Not invincible, not retreating

So, maybe Iowa's defense isn't this great wall of invincibility.

For all the spread and option talk that Michigan and Coach Rich Rodriguez generated last week, the Wolverines did their biggest business against the Hawkeyes in straight-up I-formation. Brandon Minor was listed as Michigan's “scatback,” but was more Michigan's “thunderback,” going 22 times for 95 yards and two touchdowns.

The “33 quarters without a rushing TD” stat went down in flames in the first quarter of the Hawkeyes' 30-28 victory. Iowa's reputation as the Big Ten's biggest and baddest D also took a hit.

Of course, most of the “invincible” talk came from outside the program. The players know better.

“I don't think we're invincible,” defensive tackle Christian Ballard said. “We all have our vulnerable spots. We can try hard. We can do better, obviously.”

Iowa's defense is still the spine of the No. 11 Hawkeyes (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) as they head into Wisconsin (5-1, 2-1), which boasts the Big Ten's top rushing offense (200.7 yards a game) and top rusher (John Clay, 106.8).

Spines bend sometimes. That's how they're looking at Michigan.

“We're hardly in a panic place at all,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “I hope we can play a little bit better. Those guys (Michigan) had it going pretty good. They came in here to win the football game and they came pretty close.”

As you might expect after losing two fifth-year senior defensive tackles (Mitch King and Matt Kroul), Iowa's run defense is trending down.

Iowa gave up 195 rushing yards against Michigan, a season-high and most since Penn State piled on 256 on Oct. 6, 2007. Right now, Iowa is allowing 4.2 yards a carry, the most since 2000 when it allowed 4.5 yards.

Having allowed 892 rushing yards at the halfway point, Iowa is on pace to allow its most since 2000 (2,331).

The defense was dinged, but it's not retreating.

“I don't know if we're in a regroup mode,” middle linebacker Pat Angerer said. “I think we're just fired up and hungry. Hopefully, we can go out there and prove that we're better than we showed.”

The Sunday video session was revealing, players said. The front four was out of position on a few runs, Angerer said. He took the blame for that. The D-line also didn't get off blocks against the Wolverines.

“That was me, just getting the D-line in the right schemes,” Angerer said. “I need to play better. I need to get them lined up better, definitely my fault.”

Wisconsin comes in with as complete a package on offense as it's had in a while.

Quarterback Scott Tolzien - 64.1 percent completion rate and third in the Big Ten in pass efficiency - is a first-year starter who's brought some life to a blind spot in Wisconsin's offense. The Badgers have loads of what they always seem to have - gargantuan offensive linemen (6-foot-5, 321.4 pounds average) and a big back.

Clay is a bruiser at 6-1, 248. He had a respectable day against Iowa last season, rushing for 89 yards on 16 carries.

Iowa players anticipate their most physical battle yet Saturday.

“They have a big O-line, one of the biggest in the Big Ten,” Ballard said. “We need to stop Clay from running downhill. We need to get him side-to-side and try to get as many people as we can to the ball.”