Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez started his Big Ten career off with a bang, toppling then-No. 9 Wisconsin last September in a 19-point comeback at the Big House. Shortly after that, Michigan football fans found out that the Badgers weren’t really that good and the Wolverines didn’t really have that much potential.

But let’s stop talking about last year — let’s look ahead to this weekend, where in the national spotlight, another potential season-changing victory awaits. Although the Iowa Hawkeyes' defense seems impenetrable, and the Wolverines' offense induces cardiac arrest at times, a victory tomorrow night could spark a big run going into the heart of the conference slate.

Here’s the Daily’s breakdown of the game:

Michigan rushing offense vs. Iowa defense

Center David Molk is out, running back Brandon Minor has been dinged up all season and backup Carlos Brown wore a red jersey and watched from the sidelines during Wednesday’s practice. That’s a lot to overcome against any opponent. But this is Iowa, and those injuries might be fatal for the Wolverines before the game even begins.

By now, you have likely heard the ridiculous statistics — the Hawkeyes haven’t given up a rushing touchdown since midway through LAST season. That’s 33 quarters. That’s over eight games. That means Michigan is going to have a tough time moving the ball.

Add in Iowa’s defensive line — Adrian Clayborn, Karl Klug, Christian Ballard and Broderick Binns — which might be the best in the country, and it could be a long night for the offense.

Advantage: Iowa

Michigan passing offense vs. Iowa defense

See, the thing that’s so great about Iowa’s defensive line is that the four of them can pressure the quarterback without any blitzing help. That means that after the Hawkeyes stump the Wolverine run game, Iowa can drop as many as seven players into coverage and still force freshman Tate Forcier into ill-advised decisions.

With all that help in the trenches, the Hawkeyes are giving up only 180 passing yards a game, slightly less than the measly 190 yards per game the Michigan offense is averaging.

The Wolverines are going to have a tough time generating any offense, but the passing game might be their best chance to put a dent in the scoreboard.

Advantage: Iowa

Michigan rushing defense vs. Iowa offense

It's hard to find positives in Michigan's up-and-down defensive performance thus far this season, but one is certainly the defensive line. Led by preseason All-America selection Brandon Graham, the unit has been the Wolverines' most consistent on defense, according to Rodriguez, and was decent against Michigan State last weekend.

The only worries stem from the huge runs Spartan quarterback Kirk Cousins pulled off on long-yard downs last week against the Wolverines. Iowa signal caller Ricky Stanzi has netted minus-50 yards on the ground, but Hawkeye running back Adam Robinson, who wasn't even on Iowa's two-deep after spring practice, has rushed for 359 yards and is averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

The Hawkeyes' rushing attack, ranked seventh in the conference, isn't anything too scary, although Michigan has given up an average of 153 yards per game on the ground.

Advantage: Even

Michigan passing defense vs. Iowa offense

While its defensive line has some semblance of depth, Michigan's secondary has underachieved for pretty much the entire season — aside from junior cornerback Donovan Warren.

Sophomore Boubacar Cissoko started at the corner opposite him for the season's first four games but didn't impress. That opened the door for redshirt freshman J.T. Floyd, but he hasn't been as physical or quick in coverage as he needs to be. So this week in practice, current safety and former backup cornerback Troy Woolfolk has been taking snaps at corner in order to help the Wolverines seal their holes in the secondary. If Woolfolk starts at corner, former walk-on Jordan Kovacs, who led the team in tackles last week, and Mike Williams will start in the middle of the secondary.

While Iowa's pass offense (223 yards per game) isn't as jaw-dropping or highly rated as Michigan State's, the Wolverines still have some big issues in their pass defense.

Advantage: Iowa

Special teams

So last week was bad. Really bad. Darryl Stonum, one of the nation’s best kick returners, averaged more than 10 yards less than his performance the rest of the season.