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Iowa vs. Michigan (What to expect)

Posted on 04. Nov, 2011 by in Iowa Football

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By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

To get you all ready for Saturday’s game between Iowa and No. 13 Michigan, I put together a list of things you ought to know before heading to Kinnick Stadium.

At the end, I’ll provide what I think are three keys to an Iowa victory.

Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3, 2-2) vs. No. 13 Michigan Wolverines (7-1, 3-1)

Kinnick Stadium; Iowa City, Iowa

Nov. 5, 2011

11 a.m. Central

TV: ESPN (Dave Pasch, Chris Spielman, Quint Kessenich)

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin, Ed Podolak, Rob Brooks)

Weather: 46 degrees

Brendan’s Three Keys to the Game:

1. Stop the run

If Iowa is going to have any chance of pulling the upset on Saturday, stopping the run is a must. Michigan comes into this game with the second-best rushing attack of any Big Ten team, and this isn’t just quarterback Denard Robinson doing everything by himself, either. This means keying in on the Wolverine running backs as well and keeping them in check when they do touch the ball.

2. Special teams edge

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz mentioned at his press conference earlier this week how he felt special teams was gaining ground despite the two missed field goals by Mike Meyer and the onside kick blunder that all took place last weekend in Minnesota. This area will have to be better, whether it’s making field goals or winning the field position battles. The Hawkeyes can’t afford to gift-wrap anything for Michigan.

3. Handle the wind

The forecast is calling for very strong winds at Kinnick Stadium at kickoff that will continue to swirl throughout the game. Whichever team handles the wind better will probably win this game. If wind does become a serious issue, do not be surprised in the event Iowa does win the coin toss if the Hawkeyes actually elect to play defense first. Ferentz has done this before, with wind conditions being the sole reason.

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