It’s game time, Hawkeye fans!
The Big Ten opener is here and your #17 Iowa Hawkeyes are on the road for the first time this season. Naturally, they open up their road slate in the biggest stadium in the country against #18 Michigan. Beyond the difficulties of today’s game, this also opens the most daunting three-game stretch on just about anyone’s schedule: the Wolverines today, #7 Ohio State next week, then a short-week trip to Washington.
The questions write themselves. Can Hank Brown, fresh off
a perfect 12-for-12 day and completing 72.6% of his passes on the season (a start no Iowa quarterback has matched the last decade), handle his first career road start in front of 107,000? Does the run game that just piled up 422 yards on Northern Iowa travel against a top-10 total defense? Can the defensive ends keep Bryce Underwood, who leads Michigan in rushing, in the pocket the way they contained Jaylen Raynor, and can they actually get home this time?
And the big one: does Iowa’s defense turn a sputtering Michigan offense (98th nationally in total offense despite the price tag on its quarterback) into the kind of low-scoring rock fight the 38.5-point total predicts? Iowa hasn’t won in Ann Arbor since 2010, and with Ohio State waiting in the wings in Kinnick next Saturday, today is the day to find out whether this team is what September suggested they could be.
Buckle up as we find out together!
Here’s a quick reminder on the details for today’s matchup:
Date: Saturday, September 26
Time: 2:30 pm CT
Matchup: Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0, 0-0) at Michigan Wolverines (3-0, 0-0)
Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
TV: CBS
Updated Weather Forecast: Sunny with a high in the low 70s. A perfect day for football.
Updated FanDuel Line: Iowa +5.5, O/U 38.5
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Go Hawks!
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