Michigan 27, Iowa 14

Tag: Iowa


2Oct 2022
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Michigan 27, Iowa 14

Mike Morris (image via Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)

J.J. McCarthy is pretty good. Discussions often begin and end with the quarterback play, and McCarthy played pretty well against a very good defense. I have seen some people being critical, but here are the numbers: 36/50 (72%), 375 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions over the past two weeks against Maryland and Iowa. He’s not putting up Baker Mayfield-type numbers, but he’s completing a ton of passes and mostly taking care of the ball. The only real qualm I have is he holds on to the ball a second too long sometimes. He did it last week against Maryland, and he did it once again against Iowa. It should have been a fumble against the Terrapins, and it was definitely a fumble against the Hawkeyes.

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30Sep 2022
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Preview: Michigan at Iowa

RUSH OFFENSE vs. IOWA RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #11 in rushing offense (234.3 yards/game) and #6 in yards per carry. Blake Corum has been the workhorse so far, leading the team with 64 attempts for 478 yards and a nation-high 9 rushing touchdowns. Backup Donovan Edwards was rumored to have been coming back to play last week, but he sat out the Maryland game and has not broken out yet this year (127 total yards, 2 touchdowns). I’m cautiously optimistic that he will play against the Hawkeyes. Meanwhile, Iowa is #6 in rushing defense (73 yards allowed/game) and #4 in yards allowed per carry (2.21). They have yet to allow a rushing touchdown. Senior middle linebacker Jack Campbell (6’5″, 246 lbs.) spearheads the defense with 39 tackles and weakside linebacker Seth Benson (6’0″, 232) follows behind with 30 stops. Iowa’s two starting defensive tackles are 289 and 275 pounds, so they’re not big up the middle, but they are relatively quick and athletic. Lukas Van Ness (6’5″, 275) is part of a potent rotation at defensive tackle and leads the team with 5 tackles for loss. Iowa’s defensive backs also do a very good job of triggering on the run and tackling; the defensive backfield ranks #3 through #6 on the team in tackles, and while usually that’s not a good sign for the front seven, in this case they’re all part of a very good defense. Iowa runs a 4-3 (or 4-2-5) with two high safeties, so the defensive backs need to be good tacklers or else teams would run the ball all over them.
Advantage: Iowa

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3Dec 2021
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2021 Big Ten Championship Preview: Michigan vs. Iowa

Tyler Goodson (image via The Athletic)

RUSH OFFENSE vs. IOWA RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #9 nationally in rushing with 225 yards/game and tied for #16 in yards per carry (5.25). Hassan Haskins leads the team with 244 carries for 1,232 yards (5.1 yards/carry) and 18 touchdowns. His rushing load has picked up significantly since Blake Corum suffered a high ankle sprain, resulting in Haskins averaging 26.5 carries per game over the final four weeks of the regular season. Haskins has 8 touchdowns over the stretch. Luckily, Corum returned last week to the tune of 6 carries for 87 yards, so a little bit of lightning is back to join Haskins’s thunder. Michigan is #1 in the country in tackles for loss allowed with just 2.0 per game. Iowa averages 4.58 tackles for loss per game, which is tied for 111th in the nation. They’re led by senior defensive end Zach VanValkenburg (6’4″, 267 lbs.) with 11.5 TFLs. Nose tackle Logan Shannon (6’0″, 289) and defensive tackle Logan Lee (6’5″, 277) man the middle with technique and quickness more than brute strength. The defense is led by junior middle linebacker Jack Campbell (6’5″, 243), who has 124 tackles. He’s paired with 6’1″, 229 lb. weakside linebacker Seth Benson, who has 89 tackles. Senior safety Jack Koerner (6’0″, 204) is third on the team with 75 takedowns. It’s a relatively stationary defense, but they’re good and well coached. They’re #14 in rush defense (106 yards allowed/game) and #8 in yards allowed per carry, at just 2.97. They won’t stop you in the backfield, but they will gang tackle you shortly beyond the line of scrimmage.
Advantage: Michigan

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10Oct 2019
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Michigan vs. Iowa Awards

Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye (image via Wolverines Wire)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Tru Wilson. Wilson had 4 carries for 28 yards in a little bit of action on Saturday. One reason he has not played much so far this year is because of a broken hand he suffered in camp. Another reason is that freshman Zach Charbonnet has shown promise, but Charbonnet has some vision issues and hasn’t developed the patience required.

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6Oct 2019
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Michigan 10, Iowa 3

Kwity Paye had 2.5 sacks (image via Detroit Free Press)

Enjoy Michigan football. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about Michigan’s offense, which we will indeed discuss. But those complaints are probably coming from a lot of the same people who have said Jim Harbaugh can’t win big games against tough opponents. Iowa was 4-0 and ranked #14 coming to Ann Arbor. It wasn’t a pretty win, but it counts the same in the Big Ten standings as a win over Ohio State or Rutgers.

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