No. 4 Michigan vs. Iowa; which team has the advantage at each position
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa and fourth-ranked Michigan will meet for the 63rd time on Saturday, continuing a series in which Michigan holds a 43-15-4 advantage.
However, Iowa has won the last four games against Michigan at Kinnick Stadium, and five of the last eight meetings overall.
Iowa upset then second-ranked Michigan 14-13 the last time the teams played at Kinnick Stadium in 2016, while the Wolverines won the most recent meeting 42-3 in the 2021 Big Ten Championship game.
The Big Ten Championship game was played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, however, and that’s a lot different than playing at Kinnick Stadium.
Just ask Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, whose experience with competing at Kinnick Stadium dates back to when he was Michigan’s starting quarterback in the mid-1980s.
“As they say, where top-five teams go to die,”Harbaugh said of Kinnick Stadium where he is winless as a head coach and as a former Michigan quarterback. “I think the biggest thing is just how good the team is.”
Iowa is 5-1 in its last six home games against top-five opponents.
All seven of Iowa’s home games are sold out this season, which means Kinnick Stadium should be rocking on Saturday.
“You’ve got to be just as good, you’ve got to match that execution,” Harbaugh said of playing at Kinnick Stadium. “And that great environment that they have at Kinnick Stadium. But I think it’s more the team that’s on the field. And they produce one that’s really good every single year.”
Much goes into winning a football game, from luck to strategy and avoiding injuries.
But it ultimately mostly comes down to which team plays the best at each of the positions.
Here is a look at which team has the advantage at each position heading into Saturday’s game.
Quarterback: A former 5-star recruit who is 3-0 as a starter for Michigan this season, or a fifth-year senior who led Michigan to the Big Ten championship last season versus a fifth-year senior for Iowa who is ranked last in the Big Ten in passing yards per game.
J.J. McCarthy and Cade McNamara versus Spencer Petras.
McCarthy has directed 16 touchdowns and three field goals on the 26 series that he has started and finished this season. He also leads the nation with an 80 percent completion percentage, and in yards per passing attempt (11.55).
McCarthy is also a threat to run, so the Iowa defense will have its hands full trying to contain him.
McNamara has been slowed by an injury, but when healthy, he’s dependable and productive.
Michigan has scored points on 49.4 percent of McNamara’s drives.
He also has the lowest career interception percentage in program history at just 1.66 percent.
McNamara started all 14 games last season and passed for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns while leading Michigan to the Big Ten title. He also threw just six interceptions last season.
But he hasn’t been able to distance himself from McCarthy, which says a lot about McCarthy.
Petras, meanwhile, is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the Big Ten, but this season, and most of last season, has been a struggle for him, and for the offense.
Advantage: Michigan
Running back: Michigan has one of the best running backs in the Big Ten in senior Blake Corum.
He is ranked fourth in the conference in rushing, averaging 119.5 yards per game, and he set career highs with 30 carries for 243 yards in last Saturday’s 34-27 victory over Maryland.
Corum leads Michigan with 478 rushing yards, and he leads the nation in points scored (54) and touchdowns with nine.
Corum has a knack for making plays as he showed against Iowa last season in the Big Ten championship game when he broke loose for a 67-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
He has started five games as a Wolverine and has surpassed 100 yards rushing in all five games.
Sophomore Donovan Edwards missed the last two games because of an injury, but when healthy, Edwards gives Michigan a versatile complement to Corum.
Edwards had 20 catches for 265 yards and one touchdown last season. His touchdown came against Iowa in the Big Ten championship game.
Iowa will counter with a three-headed attack running back that consists of redshirt sophomores Leshon Williams and Gavin Williams (no relation) and true freshman Kaleb Johnson.
They are combining to average 128.2 rushing yards per game, led by Leshon Williams at 56.7 yards per game.
Iowa’s running backs have played better in the last two games, but Michigan is led by a proven star at running back.
Advantage: Michigan
Receiver: Michigan has five receivers that have scored touchdowns in their career, and the group has combined for 43 catches and 648 receiving yards in four games this season.
Iowa’s receivers, on the other hand, have combined for just 16 receptions and 217 receiving yards and one touchdown in four games this season.
Senior Ronnie Bell leads the Michigan receivers with 17 catches and 253 receiving yards, while sophomore Arland Bruce leads the Iowa receivers with 10 catches for 132 yards, and he has the team’s lone touchdown catch.
Bell, who missed almost all of last season with a knee injury, has played in 37 games and made 21 starts. He became the 25th player in program history to gain 1,500 receiving yards in a career.
Cornelius Johnson, Roman Wilson and A.J. Henning give Michigan quality depth at receiver, while Iowa has been hit hard by injuries and by attrition at receiver.
Iowa sophomore receiver Keagan Johnson will not play on Saturday and has only appeared in one game this season.
Advantage: Michigan
Tight end: Michigan has three tight ends with starting experience, including Erick All, who has started 12 games, appeared in 35 games overall and has 54 career catches for 565 yards and two touchdowns.
All has at least one reception in each of the past 14 games that he has played.
Luke Schoonmaker has appeared in 36 games and played tight end in 31 of those contests, and he also has 13 starts.
Schoommaker has started three games this season and he has 10 catches for 117 yards and one touchdown.
Joel Honigford switched from the offensive line to tight end where he has appeared in 20 games.
Iowa has a solid one-two punch at tight end with senior Sam LaPorta and sophomore Luke Lachey both key pieces to the offense.
LaPorta leads Iowa with 16 catches and 154 receiving yards, while the 6-5, 251-pound Lachey has five catches for 57 yards.
LaPorta also led Iowa with 53 catches for 670 receiving yards last season, and he has appeared in 38 games with 23 starts.
Advantage: Iowa
Offensive line: Michigan returned three starters from an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award last season as the nation’s best unit.
Michigan also added center Olu Oluwatimi, a graduate transfer from Virginai, who was finalist for the 2021 Rimington Award.
Michigan’s offensive line feature three All-Big performers in Ryan Hayes, Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan.
Michigan has seven offensive linemen that have combined for 105 career starts, led by Oluwatimi with 36 starts.
Michigan has rushed for at least 225 yards in three of four games this season, and the offensive line has only allowed seven sacks in 258 snaps this season.
Iowa’s offensive line has shown some improvement in the last two games, but it would have to improve by a lot to match Michigan’s unit.
Advantage: Michigan
Defensive line: Both units are deep, talented and experienced.
Michigan doesn’t have a defensive lineman at the same level as Aidan Hutchinson, who was widely regarded as the top defensive end in the country as a senior last season.
But the Wolverines do have a lot of options on the edge where 11 players have seen game action, and on the interior where eight players have seen game action.
Michigan has three interior linemen with starts in their careers led by 6-3, 337-pound Mazi Smith with 18 career starts.
Defensive ends Taylor Upshaw, Mike Morris and Jaylen Harrell have appeared in 28, 22 and 19 games, respectively.
Michigan is ranked sixth in the Big Ten in rushing defense, allowing just 109 yards per game, and these guys have a lot to do with it.
Iowa’s four starting defensive linemen – John Waggoner, Logan Lee, Noah Shannon and Joe Evans – have combine for 59 career starts, led by Shannon with 19 starts.
Third-year sophomore Lukas Van Ness isn’t technically a starter, but he might have the most potential in the group. Van Ness has appeared in 18 games, and he has 10 career sacks. He also 14 tackles, including five for losses this season.
Redshirt freshman defensive end Deontae Craig has seen his playing time increase recently, and he has six tackles, including one for loss, this season.
Advantage: Iowa
Linebacker: Michigan has four linebackers with starting experience, led by Junior Colson with 11 career starts. Colson leads Michigan with 30 tackles.
Michael Barrett has appeared in 39 games during his career with 10 starts at linebacker. He ranks second on the team with 18 tackles and one sack.
Iowa will counter with one of the most productive linebacker duos in the Big Ten in seniors Jack Campbell and Seth Benson. They rank first and second on the team with 39 and 30 tackles, respectively.
Iowa suffered a blow with the loss of junior linebacker Jestin Jacobs to season-ending surgery, but senior Logan Klemp has filled in admirably when Iowa uses a 4-3-4 defensive alignment.
Advantage: Iowa
Defensive back: Michigan usually starts five defensive backs, and one of them is converted receiver Mike Sainristil, who leads the defensive backs with 15 tackles, including four for losses.
Sainristil, who switched to defensive back during the spring, also has two sacks, which matches defensive end Mike Morris for the team lead.
Senior D.J. Turner has started 12 games at cornerback and played in 28 games overall, while Gemon Green has played in 33 games with 16 starts at cornerback.
R.J. Moten has started all four games at safety this season after having started six games last season.
The fifth starter is Rod Moore at free safety. He has 11 tackles, an assisted sack and one interception this season.
Iowa’s secondary has a nice mix of experience and youth.
Fifth-year senior Riley Moss was named the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year last season, and he has started 30 games at cornerback and appeared in 45 games overall, making him one of the most experienced defensive backs in the country.
Senior Kaevon Merriweather, who is from Michigan, has started 16 games and appeared in 37 as a strong safety.
Merriweather was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week after recovering a fumble and intercepting pass against Rutgers last Saturday.
Do-everything sophomore defensive back Cooper DeJean leads Iowa with three interceptions, including a pick-six against Rutgers. He also leads the team with five pass break-ups and ranks third on the team with 24 tackles.
Junior Quinn Schulte has started all four games at free safety and ranks fourth on the team with 23 tackles.
Senior cornerback Terry Roberts missed the Rutgers game due to an injury after having started the first three games.
DeJean switched from the cash position to cornerback in Roberts’s absence, while junior Sebastian Castro helped fill the void at safety against Rutgers. Castro forced the fumble against Rutgers that Merriweather recovered and returned 33 yards.
Advantage: Iowa
Special teams: Iowa features one of the best punters in the country in junior Tory Taylor, while Michigan has one of the best kickers in the country in senior Jake Moody.
Taylor leads the Big Ten in punting with a 47.3 average on 28 punts this season.
The Melbourne, Australia native has already been named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week twice this season.
Five of his punts against Rutgers last Saturday were downed inside the 20-year line.
Moody, meanwhile, won the Lou Groza Award last season that goes to the nation’s top kicker. He has scored 249 points in his career, hit on 46-of-57 field-goal attempts and all 111 point-after kicks.
Iowa appears to have found its kicker in true freshman Drew Stevens. He has converted all four of his field-goal attempts this season, the longest being from 51 yards against Rutgers last Saturday.
Michigan also has an established punter in Brad Robbins, who is averaging 46.7 yards on 11 attempts.
A.J. Henning gives Michigan a dangerous punt returner as he is averaging 12.7 yards on nine returns. He also has a 61-yard punt return for a touchdown this season.
This was a tough call as both teams excel on special teams.
Advantage: Michigan