Michigan Football: 5 questions with an Iowa Hawkeyes expert

Michigan football will take on Iowa Saturday and with that in mind, we sat down with an expert on the Hawkeyes to breakdown their matchup with UM.

The past few weeks haven’t been very enjoyable for Michigan football fans. There was the win against Rutgers last week, but really, everyone is still trying to get over Wisconsin.

And with Iowa coming to the Big House this week, it’s hard for Michigan football fans not to think back to what happened two weeks ago in Madison, when their team wasn’t just defeated, it was annihilated.

Hopefully, last week was the first step in a bounceback for Michigan football, which desperately needs one and with 14th-ranked Iowa next up, it’s a perfect opportunity to silence some critics.

Of course, even with a win, Michigan won’t get much of a breather for long, not with one of the toughest schedules in the country facing the Wolverines, but a win would keep UM in the Big Ten hunt, while also keeping the anti-Jim Harbaugh faction at bay for a little bit at least.

As we get closer to Michigan football and Iowa, it seemed like a good idea to get some more intel on the Hawkeyes, so we caught up with Andrew Wade, FanSided’s Iowa Expert for Dear Old Gold.

We asked him five questions on the game and here are his answers, including a prediction:

What have you learned about Iowa through the first four games? 

We’ve learned that this offense is just fine without tight ends Noah Fant and TJ Hockenson and the depth of this team is fantastic.

While it certainly would be nice to have two first-round tight ends, the Hawkeyes have their best wide receiver group they’ve ever had under Kirk Ferentz. Oliver Martin being declared eligible was a huge win for the Hawks, but they honestly haven’t even needed him because two redshirt freshman, Tyrone Tracy Jr.and Nico Ragaini, have been instrumental in the passing game.

The depth has been outstanding too as we roughly ten guys have seen meaningful snaps on the offensive line and we are currently starting our 5th corner. We lost Alaric Jackson early in the season for a few games (he is returning for Michigan) and then lost our backup guard, who was starting because the previous starter moved to tackle to replace Jackson. Despite that, the offensive line hasn’t missed a beat, and in the secondary, the young guys have really stepped up despite early struggles.

How confident are you that Nate Stanley can have a big day against Michigan’s defense? 

More confident than I probably should be. I am always wary of what to expect with Stanley. In recent seasons, he is just as liable to put up 300 yards and 3 touchdowns as he is to complete under 40% of his passes for 120 yards, but this year he just seems different. There is more poise from him in the pocket, and he has learned to use his legs as another move in his arsenal by buying extra time and throwing on the run or even getting first downs by tucking it and running.

I don’t think Stanley is going to have a career day but barring some serious regression from the norm this season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see 250 yards and 2 touchdowns.

What is the thing you are most worried about when it comes to Michigan? 

Just being on the road at Ann Arbor. It’s one of the toughest places to play in the country, and while I personally don’t think Michigan deserved top-10 hype to begin the season, this is still a talented team. If the Hawkeyes start slow, it could doom them in that atmosphere. I am also a bit worried that Michigan will be playing this game with an extra-large chip on their shoulder as this can be seen as a make or break game for this season.

Do you think Iowa has the coaching advantage with Ferentz? 

Without a doubt. I think Jim Harbaugh is a great coach, but it doesn’t seem like his teams are ready for the big games whereas with Kirk Ferentz, even if they don’t have the most talented team, they are going to give a top-ranked team it’s all for 60 minutes. Ferentz may not be better with in-game adjustments and what not, but I would take him over almost any coach in terms of getting a team mentally in the right spot pregame.

What’s your prediction? 

Prior to the loss to Wisconsin, I would have picked Michigan to win a close game. I think the Hawkeyes pull this out though 28-14 with the final two touchdowns coming in the final quarter.