Expect a conservative offensive game plan at Michigan
Posted 10-05-2010 at 09:28 PM by chicityhawk
Tags iowa football, michigan game
There seemed to be a fair amount of griping from some fans toward Iowa's second half offensive strategy against Penn State. Iowa ran the ball 13 of their 24 offensive plays in the second half against Penn State, and never really looked to break the game wide open. This took place while Iowa enjoyed a lead of at least 14 points for the entire second half. Don't expect much to change against Michigan. The two main goals of the Iowa offense against Michigan will be to get an early lead and control the ball for long chunks of time. This will keep Denard Robinson and the quick strike Michigan offense on the sideline.
Michigan has been losing the time of possession battle all year averaging about 2 minutes of possession less than their opponents. Last week, they were on offense for only 18 minutes compared to 42 for Indiana. That is an amazing discrepancy, but was overcome by 8 plays of over 20 yards by the Michigan offense. This included three touchdowns of over 50 yards. Plays like these have allowed Michigan to prevail despite losing the time of possession battle. It is obvious that Michigan's offense relies on the big play. The longer their offense is on the field; the more opportunities they have to make big plays.
Iowa's defense however is predicated on not giving up big plays, and forcing teams to try and move the ball down field over several plays to score. This has been the recipe for success over the last decade under Head Coach Kirk Ferentz and Defensive Coordinator Norm Parker. This season, Iowa has only given up four touchdowns all year with the longest being only 11 yards. Iowa has also been able to control the clock over their first 5 games. Winning the time of possession battle by almost 7 minutes a game. This is a trend that the Hawks will need to continue against a woeful Michigan defense.
Obviously, Iowa has not faced an offense or a quarterback that has the ability of Michigan's, but Michigan has not faced a defense like Iowa's. It will be imperative to Iowa's success for their offense to control the ball and keep Michigan's playmakers off the field. This will limit Michigan's chances of making big plays, and allow some fans to bellyache for another week.
Michigan has been losing the time of possession battle all year averaging about 2 minutes of possession less than their opponents. Last week, they were on offense for only 18 minutes compared to 42 for Indiana. That is an amazing discrepancy, but was overcome by 8 plays of over 20 yards by the Michigan offense. This included three touchdowns of over 50 yards. Plays like these have allowed Michigan to prevail despite losing the time of possession battle. It is obvious that Michigan's offense relies on the big play. The longer their offense is on the field; the more opportunities they have to make big plays.
Iowa's defense however is predicated on not giving up big plays, and forcing teams to try and move the ball down field over several plays to score. This has been the recipe for success over the last decade under Head Coach Kirk Ferentz and Defensive Coordinator Norm Parker. This season, Iowa has only given up four touchdowns all year with the longest being only 11 yards. Iowa has also been able to control the clock over their first 5 games. Winning the time of possession battle by almost 7 minutes a game. This is a trend that the Hawks will need to continue against a woeful Michigan defense.
Obviously, Iowa has not faced an offense or a quarterback that has the ability of Michigan's, but Michigan has not faced a defense like Iowa's. It will be imperative to Iowa's success for their offense to control the ball and keep Michigan's playmakers off the field. This will limit Michigan's chances of making big plays, and allow some fans to bellyache for another week.
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