The buzz all week was surrounding the thought of Denard Robinson possibly not being able to play on Senior Day, but those scary thoughts were put to rest early in the game. Robinson made his first career start on Saturday and displayed the play-making ability we've had the joy of witnessing over the past three years.
Iowa never really seemed to have an answer for the combination of Devin Gardner and Denard Robinson being in at the same time. We saw something similar last season, but Gardner wasn't near the threat he is now, so it seldom worked. But this time around, teams have to give him respect. A lot of the time, it looked like the Hawkeyes could only pick their poison.
But it doesn't just stop on the field. Think of how Ohio State coaches are now being forced to prepare their defense for the threat of Gardner and Robinson together.
A huge storyline leaving this game was Fitz Toussaint's season being ended with a broken leg. It looked as though he was on his way to a great performance for the Wolverines on the ground, but he is now being forced to look forward to the 2013 season.
Replacing Toussaint, primarily, will be Thomas Rawls. Rawls didn't put together the greatest performance on Saturday, but he's shown in the past that he can have a big impact on games. He's a downhill runner who doesn't go down easily. Rawls gained 22 yards on 8 carries against the Hawkeyes on Saturday, not leaving us much assurance for a big game against Ohio State.
Jeremy Gallon hardly revealed signs of being human Saturday with a spectacular game receiving. It's no secret that 99% of successful quarterbacks need some form of a reliable receiver, and that's what Devin Gardner has in Gallon.
He has speed, good hands, and can be a deep threat; he does everything very well. I guess it's not really a surprise to me that Gallon stepped up for Gardner in this game. It is extremely encouraging for him to display that kind of reliability this late in the season.
The defense was, once again, excellent. And in other news, the sun is still very hot; too hot to touch. But seriously, this is year two of the Brady Hoke era. We all knew the defense would improve under the bright minds of Hoke and Mattison, but this was this honestly expected?
The Wolverines virtually shut down the Hawkeyes all game. Other than one good drive from James Vandenberg, Iowa didn't have a whole lot to show for on offense. The people I was sitting by at the Big House kept joking and laughing at the difference in total yards throughout the game.
The only other time Iowa was really able to penetrate the Michigan defense was late in the game when a lot of starters were on the sideline.
Thank you Seniors.
Tyler's Prediction Record: 10-1
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