Recapping Iowa

The Seniors made their final dash under the Michigan banner on Saturday and ended their careers with a bang. And by bang, I mean a win against Iowa on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor.

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.

Iowa Player Watch

Two games left to go, and both games are a must-win for Michigan if they have any hopes of catching Nebraska in the Legends Division. Saturday will be Senior Day at the Big House...the last home game for all the seniors, and they need to go out with a win, no matter who the quarterback is.  We all know Ohio State is the last opponent, and rightfully so, but Michigan cannot overlook Iowa, which Michigan leads the series 40-13-4. Last season the Wolverines lost to Iowa at Kinnick Stadium 24-16. That loss derailed the hopes and dreams of all Michigan fans in Brady Hoke's first season, and yet they still went on to finish 11-2, but without a Big Ten title. Michigan has also lost 3 in a row to Iowa--another streak I foresee coming to an end on Saturday, and another bonus for the seniors since they have yet to beat the Hawkeyes.  The game on this coming Saturday will tell a different tale--a tale of two different teams heading in two different directions. The Hawkeyes are 4-6 (2-4 Big Ten), and have no identity in which to speak of. The quarterback play has been erratic at best, and the running game has slowed down considerably. Defensively Iowa isn't any better---they're ranked in the 50s nationwide in both pass and run defense. Yes, they've won 2 Big Ten conference games but when you look closer, they've lost their past 4 games. Let's figure out what's going on:

Previewing Big Ten Football: Iowa

Despite being the longest tenured coach in the Big Ten, Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes have been taking some steps backward over the last couple of years.  They went 11-2 in 2009 and won the Orange Bowl, but have went 8-8 in Big Ten play in the last two seasons and went down to 7 wins in 2011.  I don't think anybody expects Iowa to continue this trend and become a Big Ten bottom dweller, but it does signal Iowa's removal from Big Ten Championship contention.  They will be looking to return to that form in 2012, but it will be a challenge.

If Iowa has one thing to lean on in 2012, it's their senior quarterback James Vandenberg.  While he's not quite one of the Big Ten's elite quarterbacks yet (he wasn't even in honorable All-Big Ten last year), he is quite formidable.  He threw for over 3000 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions last year.  For a team that has traditionally relied on defense under Ferentz, those are some pretty good numbers.