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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A ranked Big Ten Conference rival awaits the Iowa football team here Saturday in Michigan.
Kickoff in the league opener for the 17th-ranked Hawkeyes and No. 18 Wolverines is set for 2:30 p.m. The game will air live on CBS.
For Iowa (3-0 overall, 0-0 in Big Ten), this marks the start of a key two-game set that begins with Michigan and ends next Saturday back in Iowa City vs. seventh-ranked Ohio State. The Hawkeyes cruised past Northern Iowa to conclude the non-conference slate unbeaten, with all three games coming at home.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz knows his team will be greeted by a raucous crowd when they step on the field.
"It's a tough challenge," Ferentz said of playing the Wolverines. "It just gets down to team defense and really believing in our system and trying ot play the best they can.
"They're really well coached; they've got a good scheme and good players."
Hank Brown was officially anointed as the starting quarterback after being listed as a co-starter alongside Jeremy Hecklinski. Brown has completed 73 percent of his passes for 473 yards, throwing three touchdowns with no interceptions.
Kamari Moulton is expected back, as he leads a deep rushing attack with 240 yards. Xavier Williams had a breakout performance last week as the starter and is up to 162 yards and three TDs on the season.
"It's going to be tough for us to be a good football team if we can't run the ball," Ferentz said. "The challenge is their coverage is tight, it's tough and very competitive."
Cam Buffington anchors the Hawkeye defense with 27 total tackles.
Michigan (3-0, 0-0) won its opener in controversial fashion over Western Michigan when Bryce Underwood completed a game-winning throw, 13-12. They followed that up by knocking off Oklahoma, 17-10, before pasting UTEP last week, 52-17.
Underwood has thrown for over 400 yards and leads the team in rushing with 156 yards. Both JJ Buchanan and Andrew Marsh have 15 receptions each and three combined touchdowns.