B1G championship: Three secret keys to Michigan football’s victory over Iowa. Michigan needs to do three things to beat Iowa on Saturday.
Michigan Wolverines In the 2021 Big Ten Championship game, the Wolverines will face the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday to crown the conference champion. Michigan (12-0) is in its second straight undefeated season and Iowa is riding a 10-2 campaign where defense is a big factor for the Hawkeyesand#039. successful The last time the two teams met in Indianapolis in 2021, Michigan emerged victorious.
The Wolverines defeated Iowa 42-3 to win their first Big Ten Championship game. Michigan is looking to win its third straight B1G championship, and here’s what the Wolverines need to do to make it happen. 1. Lead early Iowa State is not a place that can bounce back from a slump. This is especially true if the deficit is large. The Hawkeyes’ offense is averaging 124 points per game, averaging 18 points per game. Iowa is 10-2 because they allow just 12.2 points per game and their defense can’t score or pressure their opponents to score early.
The Wolverines, averaging 37.7 points per game, are expected to have the first chance to put this game away if they can score at least 10 points in the first 15 to 20 minutes of the game. Iowa State ranks 130th in rushing offense, 104th in rushing offense and 133rd in total offense. Simply put, the Hawkeyes have one of the worst offenses in all of football. Also, Iowa has a very solid defense that can make opponents uncomfortable.
However, the only team with a top 50 offense the Hawkeyes have played is Penn State. Iowa lost 31-0 when PSU played. Sharon Moore needs to do some planning early, but if Michigan can get its offense going early, it could be a long game like 2021 for Iowa. 2. Shut down Iowa State Not to make fun of Iowa and their offense, but another thing the Hawkeyes aren’t good at is converting third downs. Iowa ranks 123rd in the nation when it comes to third downs, with over 31% of first downs converted.
The Hawkeyes converted just 54 of 174 field goal attempts. To make matters worse, Iowa ranks last in scoring, allowing more than 13 first downs per game. And Michigan’s defense ranks second in the nation, allowing more than 13 first downs per game. It seems clear that Iowa will try to control the time of possession and run the ball to Michigan to keep the lead. Leshon Williams is averaging 5 yards per carry and expect a lot of tape from Williams. But as long as the Wolverines can contain Williams and Co. to the minimum yards and allowed quarterback Deacon Hill to advance to throw the football. Hill has struggled since taking over at quarterback after Cade McNamara went down with a season-ending injury.
He has thrown just five touchdowns and six interceptions this season, and if Michigan puts Iowa State in a position where they have to run the football to get a first down, it will benefit the Wolverines. 3. Don’t let Iowa win on special teams. Thanks to Iowa star Cooper DeJean, who has been injured this season, the Hawkeyes have a special team at kickoff and in the punt return. Iowa State ranks 23rd nationally in punt returns of 22+ yards per return and 43rd in punt returns of 10+ yards per return.
Starting punt returner Kaden Wetjen, who has been the starting punt returner all season, has moved into the full-time punt return role since DeJean’s departure. He averaged 11.4 yards per return while Wetjen averaged 7.5 yards per return. On the other hand, Iowa has the best player in the country in Tory Taylor. He averaged 47.6 yards per kick, starting deep in opposing team territory.
While Michigan is good on special teams, this is another way the Wolverines can give Iowa some hope. Blocking a punt or getting a yard on Taylorand’s punt will help Michigan and give Iowa less confidence that they can win the game.
