that the Big Ten announced it had passed the five-million mark in total attendance for the ninth consecutive season.

Contact Rachel Lenzi at: rlenzi@theblade.com, 419-724-6510, or on Twitter @RLenziBlade.