Michigan’s defense has a real argument against Iowa’s, and it starts with who each team has lined up across from them.
Phil Parker’s reputation is as solid as it gets, but through three games, Jay Hill’s unit has made a strong early case. Michigan’s defense has looked sharper for this stretch of the season, and the schedule is a big part of that conversation.
Iowa’s first three opponents - Northern Illinois, Iowa State and Northern Iowa - are a combined 3-6, and those teams have managed just 13 points against the Hawkeyes. The catch is that only Iowa State owns a Division 1 win, and that same Iowa State offense hasn’t topped 20 points against Iowa since 2017.
Michigan’s slate hasn’t been elite either, but it has been better than Iowa’s. The Wolverines’ opponents are 5-4, and Iowa State is the only offense in that group that sits near the top 50 in points scored. Even Iowa’s own offense may be the toughest thing its defense has faced all year, and that says plenty.
The matchup numbers in the secondary also tilt Michigan’s way. Iowa hasn’t had to deal with a receiver who has more than 10 catches on the season.
By contrast, Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan combined for 17 receptions against UTEP and have 30 together through Michigan’s three wins. Iowa’s corners are ranked in the top 20 of Pro Football Network’s impact rankings, but Smith Snowden and Jyaire Hill are in that same neighborhood.
Deshaun Lee and Jacob Wallace have allowed more than 11 yards per catch, though that has come on only four receptions.
And then there’s the long-running scoreless stretch. Iowa’s defense has not scored on Michigan’s offense in 10 years, and Michigan has taken the last four meetings. The last Iowa win over Michigan came in 2016, when Jaleel Johnson picked up a safety on Wilton Speight.
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J.J. McCarthy Could Get The Career Lifeline Michigan Fans Wanted
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With quarterback injuries piling up around the league, McCarthys name has started to surface as a possible target for teams searching for help, including the Giants, Bears and Commanders. For Michigan fans who followed his rise closely, the interest matters because it could represent the kind of reset his career needs, with a trade potentially opening the door to a clearer opportunity than the one he has right now. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Faces A Troubling Availability Question Before Iowa
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Andrew Babalola is among the absences, and his return timeline remains unclear, which is not the kind of news a team wants when the margin for error is already thin. There is at least some hope elsewhere on the report, with Andrew Sprague, Zeke Berry, Dom Nichols and Manuel Beigel all sitting in the questionable or doubtful range and some expected back soon, but Michigan will still spend the lead-up to kickoff sorting out who it can actually count on. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan May Be Closing In On Another Massive Young Tackle
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Fano is the younger brother of Spencer Fano, a former Michigan player who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, which only adds to the intrigue as recruiting chatter continues to swing in Michigans favor. Experts around the recruitment have given the Wolverines a strong shot at landing him, and if that trend holds, it would be another significant win for a program that keeps stacking up young tackle talent before it ever becomes a roster need. [Read more 🡒]