Michigan is set to open Big Ten play this weekend against Iowa, and the Hawkeyes arrive with a defense that sits at No. 1 in the country. They’ve handled their first three games, and even though the schedule hasn’t exactly been loaded with tests, Iowa has done what it was supposed to do.
The bigger question now is what the Hawkeyes will have at running back.
Kamari Moulton did not play in Iowa’s 55-0 win over Northern Iowa last weekend, even though he had been viewed as day-to-day leading into kickoff. He was also absent from the Week 4 depth chart, which raises the obvious question: is he dealing with something more serious, or is Kirk Ferentz keeping him out as a precaution with Big Ten play here?
If Moulton can’t go, that changes the shape of Iowa’s offense in a major way. He rushed for 878 yards in 11 games last season and has been the only Iowa running back over 200 yards this year, piling up 240 yards and two touchdowns in two games. That production matters even more because Iowa does not want to lean on its passing game to carry the load.
The Hawkeyes did get strong numbers from the ground game against Northern Iowa, with Xavier Williams finishing with 155 yards and three touchdowns, Braedon Jackson adding 125 yards and one score, and Nathan McNeil contributing 111 yards and two touchdowns. But that came against Northern Iowa, and Michigan will be a much different challenge.
That’s especially true because Michigan’s defense may not have Iowa’s numbers on paper, but it still looks like a unit built to cause problems. The Wolverines are at their best when they shut down the run and create pressure off the edge, two areas Iowa depends on heavily to stay on schedule.
Hank Brown has taken over as Iowa’s starting quarterback, and while he has looked solid enough with 473 passing yards and three touchdowns in three games, the Hawkeyes are not built to win by asking him to carry the offense. Iowa wants to control games with defense and the run.
So if Moulton is indeed unavailable, Michigan could be staring at a version of Iowa that is missing the most important piece of its offense. That would leave Ferentz needing to find another path against a Wolverines defense that is built to take away exactly what Iowa likes to do.
In Other News...
Michigan Controversy Resurfaces As Opposing Coach Reframes Western Michigan
Spencer Danielson gave Western Michigan a little more respect than the record shows this week, calling the Broncos an undefeated team while pointing back to the game against Michigan that still lingers in the background. It was an odd way to frame a 2-1 start, but it captured how much the final moments of that matchup continue to shape the way outsiders talk about the Broncos.
The controversy came from officials adding one second back to the clock, which allowed a final play to happen in a game the FBS Oversight Committee later said should not have reached that point. Even so, the result remains on the books, and now Boise State and Western Michigan are set to meet Saturday, Sept. 23, with both teams still sitting outside the top 25 and plenty of interest around how that old dispute gets folded into a fresh gameweek. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Took A Hit Michigan Fans Will Notice
Penn State is heading into its Big Ten stretch missing one of the more productive pieces of its passing game, a development Michigan fans will track closely as the conference race tightens. Koby Howard will be sidelined for an extended period after suffering an injury in a recent game, coach Matt Campbell said, and the setback lands at an especially awkward time for a team trying to keep its offense moving against better defenses.
Howard had become a central part of the attack this season, leading the team in both receptions and receiving yards. Without him, Penn State will have to lean more on the rest of its receiver group, with Chase Sowell and Benjamin Brahmer among the names expected to absorb more of the load as the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Added Another Intriguing Name To Its Future O-Line Push
Michigans future offensive line push got another boost with a major scholarship offer to William Crawford, an offensive lineman from St. Johns College High School in Washington, D.C. Crawford has started to draw attention from top college programs thanks to a blend of size, strength, mobility and the kind of versatility that makes linemen especially valuable in todays game.
For Michigan, the appeal is obvious. The Wolverines have been aggressive about identifying high-upside prospects who can develop into real pieces up front, and Crawford fits that mold as a player who could grow into a significant contributor down the line. With multiple major programs now in the mix, his recruitment should remain one worth tracking closely as Michigan keeps building for the future. [Read more 🡒]