Big Ten Championship Preview: Michigan vs. Iowa
RUSH OFFENSE vs. IOWA RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #53 in rushing offense (169.8 yards/game) and tied for #56 in yards per carry (4.44). Ohio State held up fairly well against the run last week, but they did allow a 22-yard touchdown run by Blake Corum immediately after Michigan starting RG Zak Zinter was lost for the season due to a broken leg. It may be interesting to see what Michigan does with the offensive line. Last week it was RT Karsen Barnhart sliding to right guard, with jumbo TE/extra OT Trente Jones sliding in at right tackle. But Michigan has some options with backup offensive guard Giovanni El-Hadi and former starter Myles Hinton, who was injured two weeks ago but may be available this week. The problem with inserting Jones at right tackle full-time is that it may eliminate Michigan’s formations with that sixth offensive lineman. Iowa is #17 in rushing defense (105.6 yards allowed/game) and they give up just 3.09 yards per carry, which is #9 nationally. They have also allowed just 2 rushing touchdowns this season, which is #1. Senior LB Jay Higgins (6’2″, 233 lbs.) has some ridiculous stats with 141 tackles, including a season-high 18 against Penn State in the Hawkeyes 31-0 loss. Fellow senior LB Nick Jackson (6’0″, 237) has 91 stops of his own, followed by senior safety Quinn Schulte (6’2″, 209) with 59. Senior DE Joe Evans (6’2″, 252) leads the team with 9.5 tackles for loss, followed by Jackson’s 8.0 and senior safety Sebastian Castro (5’11”, 206) with 8.0. It’s a very well coached defense, as always, and they’ve won 10 games despite a terrible offense.
Advantage: Iowa
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