Michigan football: Grading the Wolverines victory against Iowa

The defense

Iowa is tough; this defense is tougher.

Defensive line

Grade: A

The line sacked Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley three and a half times and was a part of an eight sack performance. On top of that – adding in negative sack yardage – the Hawkeyes rushed for a total of one yard. A complete turnaround from Wisconsin.

Kwity Paye lived up to the hype with two and a half sacks of his own, giving credence to Don Brown’s preseason high praise of him, saying, “Kwity might be, technically, the best football player in the country.”

Linebackers

Grade: A

After halftime, Don’s adjustments included sending speedy sophomore linebacker Cam McGrone sprinting to the backfield on a free blitz. It worked incredibly well.

Cam solidified himself as the Wolverine linebacker of the future with his unassisted and assisted sacks. In total, McGrone accounted for six tackles.

Cornerbacks

Grade: A

Three interceptions are all you need to hear. Nate Stanley doesn’t throw interceptions; he doesn’t make many mistakes. Through four years, Stanley has thrown 60 touchdowns to just 16 interceptions before arriving in Ann Arbor. This year, Nate is mistake-free, that is until he met UM.

Although he wasn’t one of the trio with an interception, freshman Dax Hill saw significant action and capitalized on the opportunity with six tackles and a pass deflection.