Michigan Vs. Iowa: Positives and Negatives

Things I liked...

1.Michigan's Front 7 Pressure - Michigan's defensive line and linebackers really stepped up in the run game yesterday. They only gave up 83 yards on the ground, the majority coming in the 3rd quarter. Also, I liked the pressure that the front four gave on passing downs. Graham was busting up plays, Martin was pushing back his lineman for much of the game, and that really shook up Iowa's offensive play calls at times.
2. Denard Robinson's 1st Drive - I like the change of pace that he brought to the table in the fourth quarter. He was able to make some great rushing plays, and the throws he had were on target.
3. Donovan Warren - The single bright spot in our secondary. Warren had the pick six 46 seconds into the game, and also covered very well. He prevented one touchdown, and also almost had another INT later in the game.

Things I Disliked...

1. Michigan's Coverage - Michigan's coverage was poor last night. We need to hone our skills in this area of our defense. Moeaki's first touchdown of the night was a blown coverage by Safety Mike Williams. Moeaki faked block, and immediately, Williams blitzed. Moeaki then received the short pass, and rumbled in for a touchdown. Another example is the screen pass. We seemed to get burned by the screen pass. This is partially the defensive line's ineptitude to realize the screen pass, but we get burned by it every game.
2. Denard Robinson's 2nd Drive - Yes, the interception was his fault, but I believe RichRod should have put Forcier in for that second drive. Forcier understood the reason he was benched, I mean, he is only a freshman, he is going to make mistakes. Putting Robinson in that two minute offense situation is setting up the man for failure. His arm has power, but a low amount of accuracy. Odoms was open underneath, but Robinson felt the need to put the ball down field with less than a minute left. Forcier should have been on the field for the last drive.
3. Michigan's Fundamentals - overall, Michigan really needs to focus on the fundamentals. Missed tackles, fumbled punt returns, and just making good decisions. This seemed to be the area that we need the most help on last night. The decisions that were being made were sub-par, our tackling could have used some help. There were a few instances where plays could have been stopped short or in the backfield, and they ended up getting first downs or a gain of yardage. Overall, we just have to focus on our fundamentals, get done what has to be done, and we could have won that game.