Michigan football: Grading the Wolverines victory against Iowa

The Wolverine fan base stopped believing in Michigan football after the disaster in Madison, and not even a blowout agast Rutgers could bring them back. Now that they beat a top 15 team, it’s time to get behind this team.

What does Jim Harbaugh have to do to apologize for the atrocities in Madison? They didn’t prepare; they weren’t ready. But the Michigan football team is go-to-go now, or at least the defense is.

Eight sacks, three interceptions, a fumble, and one rushing yard. That’s what Don Brown’s defense was up to this weekend. Nate Stanley marched onto the field having attempted 136 passes without an interception, and in one afternoon, the record was shattered along with any confidence the senior quarterback had in himself.

Don knew what he was doing. Everything his squad did wrong in the Wisconsin debacle, they did right against the Hawkeyes. Mekhi Sargent, a very capable running back, barley left the backfield, rushing seven times for 12 yards. Twice this year Sargent has broken the 90-yard mark, and yet Don Brown and his astonishing group shut down the Florida transplant.

Every level of the defense was firing on all cylinders, the offense, however, couldn’t start the engine.

John U. Bacon – the best selling author of several Wolverine centric books – jokingly asked, “Question for rules experts: When Michigan’s offense gets the ball, can they decline?” As funny as he meant that to be, it’s true. The Wolverines – despite having some of the greatest receivers in college football – couldn’t get the ball downfield.

It appeared as if quarterback Shea Patterson intended all along to manage the game and challenge his defense. Offensive Coordinator Josh Gattis came to Ann Arbor to remove the handcuffs that bind this Michigan football, and what we have so far is not only restraints but also leg shackles, adding a level of difficulty with his overcomplicated play-calling.

As ugly as the offense was, the Wolverines won the game and will soon begin preparing for a road matchup in Champaign against former teammate Brandon Peters.

Speaking of ugly, here are the grades for the Wolverines.

As always, the grades are based on an A-F scale.