Week 12: Iowa Recap

Michigan moved to 8-3 on the season and 6 Big Ten wins with their blowout win against Iowa on Saturday.  It was one of those games that everything seemed to go right on the offensive side of the ball (outside of Toussaint breaking his lower leg/ankle).  The defense started a little sluggish, but bounced back to stifle the Hawkeyes in the middle two quarters.  Even though the Wolverine offense has looked impressive the past 3 weeks with Gardner at the helm, I still don’t know what to expect moving forward.  Yes, Ohio State’s defense is not that good, but it is a lot better than Iowa, Northwestern, or Minnesota.  Can Devin really pull his magic for a 4^th straight week?  Back to this past weekend, Michigan did what is was supposed to against Iowa and remain tied at the top of the Legend’s Division. 

The defense did not look good in the first quarter, and really struggled for most of the game defending the Hawkeye tight ends.  Iowa finished without a reception from a wide receiver for the entire game.  They ran their usual 6-7 yard passing routes, but attacked the middle of the field against Demens, Ross, and Ryan.  The defensive line is still struggling to get pressure on the quarterback.  The Iowa offensive line is just bad, but at least the maize and blue front 4 held their ground.  The problem with running 2 TEs for the game is that Michigan was not able to blitz as much as Mattison would like to.  Northwestern definitely gave Ohio State a game plan to attack the defense with (option plays), but Iowa might have been on to something as well.  Michigan will need to get more pressure on Braxton Miller (like Wisconsin did) to have any chance of keeping Ohio State under 28 points.

Offensively, Michigan was hitting on all cylinders again.  Denard played for a lot of the game in different positions around the field.  It was great to see number 16 one last time in the Big House, especially in a position where he becomes very difficult to game plan for.  By putting Devin and Denard on the field at the same time, it gives the defense 3 players to worry about (Roundtree also).  I believe Borges brought these formations out the week before Ohio State just to give the Buckeyes more to think about when watching game film.  It will be interesting if Denard can throw the ball a little bit by Saturday to give Michigan all kinds of looks on offense.  The offensive line still was not dominant, but Devin can keep plays alive with his feet and move the pocket around that it takes some pressure off the guys in front.  The most impressive part of the last 3 games has been the play of the wide receivers.  Roundtree, Gallon, and Dileo have really stepped up to become feared play makers.  If Devin can handle the pressure of The Game in the ‘Shoe, next weekend should be a really fun game to watch. 

Looking ahead, the Wolverines finish their 2012 campaign with a matchup against the hated Buckeyes.  Ohio State is still undefeated, mostly due to their less than impressive schedule and the awfulness of the conference.  I think Michigan is a tad better than their 20 ranking, but I also think Ohio State is a tad worse than theirs.  Michigan has not won in Columbus since 2000, and a win this weekend would be Brady Hoke’s best in his 2 year career.  It would also guarantee him an even longer leash with the Michigan faithful.  The defense will have to step up and play better on the road than they have the past 2 weeks, but slowing down the Buckeyes is not as impossible as most once thought.  The problem is they have struggled to score points twice on the road (Michigan State and Wisconsin), but this weekend is at home where Braxton Miller is much more comfortable.  We might be looking at another high scoring showdown.