Fansided

15 best college football moments of 2016

By Nathaniel Reeves

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions fans celebrate their teams victory on the field against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Ohio State 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions fans celebrate their teams victory on the field against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Ohio State 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 12, 2016; Iowa City, IA, USA; Fans storm the field after Iowa Hawkeyes place kicker Keith Duncan (not pictured) kicks the game-winning field goal against the Michigan Wolverines at Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes won 14-13. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Iowa City, IA, USA; Fans storm the field after Iowa Hawkeyes place kicker Keith Duncan (not pictured) kicks the game-winning field goal against the Michigan Wolverines at Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes won 14-13. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Iowa field goal ends Michigan’s undefeated run

There were multiple significant upsets on November 12, but none was more shocking than Iowa’s last-second win over Michigan.

The No. 3 Wolverines entered the game in playoff position after cursing to a 9-0 record. Meanwhile, Iowa was a disappointing 5-4 at the time and was pegged as a two-touchdown underdog at home following a blowout loss to Penn State the week before.

It was a sluggish defensive battle throughout, with Michigan scratching out a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter. The Hawkeyes would get on the board with a safety, and eventually cut the deficit to 10-8 just before the half.

Iowa went on a 10 play, 36-yard trudge to open the second half with a field goal for its first lead of the game. Michigan was held to 201 yards on the day but managed to string enough first downs together to go back up 13-11 with 9:35 remaining.

The two teams traded interceptions, Michigan managed to run the clock down to 1:23 before punting the ball back to the Hawkeyes. A facemask on the punt return Iowa up with decent field position, and it moved to the Michigan 15 yard line on a scramble from quarterback C.J. Beathard.

As time expired, freshman Keith Duncan hit the game-winning 33-yard field goal to send Kinnick Stadium into a frenzy in one of the defining moments of the Big Ten season. While Michigan would remain in the top four the following week thanks to all the upsets, the Iowa loss would later come back to haunt them when Penn State reached the conference title game.

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