Iowa Wrinkles
What adjustments, wrinkles, gadgets, or tendency breakers would you like to see from Michigan in Indy? What staples would you like to see Michigan stay with?
On offense, I would like to see:
- Some short trap trap/wham off of split zone/insert zone action. Iowa will be playing downhill all game and its an opportunity to get a lineman quickly to one of Iowa's very good backers.
- More backside cuts away from power/counter
- More of the QB Counter/Bash with McCarthy and Corum, or some inverted veer.
- More PA pass
- Edwards on the field with Corum/Haskins and relatedly, take free yards on the outside if they are there on bubble or smoke
- A pass to Trente Jones in the red zone
On defense,
- A tight rotation at defensive tackle, but one that includes Donovan Jeter(!)
- Ojabo only on passing downs, he is great but a clear liability on edge runs as OSU exposed
- Lots of single-high
- 5-man pressures all day
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:06 PM ^
Stream of consciousness-
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:07 PM ^
A pass to Trente Jones in the red zone. Book it.
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:20 PM ^
You know it's coming at some point!
December 2nd, 2021 at 4:05 PM ^
And Refrigerator Perry running for a touchdown.
December 2nd, 2021 at 5:11 PM ^
You mean Michael Barrett running for a touchdown! FIFY
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:44 PM ^
As a former OL I love me some fat guy touchdowns
December 2nd, 2021 at 2:48 PM ^
I know what you mean, just want to comment that Trente lost some weight and the guy seems to be in awesome shape. Hope he has a great game!
December 2nd, 2021 at 3:45 PM ^
This wouldn't simply be a "fat guy" TD. His HS team, an elite Georgia team, used him as a tackle eligible RT. That would certainly offer some goal line possibilities.
December 2nd, 2021 at 5:05 PM ^
#ThiccSix
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:07 PM ^
More of what they did last Saturday tbh
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:10 PM ^
Iowa has a terrible offense. They would have to play their worst game of the season to lose.
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:51 PM ^
Careful
December 2nd, 2021 at 2:05 PM ^
Hush. Their offense has not been good, but with a strong and opportunistic defense they're also 10-2--and Michigan will likely have at least a little bit of a letdown after the Ohio State game.
I like our chances but it is not a gimme. And if you've jinxed this game we'll be in your front lawn with torches and pitch forks.
December 2nd, 2021 at 2:21 PM ^
Iowa's spoiled enough Michigan seasons to never take them for granted, but that 10-2 mark is a little misleading, coming as it did in the West Division with crossover games against Indiana, Maryland and a shorthanded PSU.
December 2nd, 2021 at 4:45 PM ^
The 2016 Iowa team was only 8-5 for the season, and their schedule included victories over Miami of Ohio, 3-9 Iowa State and 3-9 Purdue, a loss to North Dakota State, a narrow victory over Rutgers, a loss to 7-6 Northwestern, and losses to #10 Wisconsin and #20 PSU.
That didn't prevent them from beating #2 Michigan.
Yes, the game was in Iowa City, and there's undoubtedly a big difference between playing there and playing in Indy, but Iowa under Ferentz has experience in pulling Michigan down to their ugly kind of ball.
December 2nd, 2021 at 2:21 PM ^
They're 10-2 against the weakest schedule in the B1G.
December 2nd, 2021 at 11:15 PM ^
As Ohio State found out, it's difficult when you play a team that is talented and well coached.
Penn State is the same to a lesser degree (Frames excused). They pwned Iowa until their QB got hurt. That is more or less what I'm looking for but without the QB injury.
December 2nd, 2021 at 2:29 PM ^
You better take that back or you'll cause them to lose.
December 2nd, 2021 at 4:05 PM ^
Iowa is 10-2. This game is not a cake walk.
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:14 PM ^
Hutch line up as a TE on the goal line and release to catch a TD pass....
that's what I want to see...
December 2nd, 2021 at 2:06 PM ^
Pretty smart idea, but I’d actually propose that the real play there would be to have him roll out to the flat as a decoy. Defense will immediately assume Harbaugh wants AH to pad his resume with a TD and will key on him, and then we run HH at the vacated gap as he pulls the LB into coverage. May even see a DE take himself out of the play by trying to get a chip on AH as he breaks into his route.
Hutch seems like the kind of guy would be totally fine with providing that kind of deception if it helps the team, even if it doesn’t mean a TD. Something like that would be noticed and discussed just as heavily by the media anyways, except instead of having 1 receiving TD on his resume he’s now the guy who is such a threat that he can force another team to fixate on him on both sides of the field. Feels like a win-win.
December 2nd, 2021 at 2:24 PM ^
they could have him line up on a couple short yardage plays and not throw the ball to him, so when they get to the goal line, its not quite so predictable.
no, having 1 TD isn't a great big deal.... but he came back for his sr year, he gave his all, all year long... throwing my man a TD bone, what's wrong with that?
December 2nd, 2021 at 4:40 PM ^
Don’t get me wrong: I’d be ecstatic if it happens! I just think any defense worth its salt will immediately snuff it out the moment 97 walks into that huddle, so you might as well use that to your advantage in the same way we used Edwards out of the backfield on the SoL play vs. OSU.
December 2nd, 2021 at 2:27 PM ^
Or have him line up as a FB on short yardage a time or two.... then on goalline, have him release and catch a TD pass as FB...... I hope that we're in control enough to try that in the 2nd half.
GO BLUE
December 2nd, 2021 at 3:00 PM ^
Really pushing this Heisman chase I see.
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:17 PM ^
botox
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:19 PM ^
Run the ball. Run it over and over again.
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:26 PM ^
This comment reminds me of a guy that sat near me at the Indiana game. Dude looked like he was probably late 60s, has had season tickets for 40 years, just right at home in the Big House like it was his own living room. About every 30 seconds he would just blurt out "Run the ball."
This was not in reaction to any situation on the field (believe once he said it when it was 3rd and 18). It was really just more of a mantra or a koan, a general statement crystallizing his overall philosophy of football. "Run the ball. Run the ball." I started referring to him as Michigan Rainman.
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:40 PM ^
Apparently Josh Gattis listened to him
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:57 PM ^
This is maybe the greatest sports anecdote I've ever read
December 2nd, 2021 at 2:17 PM ^
Some believe he's still there to this day, chanting "run the ball" every 30 seconds like some primordial metronome
December 2nd, 2021 at 2:33 PM ^
Good story!
In this case I am saying "run the ball" for what I feel are legitimate reasons.
Iowa is a bit undersized on D and playing a 4-2 look from what I read. They got something called a "Leo" which is sort of like our old Viper but really just an extra safety moving around.
The only way Iowa wins is if they get a lot of INTs.
Our beefy OL and tailback should be able to feast all night on Iowa's D, putting Cade in 3rd and short, or in very few third downs at all. Iowa will be destroyed by late in the 3rd.
Further, we want to put no new wrinkles in for Iowa. They're not worth it. They're a basic team. We need to save anything novel still in our playbook for Georgia, Alabama or possibly both.
December 2nd, 2021 at 3:16 PM ^
My only concern with this is, Iowa's LBs are well coached, unlike OSUs.
I do worry a little about McNamara getting picked by a defense designed to do exactly what he is best at, pre-snap read disguises. But McNamara has been so consistent it's hard to believe he'd not understand Iowa's Cover 2.
December 2nd, 2021 at 3:30 PM ^
Here is a little nugget i was unaware of...
Those three teams had a combined margin of -17.
December 2nd, 2021 at 3:15 PM ^
i am not in my 60s
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:21 PM ^
What were Iowa's five toughest games this year?
@Wisconsin (B. Allen)
vs Penn State (S. Clifford)
vs Purdue (D. Bell)
vs Minnesota (M. Ibrahim)
@Nebraska (A. Martinez)
Iowa's gameplan in 2021 is very straightforward: make sure the opposing team's best player is out with injury. They are 3-0 in big games where they execute their gameplan and 0-2 in big games when they don't.
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:24 PM ^
I want to see whatever Jay Harbaugh has schemed up on Special Teams based specifically upon Iowa Film study.
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:36 PM ^
special teams has been a revelation this year. i hope that continues. just PROTECT THE BALL. I can deal without punt blocks and big returns if we just catch punts and protect the ball. Im glad we also stopped running back every kick off to the 18. Yes, sometimes go for it, but understand circumstance and be smart! Iowa goes after the ball.. so we need to be extra protective. i'd rather slog to 27 points than take big risks that keep them in it
loved henning's growth this year after being thrown into return roles.
December 3rd, 2021 at 12:36 PM ^
loved henning's growth this year after being thrown into return roles
This might be a good game to have somebody else do returns. Henning will give you some impressive returns. But he will also put the ball on the ground a frightening amount of the time.
We need the ball surely caught more than we need a few extra yards in this game.
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:47 PM ^
Embrace touchbacks. Iowa has a dangerous returner and an anemic offense. No reason to take any chances here.
December 2nd, 2021 at 3:50 PM ^
Aside from some of the early 2000s Frank Beamer VaTech teams, I've never been as excited to watch special teams as I have with Jay Harbaugh's unit. Good for him in making that such an advantage for us.
December 2nd, 2021 at 4:34 PM ^
Peppers was pretty exciting
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:28 PM ^
and osu tinkles?
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:30 PM ^
Defense: a five man front, like against Wisconsin?
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:37 PM ^
Ojabo wasn’t near as an issue against the run there were several plays where he sets the edge then stacks his block and appears in the gap he forced the RB into. There were times when his outside shoulder was held onto for dear life and he couldn’t contain
December 2nd, 2021 at 1:38 PM ^
Lloyd made a living with quick slants and tons of screens over Ferentz. Not much has changed with Iowa. They wanna drag you into a slop fest and hope to come out on top, especially given their problems on offense this year.