Iowa isn't used to having a pass game. And yet, with Hank Brown at quarterback and Tony Diaz at wide receiver, it appears as if the Hawkeyes are turning the corner in that regard.
After facing three nonconference opponents -- Northern Illinois, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa -- the Hawkeyes have the 90th-rated pass game in the country. Diaz is 83rd in receiving yards per game, with 201 yards overall through three games. And with Kirk Ferentz saying that Iowa has more firepower than it usually has against Michigan football, the hope is that the pass game can contend with the Wolverines more so than the last several times they've faced off.
Diaz shared some thoughts on Thursday about what he's expecting, and given his proximity to a Michigan fan,
he's hoping he can run his nose in it.
"I know they're a hard team, they're a hard-knock team, so I know they can go out there and play hard," Diaz said. "They're physical. I think it was one of my friends, I think it was a couple of years ago, he was talking about how good they are, and it's just crazy how it's like, I'm playing them now, and now he's talking (expletive) against me and blah, blah, blah. But it's fun to go out there and show them."
The Wolverines have switched gears on one front defensively, with Jay Hill's defense running more man coverage, deploying a quad of Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, Smith Snowden, and Shamari Earls. Diaz expects to see the maize and blue do everything they can to stop the run so he's anticipating he'll have a lot of one-on-one coverage with little safety help.
"They play a lot of man, and I mean we're gonna have to throw the ball if we want to win," Diaz said. "Especially going man, I mean they're gonna stuff the box, so it's just we've got to operate how we've been operating. We just got to just keep getting better every game, so yeah, we've got to make plays on the outside."
And that's an opportunity that Diaz is relishing -- or more so, apparently licking his chops.
"Yeah," Diaz said. "It's like candy, yeah, candy shop."
That's all good and well, but Michigan football team captain Rod Moore appears to have noticed.
https://t.co/azfWViMEzA pic.twitter.com/nfgFuXb8px
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) September 23, 2026
The Wolverines have the eighth-rated pass defense in the country, allowing just 123.7 yards per game through the air. Michigan and Iowa will kick off at 3:36 p.m. EDT at The Big House, with the game set to be broadcast on CBS.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Iowa WR says facing Michigan man coverage is like a 'candy shop'
