Michigan football not sleeping on struggling Iowa offense: 'They're going to give us everything they got'

Michigan Wolverines football just took on Maryland, which touts a good offense but isn’t known for its defense. Next up is Iowa, which has a defense that ranks first nationally with 5.8 points allowed per game and is the talk of the town. The offense is a talking point, too, but not for any good reasons.

The Hawkeyes have produced 5 offensive touchdowns in four games. The Hawkeyes’ highest point total is 27 in both a shutout win over Nevada, a team that allowed 55 points in a loss to FCS Incarnate Word the week prior, and the same amount in a 27-10 victory over Rutgers. Against the Scarlet Knights, though, Iowa scored 2 defensive touchdowns.

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Iowa ranks 120th nationally in scoring offense, 131st in total offense, 116th in rushing offense, 124th in passing offense. It really makes what the Iowa defense is doing all the more impressive.

Still, Michigan is planning on being on high alert defensively.

“You turn on the offensive tape, it’s a Kirk Ferentz-coached offense,” Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said of the unit, which is coordinated by the Iowa head coach’s son, Brian Ferentz. “Everything is detailed, everything is precise. Same fundamentals. They just get so good at what they’re doing, they beat you with the execution. It’s wide zone, tight zone, play action off the boots and nakeds. They out-fundamental you, out-technique you and they out-execute you.

“You can’t have blown coverages. You’ve got to have the right technique, you’ve got to be in the right gap. Gotta be just as good, you have to match that execution.”

The Wolverines’ unit wasn’t perfect by any means in a 34-27 win over Maryland last weekend, either. The Terrapins averaged nearly 5 yards per rush when adjusting for sacks, and the defensive front didn’t produce enough pass rush.

“Iowa’s definitely a team you can’t sleep on, regardless of how they have been doing or their record or the teams they’ve faced,” Michigan junior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins said. “They’re going to give us everything they got. They’re going to give us intensity, they’re going to give us violence, they’re going to play with good form on offense.

“And it’s going to be a dogfight. They’re going to see how long we can hold out. They’re going to try to run the ball on us. It’s just a question of honing down, playing our defense and stepping up to the challenge. Can’t sleep on them.”

What Michigan defense learned from Maryland game

The Michigan defense was finally tested against a good quarterback, a very good receiving corps and an offensive line with loads of experience. Adjustments and improvements were made in the second half, though, and the Wolverines were able to prevail. Still, Jenkins and Co. know they have to be better moving forward.

“I feel like we made a lot of mistakes, but there’s stuff there, there’s stuff that we’ve got to clean up,” Jenkins said. “It’s going to continue to get tougher as the season goes on, so just got to work on our technique, just touching things up.”

The Wolverines missed 7 tackles, according to PFF, an area in which Jenkins felt could’ve been much better.

“Honestly, just breaking down,” the Michigan defensive lineman said of what the issue was. “For the most part, we were getting too excited and not breaking down or filling the hole correctly. They took advantage of that. Sometimes, they just jumped out. We weren’t wrapping up, we weren’t finishing. So really just honing in on our technique across the board, just getting back to good form tackling.”

The pass rush has generated just 4 sacks since notching 7 in the season opener against Colorado State. Maryland signal-caller Taulia Tagovailoa had 3.11 seconds to throw on average — too much time.

“It definitely needs work,” Jenkins said of the Michigan pass rush. “We didn’t show our best selves out there pass-wise Saturday, myself included. I think we just really need to hone in on our fundamentals, we need to improve the chemistry and communication across the board. I think as we continue to move along the season, as we continue to grow together, that’s going to sort itself out.”

He added that Michigan did get a few hits on Tagovailoa, with one from senior EDGE Mike Morris knocking the signal-caller out of the game for a stretch and forcing him to play hurt when he did return. Pressure is the key, and the sacks will come.

Jenkins believes Michigan’s newest player, graduate EDGE Eyabi Okie, who arrived in mid-August as a transfer from UT Martin, can help as he gets more comfortable.

“He’s been a dawg since he’s gotten here,” Jenkins said. “He hasn’t fallen short of that at all. He’s continued to just dominate [against] the pass and the run. He’s been a great, great player across the board. I think you’re definitely going to continue to see more of him.”