5 Most Important Players for Michigan Football Against the Iowa Hawkeye

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Sep 19, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) looks to pass against the Texas El Paso Miners during the first quarter at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Conference play is almost here and the Michigan Wolverines are going to face the Iowa Hawkeyes in what promises to be an old-school Big Ten football game.

Michigan is 3-0, but still feels like it needs to prove itself after a shaky two games sandwiched around a dominant defensive performance against the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Hawkeyes boast the nation's top defense, with what they are calling more octane on offense than they've traditionally had.

Michigan has a defense to match the Hawkeyes, but have struggled on offense through three weeks this season.

Can they get enough offense against Iowa? Can their defense continue their dominant ways? We look at that and more with our top five players for this week's game.

5 Avery Gach

Jason Beck did not make any bones about it. He's not ditching his Rhino package. He's going to continue to go to that well in order to get more out of his run game.

There's one problem. His preferred starter at Rhino is listed as doubtful on the injury report, so he is likely to miss Saturday's game.

Who is the backup? The bet here is on Avery Gach, who was running with that group during fall camp.

Gach stands at 6-foot-4, 302 pounds, and fits in well as a potential sixth offensive lineman.

The Wolverines need more out of their ground game. Their leading rusher through two weeks is Bryce Underwood. Underwood is supposed to be a supplement to the run game, not the driving force.

"We're making progress," offensive coordinator Jason Beck said. "You're always looking at how to improve, how to get better, what's more effective. So we're talking about like some of that perimeter run-game stuff, and to this point, three games in, it has not been productive. Now, on the flip side, when we pulled and ran it the other way, those things have been very productive."

The lack of ground game has been shocking for the Wolverines, but Beck made it clear that his rhino package was not going anywhere.

"The physicality and the knockback in the run game is the positive," Beck said. "We've been doing it for years. There aren't too many tradeoffs. We use them in protection where somebody else would be in protection if, say, that's somebody else is a tight end. I think three games in, Manu is one of the better things we have going on. We've got a lot of things to improve and get better at, but the rhino thing's been a real positive when you look at how they're grading, the results of what's happening. It's been a real positive with getting the job done."

The issue with what Beck said is he may not have known Manuel Beigel's availability, or lack thereof for Saturday's game when he answered the question.

That means that the next man up has to be productive to prove Beck right.

4 John Henry Daley

Michigan's game against Iowa is going to have a very slim margin for error. That means the best players have to make big plays that can swing the game.

John Henry Daley did just that in a game of similar style against Oklahoma earlier in the year. The Wolverines had limited margin for error on offense, with the ability to score just 10 points when the defense did not gift them a short field.

Daley was one of the driving forces of making big plays for Michigan's defense that day. He lived in Oklahoma's backfield. He had one sack and just missed another.

Sep 12, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive end John Henry Daley (90) sacks Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) during the first quarter at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Saturday, Michigan will need his prowess as a pass rusher, but also as a run defender. Daley is Michigan's best defender against opposing ground games at defensive end, which means he'll play a key role in getting the Hawkeyes into obvious passing situations.

When it's time to rush the passer, Daley needs to be one of the guys getting after Hank Brown, who has yet to play in a true road game as a starting quarterback. Making him uncomfortable should be a primary focus for the defense.

3 Rod Moore

When Brown does have time to get the ball in the air, someone in the secondary is going to have to make a big play on the ball.

As much as Iowa wants to run the ball, chances are when they put the ball in the air, they'll try to go big game hunting at some point.

Who is the best bet to make a big play on the ball when an opposing offense tries to go big game hunting? How about the free safety?

Rod Moore's last interception came last October against Wisconsin in a similar scenario. Wisconsin tried to make a play deep down the sideline, Moore ranged over and made an easy play on the ball to give the Wolverines possession.

Big plays are going to decide this game, and by the same token, preventing them is going to be paramount for each defense.

Moore is the best bet to not only prevent big plays, but make one of his own.

2 Andrew Marsh

Who is the best bet to make a big play in the passing game for the Wolverines? There could be an argument made for JJ Buchanan as a big play in the passing game could come on a contested catch. That's where Buchanan thrives.

Michigan has not pushed the ball down the field much this season, but there was one play against Oklahoma in the first half that sticks out.

The Wolverines moved the pocket for Bryce Underwood before trying to find Andrew Marsh deep down the field.

Sep 19, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Andrew Marsh (3) celebrates a touchdown catch with offensive lineman Evan Link (71) against the Texas El Paso Miners during the third quarter at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Marsh was interfered with on the play, but had a chance at an explosive play that could have even resulted in a touchdown if he was able to break a tackle.

Michigan is going to have to find some big plays on offense to make things easier for them. They won't present themselves often, but when they do the Wolverines have to take advantage.

The bet here is that when Michigan is trying to hunt a big play within the structure of their offense, Marsh will be the primary target down the field.

1 Bryce Underwood

The breakdown of this game is pretty simple. Michigan's defense has been dominant through three weeks. They should be able to control the game against Iowa's offense. That's especially true with full-throated support from 111,000 screaming fans.

On offense? The Wolverines need to take care of the ball. They've turned the ball over at least twice in two of their three games this season. Underwood has been a huge culprit of that. He's fumbled at least once in all three games. The Wolverines were fortunate to recover his fumble against Oklahoma, but did not have the same fate against UTEP and Western Michigan.

Turnovers against anyone spell doom. That's especially true in a game against the top defense in the country, where the margin for error is incredibly slim. The Wolverines cannot afford a turnover to give the Hawkeyes a short field and essentially hand them points.

Playing clean and playing scared, however, cannot mean the same thing.

Underwood had arguably his best game as a Wolverine last week. If he can take a step from that, it's possible that the Wolverines could win the game comfortably.

If not, it could go down to the wire.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/michigan as 5 Most Important Players for Michigan Football Against the Iowa Hawkeye.

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