Michigan Football: 5 predictions for Wolverines against Iowa

Stanley will create some big plays

Michigan football comes into the Iowa game with the top-ranked pass defense in the Big Ten, which is misleading because Wisconsin and Army barely threw the ball.

The Wolverines have some great pieces in the secondary like Lavert Hill and Ambry Thomas, as well as Daxton Hill, if he actually gets to play (he should be starting). But if the pass rush doesn’t get home, Nate Stanley is going to create some big plays with his arm.

Iowa loves to play ball control, sort of like Wisconsin and they are second in the Big Ten in third-down pickups, in large part because they are very good at keeping a manageable down and distance.

But generally, Michigan matches up very well against Iowa. The Hawkeyes aren’t a spread team littered with dynamic athletes. But Stanley has been outstanding this season and has eight touchdown passes compared to zero interceptions.

With Don Brown’s man defense, you can expect some big plays, but as long as the Wolverines can get consistent pressure, they should be able to limit Stanley and force him into some mistakes.

If they can’t get to him with guys like Kwity Paye, Josh Uche, Mike Danna and Aidan Hutchinson, the defense could easily surrender 20-30 points, which in turn, will put the onus on the offense to produce a victory.