Michigan Wolverines Vs. Iowa Will Drag On

Michigan Wolverines vs. Iowa Will Drag On, But Wolverines Should Win Comfortably.

Matt: The Michigan Wolverines has lost four straight in Iowa City, only one of those teams was a Jim Harbaugh coach team. That was back in 2016 when number two, Michigan went to Iowa and lost 14 to 13. That 2016 team averaged 48 points a game going into that contest. This Michigan team is averaging 50. Iowa has won five of its last six against a top-five opponent.

At Kinnick, however, you and I and everyone else remember, the last time the Michigan Wolverines faced Iowa, it was in the Big 10 championship game last year, and they decimated them 42 to three. How do you see this game going between Michigan and Iowa? 

Ryan: So I don’t expect the Michigan Wolverines to win 42 to three, but I do expect Michigan to win the game. I think it’ll be low scoring. I think it’ll be kind of an ugly game to watch. I wish Iowa did it at, the night that would make the game better, but it is new which I think helps Michigan. 

There’s not some of that spooky atmosphere that you get when you go just on the road, you know, in conference and night against a fan base that’s had all day to drink and now they’re all riled up and, you know, 1, 1 3 and out.

In the crowd just is, is gone. Bonker, I still expect the atmosphere to be live and if I was gonna play with a chip on their shoulder because what happened in the Big 10 title game, you know, more power to ’em. But with what we saw from Michigan last week and the kind of the issues that they had with Maryland, you know, you look at the game and Michigan it’s a Maryland.

That again isn’t very good, but the Michigan Wolverines only managed to score you know, they scored 34 points on them and. I expect they’ll score less. Right on Iowa and Iowa, certainly not getting into 34 points. So from Michigan, I don’t know that they’ll have so many concerns about losing the game. I think it will be ugly, but I just don’t think Iowa’s offense will be able to match Michigan.

The Michigan Wolverine’s offense might be a little bit. You know, sputter because Iowa’s defense is pretty good, but Michigan got a pretty good defense in their own right, one that I definitely don’t think Iowa was gonna be able to take advantage of. So even in Michigan, wins by double digits. I don’t think you know, I don’t think it’ll be a, like a pleasing game to watch, but I don’t think Michigan should have so much trouble with.

Matt: So both these units, the Michigan Wolverines and Iowa defensively, they’re in the top 10 and total defense and their defensive success rates. The Michigan Wolverines ranks 99th in plays per game and a hundred and fifth in second per play while Iowa is 120 seventh in plays per game and a hundred and 11th in seconds per play.

So it’s like you said, it’s gonna be a slower, more methodical kind of game. But I mean, I agree with you. The defenses, while they’re. Iowa offensively is just abysmal. The passing game. They haven’t cleared 175 yards in passing yet so far this year.

And with The Michigan Wolverine’s defense being, you know, somewhat decent, I understand their past rush hasn’t been what they were hoping it would be, losing all the players that they lost from last year’s team.

Iowa doesn’t have much of a passing game period, and so it just seems like it’s gonna be one-dimensional for them and the Michigan Wolverines can really go. They kind of pin their ears back and get ready to stop the run because they know the passing game is not that dangerous.

And it just seems to play in the Michigan Wolverine’s favor that despite all the numbers showing how slow, and methodical, we’re talking about a Michigan team that’s averaging 50 points a game.

Are they gonna hit that in this game? No, I don’t believe that. I think that is crazy. But it’s not nighttime like you said, and that would’ve made this a lot more difficult. It’s daytime. The people haven’t had nearly as much time to drink and go crazy before the game.

They’re gonna have to be getting up at about six o’clock in the morning to start drinking, to get to that ruckus level that Iowa would want them to be, to have their backs.

It’s just, and you’re talking about like a battle on the ground between these two teams with Iowa allowing, you know, 5.8 points per game and a total of 235 yards. Period of per game. And you look at a Michigan team that’s averaging 235 yards on the ground. So in Blake Corum at 120 by himself. It’s just, it seems like everything is leaning towards Michigan.

And last year again, it was, it was the Big 10 championship. It wasn’t in Iowa, but. The Michigan Wolverines ran over six yards per carry for over 200 yards against this Iowa defense. It just seems like Michigan is gonna have too much offensively for the Hawkeyes to really stay in this game.

Ryan: I agree. I think the defenses will both probably play pretty well.

The thing that Iowa would hope for, and if you’re an Iowa fan, like how Iowa’s gonna win, is that JJ McCarthy is loose with the ball. Now if you don’t have an offense that’s necessarily gonna be able to take advantage of that and you know, the score if JJ McCarthy ends up being loose with the football. So I guess you just hope that it’s within like your own red zone or something.

But you know, the Michigan Wolverines obviously they have to protect the ball, but if they do, as you said, I think it should be, again, not an easy game, but. Like an easy win, if that makes sense. Right. I think the Michigan Wolverines will still probably struggle to score more so than they have, you know if they don’t reach 26 points, I wouldn’t be so surprised, you know what I mean?

If they won the game 25 to seven or something. But like with Iowa, their offense isn’t anywhere near where it needs to be, and I don’t see how they are going to score on Michigan, I mean, their defense already or still has more points than what their offense does. Can’t miss a solar eclipse right here.

Walking past, walking past my leg. Yeah, my, like, they just, they’re gonna struggle to score. And while the Michigan Wolverines might have a tougher time scoring and they’re not gonna score 50, they’re not, I mean, overall, they’re just not gonna start, you know, they’re not gonna struggle to score as Iowa will. And I think that’s really where the difference in the game.

Comes in, you know, like they, they just don’t have it. For that, they don’t have the quarterback necessary. They don’t have even the offense necessary. And yeah, who knows? Maybe, maybe it’s Cade McNamara’s next team and they just throw ’em on the field, and then it’s a more interesting game. But for now, I don’t see a way that I post it off.

Matt: No, and I agree with you. It, it would have to come down to turnovers, you know, Iowa Force, three of them against Rutgers to help them score 27 points. They’ve had seven turnovers in. Three games and yeah, one of them would have to be a pick-six or a scoop and score for the Iowa Defense to give Iowa a real chance, cuz if you’re relying on your offense to get it done for you.

So alone, even with your defense getting turnovers, it’s not gonna be enough. Your defense has to score a touchdown for you to take some pressure off the Iowa offense because they’re just not that good. Michigan plays a clean game. You know, that’s what they’ve done so far. They have two turnovers on the season.

An interception versus Hawaii that was not JJ and a fumble versus Maryland. So with Iowa’s offense being so horrible, the Michigan Wolverine’s defense being good enough, it just, again, like we’ve been, you know, we’re kind of beating a dead horse here, but it just seems like everything is coming up. Roses for the Wolverines and this.

You know, thinking, you know, a 23 to 10, a 27 to 10 something, well, maybe not 27, but it might be, but something like that, it just kind of feels like that’s where this is leaning. And the Wolverines, again, it’s not gonna be easy like you said, but at the end of the day when it’s all said and done, I think it’s gonna be a comfortable enough victory for the Michigan Wolverines.

Ryan: I think so too. You know, I think Michigan will come out of this game five and oh and. And you know, potentially being dependent on know what else happens in the top four. 

Matt: All right. Well, they’ll end up, let’s put our money where our mouth is on this one. That the spread is 10 and a half. Are you taking or laying? 

Ryan: Ooh. I’ll lay the points. Okay. Time your hats. 

Matt: Yeah, I, I think Michigan’s gonna cover it though as well. All right. 42 and a.

Ryan: 42 and a half. I will take the under. 

Matt: Yeah, same, very much. Same in this one. All right. more over-under for the players. Only a couple here. JJ. 265 Total yards,

Under. All right. I’m gonna go over, I think I’ll do a little more with his legs in this one when he has to one and a half touchdowns for JJ. Over. All right. Corum, 90 yards under. All right. I’m gonna go over and half a touchdown under. All right. I’m gonna go over just for, uh, just, just to be different. We’re gonna be battling on this one.