Michigan Football: 5 things we learned about Wolverines against Iowa

Running game made progress

The Wolverines running game was non-existent against Wisconsin and that was a huge issue for the offense. Against Iowa, Michigan football didn’t produce a ton of yards on the ground, however, against a stout defense, UM managed 120 yards on 33 carries and that was enough.

Zach Charbonnet seems to be getting healthier and carried the ball 13 times for 42 yards and one touchdown. Tru Wilson, who was playing with a broken hand, also carried it four times for 28 yards.

Of course, winning the battle on the ground was always going to be a key factor offensively and the Wolverines did that with 120 yards and despite just averaging 3.5 yards per carry, there were some promising signs.

Once Charbonnet gets 100 percent healthy and with the return of Wilson to full strength, the backfield finally has depth with Christian Turner and Hassan Haskins also looking capable.

The ground game might not be dominant, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. It just has to keep the defense honest and it did that Saturday.