The Michigan Wolverines defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 27-14 on Saturday. This was Michigan’s first road test of the season and it was a tough one. Jim Harbaugh picked up his first win at Kinnick Stadium. Prior to today he was 0-3 as the Michigan head coach. Here are 3 takeaways from Michigan’s victory over Iowa
Michigan Passes First Road Test
The knock on Michigan is that the 4-0 start has all come against inferior opponents at home. This game was going to be the barometer for how good Michigan actually is. They passed the test with flying colors. Playing at Kinnick Stadium is tough for any team. Michigan has previously lost at Iowa while being ranked in the top 5. They controlled this game pretty much from start to finish. The Hawkeyes didn’t score until the 4th quarter and the last touchdown came in garbage time when the game was firmly in hand. Michigan avoided the big mistakes and handled their business on the road to stay undefeated.
Blake Corum Should Be In The Heisman Conversation
After last week’s monster performance, Corum followed it up with another solid performance. He definitely had a tough time against a stout Iowa front but Corum’s stat line was still impressive. He rushed for 133 yards and scored on a nice 20 yard run to seal the victory. On the season, Corum has 478 yards and 9 touchdowns. What is more impressive is his 7.5 yards per carry on the season. Him being in the Heisman conversation is less about him and more about everyone else. No one else has really taken the reigns of the race. Many of the top preseason candidates have not lived up to the hype. I would expect Corum to enter the conversation especially if he goes off against one of the upcoming ranked opponents.
Michigan’s Defensive Line Slams The Door
The play of Michigan’s defensive line in the victory against Iowa was one of the huge takeaways from the game. There was a four play sequence that was game defining and it contained all big plays from the Michigan defensive line. With Michigan up 20-7, Iowa got the ball after a 3 and out from Michigan. The crowd was getting hyped hoping for a 4th quarter comeback. On first down, Mike Morris beat his man and sacked Spencer Petras. On the very next play, Morris beat his man again and forced an incompletion. 3rd down was another sack by Taylor Upshaw and Eyabi Okie. On 4th down, Okie had another clever move and caused an incompletion on 4th down. It was absolute domination to slam the door on any comeback attempt.
This was a great win for the Michigan Wolverines. This was a trap game that easily could have ended in heartbreak. Michigan took care of business and stayed undefeated. The Wolverines look to stay undefeated on the road against Indiana next week.