Iowa has rebounded nicely since losing in the desert with wins over Ball State and Penn State. The latter was against a young inexperienced QB and the team almost shut him down. The same young quarterback managed to reach over 300 total yards of offense against this strong defense. Iowa takes a trip to the big house and against the most explosive player in college. You can talk and talk about players and break down this game anyway you want. I believe it comes down to 2 things.
Since I haven't watched much of Michigan football and don't care to see all that much. I reached out to a Wolverine buddy of mine. Lets see what he had to say the most important thing is for Michigan:
"Well the most important thing for the Michigan Iowa game is obviously how well Denard Robinson will play against the tough Iowa defense. After last weeks slump against Michigan state, he needs to rebound and get back to the top of the Heisman picture."
I couldn't agree more. The first important thing is Denard and the Iowa linebackers. You can't spy Denard, he will run right past them. But what alternatives do they have? This offense for Michigan is all about Denard. He's 9 yards away from having a 1,000 and their actual running back has only 286 yards. The Iowa d has to focus on limiting the giant Robinson run. Leading tackler, Jeff Tarpanian is the man to handle Denard. He can't over pursue on one play or get of position on those qb choice runs. Jeff should get some help though. Iowa is being praised as the best front four in the country. Time to show it off. They've certainly done their part so far giving up a measly 10.2 points per game. It won't be squarely on Jeff's shoulders either. The entire linebacking core, Jeremiha Hunter and Tyler Nelsen will need to do their part. You hear it constantly but it holds true for this game in particular, it will be an entire team effort to stop Denard. He's that good. I like their chances if they limit Robinson's explosiveness. I said in the Zona game, Stanzi couldn't throw a pick early and get the crowd involved. Well the defense can't lack and give up a huge run to Denard early. That would set off the large crowd.
The other thing to keep an eye on is Stanzi against the Michigan secondary. I can't say a lot of good things about a secondary giving up over 300 yards a game. Michigan's overall D isn't much better with opponents gaining 450 yards per game. Factor in they haven't played a ranked team, I'm not counting Notre Dame, except "little brother" and it doesn't look good. Soft is an understatement when you look at their stats. Since I don't want this to be a hate fest on the Wolverines, I'll go back to my buddy for something good to say about their defense.
"Our defense is very young and that's what i like the most about them, they are making freshman mistakes this year but they should learn over time."
He's spot on with that analysis. They are young and make mistakes. Next year, they will be much better. With that said, I still don't trust Stanzi. I should trust him, 10 touchdowns, 2 picks and one wasn't even his fault. Ricky is leading the Hawkeye passing attack to 32nd overall. He's the leader of the team. I still go back to the Arizona game. The loss was on the road in a tough environment. He lead them back and they should have had the lead. Shoulda and woulda doesn't count in football.
The situation Saturday seems to be particularly the same as the game in Arizona. Michigan's enormous crowd celebrating homecoming and hungry for revenge after a loss last week. The Big House practically rattling with the screams and stomps. Denard ready to show last week was a fluke, play like a Heisman candidate and prove his worth against a great defense. All this sounds like a formula for an upset. The Wolverine's defense won't have to work to hard if Stanzi gives them the ball a few times. I'm going against the Hawkeyes until they win a true road test. Wolverines win 30-24.
J Call
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