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5 things to watch for Michigan football vs. Iowa in Big Ten title game

By Chris Peterson

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh watches a play against Indiana during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh watches a play against Indiana during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. /
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Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham celebrates a tackle against Ohio State during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023.
Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham celebrates a tackle against Ohio State during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. /

The battle of the trenches

One reason that Iowa is able to win so many games, despite being so lackluster on offense, is the fact that their defense is always good. The offensive line is usually pretty good too.

Iowa wins the battle in the trenches most of the time, which leads to winning a lot of games because blocking and tackling still matter quite a bit.

However, Michigan football isn’t most teams. Penn State, Ohio State, and Nebraska all have really good defenses and the Wolverines ran for an average of 211 yards per game against those three teams. Michigan ran 32 times in a row against Penn State.

The running game found some tough sledding against Ohio State, but the Wolverines managed four runs of 15 yards or more in the second half when it was really needed and 156 yards total.

Michigan has an elite run defense in its own right, as well as a stellar pass rush. U-M should be able to win the battle of the trenches this week and it will need to in order to win a third consecutive Big Ten championship.

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