THE BREAKDOWN: Iowa vs. Michigan

Hawkeyes play their first Big Ten road game in a difficult environment.

Breaking down Saturday’s game between Iowa and Michigan.

Game facts

Time and place — 11 a.m., Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich.

TV — FOX (Gus Johnson PBP; Joel Klatt, analyst; Jenny Taft, sideline)

Radio — Hawkeye Radio Network. Also available on Sirius Ch. 103 and XM Ch. 210

Records — Iowa 4-0 (1-0 Big Ten), Michigan 3-1 (1-1)

Rankings — Iowa is No. 14 in the Associated Press and coaches polls, Michigan is No. 18 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the coaches poll.

Series — Michigan leads, 41-15-4. Iowa has won five of the last six in the series.

Streaks — Iowa has won seven consecutive games dating back to last season. Michigan has won one.

The lines

Point spread — Michigan minus-3 1/2

Moneyline — Iowa +150, Michigan -180

Over/under — 47 1/2

Fast facts

• Saturday is Michigan’s Homecoming. The Hawkeyes have won on their last two trips to Michigan on Homecoming, a 30-27 victory in 2002 and a 38-28 win in 2010.

• Since 2001, Iowa has 152 wins and five top-10 finishes in the national polls. Michigan has 151 wins and four top-10 finishes.

• Iowa is 4-0 for the fifth time under coach Kirk Ferentz.

• The Hawkeyes haven’t played in Ann Arbor since 2012, and the two teams have played only twice since then, both Iowa victories.

When Iowa has the ball

The Hawkeyes have been virtually turnover-free to start the season, with only one lost fumble and no interceptions.

Yeah, that was the lead to last week’s preview, but this week it has special meaning. If the Hawkeyes can be turnover-free in this game, they’ll have a good chance to win.

“Protecting the ball is paramount,” Ferentz said. “To me it's no different than tackling well on defense. If you don't do those things consistently then you'd better be more talented than every opponent you play, and that's hard to do.”

Iowa is second in the Big Ten in time of possession, averaging 36:07 per game. That’s a product of the lack of turnovers, but also a product of the running game — Iowa is averaging 217.5 yards per game.

“Clock runs, you keep your defense off the field,” quarterback Nate Stanley said. It’s huge for us to play complimentary football.

“The less turnovers, the longer we’re sustaining drives, that enables the defense to play even harder, get three-and-outs. It’s huge for us to hold on to the ball and allow our defense to rest, but then also establishing longer drives to wear out (the opposing) defense.”

Michigan’s rushing defense has allowed 168 yards per game. The Wolverines lead the Big Ten in pass defense at 127.8 yards per game.

When Michigan has the ball

Getting back to the whole turnover thing, Michigan has lost 10 this season, which ranked the Wolverines 110th in FBS play and 11th in the Big Ten. The Wolverines have lost seven fumbles, which ranks 125th nationally.

They’ll have to hold on to the ball, and that will have to be controlled by quarterback Shea Patterson.

Patterson has thrown for 905 yards and six touchdowns this season, but has also thrown two interceptions. He can run — he had three rushing touchdowns in last Saturday’s 52-0 pounding of Rutgers.

Wide receiver Nico Collins has at least one catch in 18 consecutive games. Fellow receiver Ronnie Bell has a team-high 17 catches for 263 yards.

Running back Zach Charbonnet has 218 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

The Hawkeyes are getting healthier on the back end of the defense — safety Kaevon Merriweather should be back, and cornerback Julius Brents may play for the first time this season. A deeper secondary means the Hawkeyes might be able to play more of that 4-2-5 defense that worked well last season.

The final thought

The Hawkeyes have the maturity to handle the atmosphere — they’ve already played at Iowa State this season, and the environment in Ann Arbor is going to be quite hostile.

Iowa is 4-0 because of steady play. This isn’t the place to get rattled, so getting off to a good start will be key.

Win, and the Hawkeyes are 5-0 heading into next week’s night game at Kinnick Stadium against what figures to be an unbeaten Penn State game.

This is when the tone for the rest of the season can be set.