Iowa WR talks smack, gives Michigan Football bulletin board material

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Big Ten play begins for the Michigan Wolverines today as they host the Iowa Hawkeyes. As we get set for action in The Big House, let’s catch up on what the fans, media and coaches are saying heading into this matchup.

Behind Enemy Lines: Iowa’s leading WR calls Michigan’s man defense “candy”

Tony Diaz has 200 receiving yards and 17 receptions in his first three games at Iowa after playing in the FCS a season ago. A video surfaced midweek of Diaz being asked about Michigan’s defense, saying they anticipate the Wolverines will play man defense and stack the box. The reporter dug deeper and asked if he liked man defense, and Diaz called it “candy,” giving some bulletin board material for Jyaire “Suga” Hill and this secondary:

QB’s view: Joel Klatt details why he expects this game to be low-scoring

Yes, these two items back-to-back are purposeful. Joel Klatt said Iowa “won’t create space on the outside against (Michigan’s) corners,” calling Hill, Smith Snowden and Zeke Berry “three of the best corners we’ve seen in a while (at Michigan).”

At the same time, Klatt called this a bad matchup for Michigan’s offense against Iowa’s defense because of how sound the Hawkeyes play, despite the pre-snap action and how Iowa defends the middle of the field in the pass game. Calling this one a “good old-fashioned slugfest” on the Big Ten Network:

CBS’ Charles Davis praises Underwood’s progress in UTEP film

Longtime broadcaster Charles Davis has joined college football broadcasts on CBS to provide color commentary. He’s excited for his first opportunity to call a Bryce Underwood-led Michigan offense: “He’s gotten a ton of attention along the way, but I think he’s getting more negative attention than he deserves. Because I do believe this new coaching staff under Kyle Whittingham; they have a plan for him. The talent, we know it’s all out there. But I think they are trying to contain things now, get his confidence up with shorter throws, get it to the receivers, let them do the work. And last week against UTEP was his best game under the new regime.”

See the full breakdown:

Anonymous coach: Underwood “probably doesn’t get enough credit”

Pete Nakos from On3 asked an opposing coach about his thoughts on Michigan, particularly pertaining to their offense. Overall, the remarks were rather glowing despite some challenges from the team so far.

“They’re starting to do a really good job of orchestrating ways to get the ball out of his hands quickly,” the coach said. “They made sure to put him in a space where he could get comfortable quickly. A lot of that was underneath stuff, but the shift motions they do can really mess with you. That is a nightmare.”

Later, discussing Underwood, this coach said, “He probably doesn’t get enough credit as a passer. The key as they get into the Big Ten season will be if they can get pressure on him. If you give him a clean pocket, he can throw the underneath stuff all day.”

Fascinating stuff from a coach’s viewpoint of an offense currently ranked 98th in the country in yards per game.

From the fans: Saturday’s a no-win situation for both teams

This might be the unfortunate reality of Saturday’s contest for both Iowa and Michigan; assuming this is an ugly game, both teams could suffer.

Burge called out in thread if this were an SEC game, the outcome would probably be a “quality loss” for one team who would at minimum stay at their current ranking, while the winner shoots into the Top-10.

Kickoff from Ann Arbor is at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

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