Hlas column: Michigan shouldn't send waves of fear through Hawkeyes

College football coaches aren't always the most revealing people in the world.

There's a shocker, eh? Still, that doesn't mean what they say isn't always interesting.

Utah's Kyle Whittingham after the Utes' 68-27 win at Iowa State Saturday night:

“That is what you get when you combine a great defense, solid special teams and an explosive offense.”

Solid special teams? Sure, if you consider a 78-yard punt return and 100-yard kickoff return solid.

I went to Ames wondering if I might see Iowa State pull off one of those upsets that get people talking about it. I left wondering if Utah is as good a team as I'll see in person all year.

The Utes are precise and physical, elusive and explosive. They are 28-3 over the last three seasons for reasons. Does the Pacific-10 Conference know what it's getting in this team when Utah joins that league next season?

Another quote that says nothing and yet says plenty:

“He just wasn't as sharp today,” Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez said. “I don't know what reasons. I'll have to watch the film.”

“He” was quarterback Denard Robinson. He was Denard Denied in the Wolverines' 34-17 loss to Michigan State Saturday.

Robinson rushed for 86 yards, passed for 215. But he was mostly thwarted by the Spartans, who intercepted him three times.

This takes more than a little air out of this week's Iowa-Michigan matchup, not that it matters a whit to the Hawkeyes.

Instead of getting the chance to be the first defense to clamp down on Robinson and the Michigan offense, Iowa now tries to do learn from what Michigan State did and add its own wicked twists.

Meanwhile, Michigan's defense looked the same as it had all season. Which is to say, incapable.

Some Spartan ballcarriers are still waiting to be touched by a Wolverine defender. Some of MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins' receivers are still wondering how they got so open.

Michigan State's defensive front outplayed Michigan's offensive line. Does anyone think Iowa's can't do the same, and more?

Robinson can and has played a lot better than he did against MSU? But that was the best defense Robinson played, and it showed. An even-better defense is headed to Ann Arbor this week.

As for that Michigan defense, try not to salivate too much this week, DJK.

Our final coaching quotes come to us courtesy of Minnesota's Tim Brewster and Wisconsin's Bret Bielema.

Brewster got mad at Bielema because Wisconsin went for a two-point conversion instead of a one-point kick after scoring to take a 41-16 fourth-quarter lead.

Bielema: “If we're playing and somebody is going to go for two against me because they're up 25, that's what they should do, that's what the (PAT) card says.”

Really? Does that all-knowing card say go for two points when you go ahead by 25 with 6:39 left in a game against a team you have buried?

Brewster: “I thought it was a very poor decision by a head football coach and he'll have to live with that. It was wrong. Everybody in here knows it and everybody in college football knows it.”

Here's a possible solution: Don't fall behind by 25 points.

The 1-5 Gophers have unraveled. But Brewster successfully made an issue out of something that is irrelevant to that fact.

Maybe he should go into politics after his coaching tenure at Minnesota ends.