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3 X-factors for Michigan Football against Iowa

By Chris Peterson

Sep 3, 2022; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) rushes in the second half against the Colorado State Rams at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2022; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) rushes in the second half against the Colorado State Rams at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan football heads to Iowa City on Saturday and here are three X-factors for the Wolverines in a Big Ten Championship rematch.

Beating Iowa in Iowa is never easy. The Hawkeyes are tough as nails, stingy as hell on defense, and they don’t make many mistakes.

Their offense might not score a lot of points (17 a game) but it doesn’t need when you surrender about five points a game. The Iowa defense has also scored four touchdowns in its own right, so that’s another way to take pressure off the offense.

My caution is that at some point, Iowa will get going. The Hawkeyes always find a way to run the ball and usually have a pretty salty tight end or two.

This year that tight end is Sam LaPorta who leads the team in receptions (16) and yards (154). Spencer Petras has one touchdown and is averaging 5.6 yards per pass.

Iowa is only averaging three yards per carry on the ground. But stats don’t seem to matter. Iowa finds a way all the time and that’s the worry on Saturday.

Looking ahead, here are three X-factors for Michigan football vs Iowa.

J.J. McCarthy’s legs

One thing that has me so excited about McCarthy is his dual-threat ability. We’ve seen what he can do as a runner and not just scrambling. He does need to be smart. If he can slide or step out of bounds, he absolutely needs to do it. He’s also a former hockey player, so good luck with that.

That’s why people weren’t making a big enough deal about the Cade McNamara injury as they should. Having Cade ready to go at a moment’s notice is such a luxury. I know he played poorly when he was battling for the job, but he’ll be back and he’ll be just fine.

At some point this season, McNamara will prove to be an asset for this team. McCarthy is going to take some shots running the ball but as Matt Weiss said this week, you can’t worry about that.

Michigan football needs to do what’s necessary to win the game and McCarthy keeping some on the zone read types could be huge. He missed a couple of reads last week that could have gone for huge yards. He also needs to quit running backward.

If I was Michigan football, I would want to limit his pass attempts — somewhat. Iowa intercepts 1.3 passes per game and given enough opportunities, they are going to get one at some point.

Let J.J. use his legs, utilize the short passing game, and also Blake Corum. The Wolverines need to be able to run the ball against the Hawkeyes, who allow just 2.2 yards per attempt, and McCarthy’s explosiveness is one way to do it.

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