Hawkeyes can’t have cold offense to serve dish of revenge to Michigan

Michigan wasn’t 39 points better than Iowa last season. Well, except for that one time they met.

It was an embarrassment to the Hawkeyes, one that has hung over their heads like a bad moon. You hear people use the word “exposure” as a positive when it comes to playing on network TV in prime time. Iowa got exposed, all right.

On the Hawkeyes’ first possession of last year’s Big Ten championship, a halfback pass was a bit overthrown by Gavin Williams to fullback Monte Pottebaum in the end zone. A perfect lob wouldn’t have mattered. The wide-open Pottebaum tripped and fell as he neared the goal line.

Iowa abandoned the trickery. It ran on second-and-10 and third-and-5, which preceded a fourth-and-8 and a missed field goal.

Later in the first quarter, Michigan running back Donovan Edwards completed a long pass to wide receiver Roman Wilson, who was well behind the Iowa secondary and didn’t trip. It was a 75-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 Wolverines lead.

You knew where this was going once that happened, and it indeed went there. What would have happened had Williams connected with Pottebaum or had Edwards’ pass gotten lost in transit?

It would have been a different game, that’s what. Of course, it also would have been different had Iowa completed more than 50 percent of its passes or not allowed a 67-yard Blake Corum rushing touchdown on the Wolverines’ second possession.

Michigan had the ball and a 35-3 lead at the Hawkeyes 36 and 4:12 left in the game. Do you just run it up the gut and run out the clock? Well, the Wolverines did run twice for a total of 12 yards. Then they threw three straight passes to get to the Iowa 3.

Two plays later, they scored again for a 42-3 advantage that would be the final score. Was it piling on? Of course.

They wanted to win convincingly enough to persuade the College Football Playoff selectors to give them the No. 1 seed, which they didn’t. They wanted to leave one last final image of dominance, which they did.

Any talk of revenge for getting shown up like that was tamped down this week by Iowa’s players and head coach. But if you don’t think the Hawkeyes are salivating at the thought of getting a slice of payback, I have a bridge on Melrose Avenue I want to sell you.

This is no neutral site. It’s Kinnick Stadium, where they reconfigured the north end zone since Michigan’s last visit, and made the stadium louder and more difficult on visiting offenses. It already was no day at Lake MacBride Beach.

Wait, we told Iowa State the same thing a few weeks ago, didn’t we?

So how do the Hawkeyes prevail this time? You know the answer. They have to ugly it up.

Match Michigan’s defense stop for stop and then some. Force turnovers while not making them, connect on any field goal try from within Johnson County, and have punter Tory Taylor be at his most Tory-ish. You know, the obvious Iowa stuff.

And do it for 60 minutes, not 45 or 55 or maybe even 59.

I don’t know what to think about this one. An objective football guy told me he has a tough time seeing Iowa’s offensive line, wide receivers and quarterback all doing what they need to do against the Wolverines’ defense.

But a Michigan guy tells me his team is a shell of it what it was last season when it was special, that it played three high school teams before it beat Maryland at home by a touchdown last week, that he thinks quarterback J.J. McCarthy will get rattled by Iowa’s defense and fans and make mistakes.

Michigan averages 489 yards and a nation-best 50 points. It also hasn’t played anything resembling Iowa’s defense. Which has allowed two touchdowns over four games and trails only Alabama in fewest yards allowed per play.

Still, Iowa will almost surely need its offense to somehow, someway score a couple of touchdowns. Michigan’s not the only team facing its toughest opponent to date.

The Hawkeyes have the defense and the favorable environment. If they want a sliver of vengeance, however, they need some points.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com