Staff Roundtable: Can Michigan Football handle the Hawkeyes?
By Josh LaFond
What’s your final score and game prediction?
Cameron: I think Michigan wins 31-10. I think JJ McCarthy hits a couple of deep shots at critical moments in the game, sucking the life out of Kinnick Stadium for the rest of the contest. I don’t think the final score will tell the whole story though. I think Michigan will be in a close contest for a little while. I think the offensive line will struggle to run the football on the ground for the majority (if not all) of the game, forcing JJ to pass a little more than maybe Jim Harbaugh would want, and JJ delivers. I think it is a game for two and a half quarters and
Michigan starts to pull away towards the end of the third quarter. I do think JJ will commit a turnover, because Cade did in the Big Ten Championship game last year (and Iowa’s defense is too opportunistic to not get one at some point in the game) but I don’t think it will matter in the end. I think the turnover comes with the outcome of the game already decided. I think JJ finishes 21-28 with 310 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT.
Brady: I certainly hope Michigan shows up to play like we did last time against Iowa in the Big Ten Championship game. Realistically, I think we see a close first half before Michigan pulls away to make it 28-10. I think we probably see a few big plays from JJ, Roman Wilson, or Blake Corum to take the crowd out of it. On the other end, I’m only worried about Iowa taking up clock with long drives. We can’t afford to get into a field goal kicking contest, and to avoid that Michigan needs to look to score every drive.
Josh: Michigan will come out and punch the Hawkeyes in the mouth early like we saw in the Big Ten Championship game last year. I think the Wolverines get up early 14-0 and get the Hawkeyes in a hole that they can’t come out of. Michigan wins 27-10 and keeps the dream alive for another week.
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Chris: It’s going to be a hard-fought game. Michigan needs to grab the lead early like it did in the Big Ten title game and I believe it will. However, there will be some adversity. Yet, the offense and Jake Moody do just enough to win 23-13. A late field goal ices a 10-point win that’s closer than the score indicates.