Iowa’s trip to Michigan looks like it will come down to one simple question: can the Hawkeyes take away the run?
That’s the read from Deshaun Lee, and he didn’t dress it up. When asked about facing the Wolverines, the veteran Iowa defensive back made the plan plain: “We’ve just got to stop the run.
They like to run the ball a lot. We stop the run, we're in good shape.”
That kind of clarity matters because Michigan’s offense has leaned on its ground game through the first three weeks. The Wolverines are averaging 323.3 yards per game, but nearly 148 of those are coming on the ground. The passing game still hasn’t found its footing, and Iowa’s defense is built to make that problem even bigger.
The matchup comes at a good time for Iowa, which has opened 3-0 and climbed to No. 17 in the AP Top 25. But the Hawkeyes are slight underdogs heading into week four, and this is their first real test of the season against a Michigan team that finally looked a little more settled against UTEP in week three. Even so, the Wolverines still haven’t seen a defense with Iowa’s profile.
That’s the real edge here. Iowa enters the game with the No. 1 overall defense through the first three weeks, giving up just 66.0 rushing yards per game and only 110 passing yards per game. The Hawkeyes have been elite on both levels, and if Michigan can’t consistently move the ball on the ground, Phil Parker has the kind of secondary that can tighten the screws quickly.
Michigan’s offense has also had trouble sustaining drives. The third-down numbers haven’t been good, and the passing attack hasn’t been dangerous enough to scare anyone yet. Iowa hasn’t faced much resistance either, but this is a different kind of opponent, especially with the game in Ann Arbor and the Big House setting the stage.
No one is expecting Iowa to turn this into another shutout, but the ingredients point toward a defensive fight. Michigan has its own issues in the passing game, and Iowa is already elite at taking away the run. That sets up a game where both defenses can load up and force the other side to earn every yard.
Bryce Underwood may find the air much less welcoming than it has been over the first three games. Two of Michigan’s first three opponents ranked outside the top 50 in passing defense, while Iowa sits at No. 5 overall. If the Wolverines struggled to get the passing game going before, this is not the matchup that should make life easier.
Iowa has also had some things working on offense, with Hank Brown and the Hawkeyes off to a better start than they’ve had in some recent seasons. But that side of the ball hasn’t really been tested yet, either.
So this game has the feel of a grinder. Both teams want to run, both teams are likely to crowd the line, and points may be hard to come by.
A score under 20 for both sides would not be a surprise. And if it turns into the kind of game where one or two throws decide everything, Deshaun Lee’s message may end up being the whole story: stop the run, and Iowa is in good shape.
In Other News...
Braeden Jackson Just Added To Iowas Walk-On Tradition
Braeden Jacksons name already carries some football weight in Iowa circles, and now the walk-on running back has given Hawkeye fans another reminder of why that tradition still resonates. In a notable game, he flashed the kind of burst and versatility that can turn a roster afterthought into a real storyline, piling up 125 rushing yards, adding 24 more as a receiver and finding the end zone twice.
It fits the family history, too. Jackson is the son of Fred Jackson, the former Coe College standout who went from unrecruited long shot to a nine-season NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, and Braeden followed a similarly determined path after a strong high school career as both a football player and track star. He chose to walk on at Iowa in part because of his fathers connection to the coaching staff, and performances like this only deepen the sense that the Hawkeyes may have found another name worth remembering. [Read more 🡒]
Braeden Jackson Just Made Iowas Backfield Picture A Lot Tougher
Braeden Jackson turned a lopsided afternoon into something worth watching for Iowa. In the Hawkeyes 55-0 win over Northern Iowa, the second-year running back piled up 125 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns, continuing the kind of steady rise that has made him easy to notice in a crowded backfield. A preferred walk-on who arrived in December 2024, Jackson has been one of the quieter development stories on the roster, but his progress has been hard to miss.
What stands out most is how much cleaner and more complete his game looks now. Iowa quarterback Hank Brown and head coach Kirk Ferentz have both pointed to Jacksons improved awareness and physical development, and his background helps explain why he keeps trending up. As the son of former NFL running back Fred Jackson, he has had the benefit of football knowledge at home, and it is starting to show on the field in a way that could make the Hawkeyes backfield even harder to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Ferentz Sends Iowa Fans A Promising Message Before Michigan Test
Iowa is heading into its first Big Ten game of the season with a familiar kind of test waiting on the other side, and Kirk Ferentz spent part of the buildup offering a reassuring look at his roster. The Hawkeyes are set to face No. 18 Michigan on Sept. 26, and Ferentz said the recovery process is moving in the right direction for several key players, including Kamari Moulton and Bryce Hawthorne, as the team tries to get healthier at an important point on the schedule.
The matchup itself brings the bigger challenge, of course, and Ferentz made clear that Iowa will need its defense locked in against a Michigan offense led by quarterback Bryce Underwood. For a Hawkeyes team trying to open conference play on solid footing, the combination of improved health and a stern test against a ranked opponent gives this week a little extra weight, even before the game kicks off. [Read more 🡒]