Big Ten play is here, and Kirk Ferentz's Iowa Hawkeyes have a tall task ahead. 

The Hawkeyes don't get many opportunities to play in the Big House anymore, but Saturday (2:30 CT, CBS) marks one of those rare trips. It's been 16 years since Iowa has secured a win in college football's largest venue, but the No. 17 Hawkeyes have a chance to jumpstart their season against an intriguing No. 18 Michigan squad. 

Here are four position groups to watch for ahead of Saturday's clash in Ann Arbor.

If you read our Michigan film review article earlier on Wednesday, you'll see that this football game is likely to be decided in the trenches, specifically the battle between Iowa's offensive line and Michigan's defensive line. The Hawkeyes' offensive line has been fantastic in pass protection through three weeks (they've allowed only one sack), but the main question Iowa fans have with this group on Saturday is if they're going to be able to create rushing lanes. 

That may be a ridiculous claim considering Iowa is averaging 268 rushing yards per game this season, but the Hawkeyes struggled to produce on the ground when it mattered against Iowa State - totaling just 93 yards. This group knows it needs to be better to pull out a win in the Big House, but will they make the necessary adjustments to do so? 

Iowa's defensive line needs to have a great game, too. This unit gained a big boost when Kirk Ferentz revealed that veteran Bryce Hawthorne would be healthy for Saturday's game, and though they were stout throughout non-conference play, there's certainly some things they would probably like to clean up. 

The main priority for this unit is to get to the quarterback. Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood loves to play on the run, and getting pressure on him would keep him in the pocket and force him to make bad decisions with the ball. The Hawkeyes have recorded eight sacks this year - a respectable number through three weeks - but if you peel back the curtains, you'll see that most of those sacks have come from the two deeps. That will need to change in the Big House on Saturday. 

Ferentz is "fairly optimistic" that tight end DJ Vonnahme will play on Saturday after missing the Northern Iowa game, but even if he doesn't play, the tight end room is going to play a very crucial part in the outcome of this game. Michigan may focus a lot of its defensive attention on wide receivers Tony Diaz and Reece Vander Zee, so that could open up plenty of real estate for the tight ends. 

Vonnahme is definitely the No. 1 option if he plays, but on the off chance he's out, Addison Ostrenga, Mason Woods, and Thomas Meyer all could see snaps. It's going to be a physical football game, and it only makes sense for Hank Brown to get his tight ends involved. 

We've already listed punter Boston Everitt in our players to watch, but it feels appropriate to list the entire position group here. Everitt's punting skills will be crucial if this contest turns into a field position battle, but when it's all said in done, the most important piece to an Iowa victory on Saturday may be in the hands of kicker Caden Buhr. 

Buhr is no stranger to high-pressure kicks (he kicked a 42-yarder to beat Iowa State two weeks ago), but he may be needed again against Michigan, especially if Iowa struggles to find the end zone. 

The return game could play a big factor, too. It doesn't appear the Hawkeyes will get many chances to return kicks this year, but if field position does indeed decide this football game, Iowa will need its returners (Ferentz admitted they still have no idea who to put back there) to step up and produce crucial yards. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]