By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – While a win over Michigan at the Big House only counts as one in the win column, history would suggest that the Iowa football team’s 20-19 victory on Saturday carries far more value and significance.

Because only eight times in program history has Iowa won in Ann Arbor, Michigan and only seven times in 28 seasons under Kirk Ferentz has Iowa started 4-0, so this team is a least flirting with being special.

Most of the teams that started 4-0 under Ferentz have gone on to have what would be considered successful seasons, in some cases historic seasons in 2009 and 2012, but there was also the 2006 team that finished 6-7, losing its final four games.

But here’s some Hawkeye history that should really get you excited:

The eight teams that beat Michigan in Ann Arbor have a combined record of 60-17-3 and five of them would go on to win Big Ten titles in 1900, 1958, 1981, 1990 and 2002.

So yes, history is on the side of the current Iowa team, which improved to 4-0 with Saturday’s come-from-behind win.

However, the present is all that matters and up next for Iowa is perhaps the most talented team in the country in Ohio State this coming Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

ESPN’s College Game Day announced on Sunday that it will host its pre-game show from Iowa City this coming Saturday, helping to set the stage for what could be an epic battle.

If Iowa didn’t have the attention of the Ohio State players before Saturday’s win at Michigan, it probably does now.

To win at the Big House is impressive under any circumstance, but to do it on the final play of the game as Iowa did on Saturday with Hank Brown throwing a 16-yard touchdown pass to Reece Vander Zee as time expired takes it to a whole new level.

Hank Brown has joined select company as an Iowa quarterback who has now won at Michigan; a list that includes Randy Duncan, Matt Rodgers, Ricky Stanzi and Brad Banks.

After a rough first half, Brown showed both poise and grit with the game on the line.

He made the right decisions and he made throws into tight windows, most notably the game winner to Vander Zee.

The Iowa defense, which has eight first-year starters, also rose to the occasion, while the Iowa special teams, under first-year coordinator Chris Polizzi, lived up to it high standard as backup running back Braeden Jackson returned  kick 99 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Michigan had just scored the game’s first touchdown when Jackson returned the ensuing kick for a touchdown, helping to shift the momentum back to Iowa.

The son of former Coe College MVP and former NFL running back Fred Jackson has shown that he deserves to be on the field in some capacity, and Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester is figuring ways to use him.

Kamari Moulton is without question Iowa’s featured running back, and deservedly so, but his supporting cast is too talented to leave on the sideline.

And while it’s still early, Iowa’s current group of offensive skill players is showing signs of being one of best groups under Kirk Ferentz.

From DJ Vonnahme and Addison Ostrenga at tight end to Vander Zee and Tony Diaz at wide receiver to Moulton and the other running backs, it’s hard to think of a Kirk Ferentz-coached team, besides the 2002 squad, that had this kind of talent and depth on offense.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Vander Zee has been a playmaker ever since he became a Hawkeye. He just hasn’t been able to stay healthy.

But he’s healthy right now and he gives Iowa a big, physical and reliable presence at wide receiver.

Vander Zee is also the ideal complement to the 5-10, 184-pound Diaz at wide receiver.

They both can make difficult catches, but they also have different skill sets that work well together in Iowa’s offense.

The Iowa defense, meanwhile, gave up over 400 yards on Saturday, but it stayed the course and met the challenge with the game on the line in fourth quarter.

Michigan was desperately trying to hold on to its lead in the fourth quarter, but the Iowa defense, coupled with the punting of freshman Boston Everitt, weren’t to be denied.

They kept the score close enough to where one touchdown would be enough to prevail, and that’s what happened on the final play of the game.

The Iowa football X account posted a video of the post-game celebration on the field and in the Iowa locker room and there’s a part of the video where a highly emotional Kirk Ferentz acknowledges Iowa strength coach Raimond Braithwaite and offensive advisor Tom Moore in the locker room for helping to set the tone.

The 87-year-old Moore is in his first season on Ferentz’s staff after having coached in college and in the NFL for over six decades.

Moore played at Iowa under Forest Evashevski in 1959 and 1960 as a kicker and as a backup quarterback.

Moore responded to Ferentz in the locker room by raising his arms and pumping his fists as sort of victory salute.

You could see what the moment meant to Moore, but also what it meant to Kirk Ferentz and to the Iowa players as they were all overcome with emotion and joy.

Few things help to unify a group of people more than sports does.

Iowa wouldn’t have prevailed on Saturday without being unified and without having sweat, bled and sacrificed along they way.

The Iowa players have rallied behind the phrase “work the hardest, the longest,” and that mentality played a factor in Saturday’s historic win win.

“This team is so close-knit, we’re going to believe no matter what,” Vander Zee said. “It doesn’t matter what the score is, how many yards we’ve got, we’re going to go out and make a play if we need it and we did that.”

It also takes talent, and sometimes, a little bit of luck to win a close game and Iowa had both of those things working to its advantage on Saturday.

Michigan might recruit better than Iowa does, at least on paper.

But that didn’t mater on Saturday as the Iowa players took care of business on the field.

The challenge now for Iowa is to make sure that history repeats itself by turning a 4-0 record into something truly special.