Iowa vs Michigan Predictions

When Michigan has the ball-
Michigan wants to run the ball, there is no secret about it, they averaging almost 300 yards per game on the ground.  They want to establish the run and then safeties start to creep up to support the run, they love to go play-action for a big play, they have six receivers who have made catches of more than 43 yards this season.  Denard Robinson is the signal caller for the Wolverines and he is a very dangerous runner and his passing abilities have come a long way since he last played Iowa.  He does a great job of the read option and quarterback follow.  He seldomly takes a big hit and rarely goes down on initial contact.  His passing is helped out a lot by his rushing, Michigan runs an option pass that is tough to stop.  The running game is almost exclusively Robinson, Vincent Smith and Michael Shaw have combined to carry the ball 108 times to Robinson's 119.  The two main running backs have amassed 560 yards to Robinson's 991, and 106 yards of those yards are on two carries, so 454 yards on 106 carries.  The passing attack of the Wolverines is more of an extension of the run, a lot of screens and bubble routes, with short passes and the opportunity for getting the receivers into the open.  When they do pass, Roy Roundtree is the primary target, catching 31 passes on the season, the second leading receiver is Darryl Stonum with 15.  The offensive line is a smaller more athletic line than what we are accustomed to seeing out of Michigan.  They move well and can get the edge on most defenses, however, they haven't played a defense of Iowa's caliber yet.  Iowa's front four should be able to handle the Michigan offensive line, what Michigan will try to do is spread out the Iowa linebackers to create running lanes.

When Iowa has the ball-
Michigan has for the lack of a better word, a terrible defense.  Since Rich Rodriguez got there they have had arguably the worst three defenses ever at Michigan.  They run a 3-3-5 defense and really aren't able to stop either the run or the pass.  Their defensive lineman are good, but with a three man front, you want them to eat up blockers, not make plays.  Iowa should be able to move the ball both on the ground and through the air.  Like most games, Iowa will come out running the ball and short passes, setting the defense up for the play-action pass.

What will happen-
Iowa will start the game of offense and move the ball well, but ultimately punt on their first drive.  Look for Michigan to sputter on offense and go three and out on their first drive.  At the end of the first quarter Iowa will lead 7-0.  The second quarter is where a lot of the scoring will take place and going into halftime it will be Iowa 17-14.  The second half has been owned by Iowa the last season and a half, outscoring their opponents 249-95 in the last 18 games, that is an average of just over five points a game given up in the second half.  Iowa will continue that trend and pull away in the second half.

Score prediction:
Iowa - 38
Michigan - 21

Other predictions:
Stanzi throws for 300+ yards and 3 touchdowns
Robinson rushes for 100+ yards and a TD
McNutt has 100+ yards receiving and a TD
DJK sets the receiving record with 75+ yards and a TD
Reisner is a main target with 6 catches and a TD
Iowa turns the ball over twice
Michigan turns the ball over five times
Denard Robinson runs the ball for 100+ yards with a TD, but fumbles once and throws 3 INT's
Michigan's kicker misses 2 field goals
Iowa records 8 tackles for loss