Iowa OL Mason Richman downplays narrative of facing Michigan

One of Iowa’s offensive linemen says the Hawkeyes are not worried about the narrative heading into the B1G Championship Game. However, the Hawkeyes are well aware that the team will be counted out against Michigan in Indianapolis.

Somehow, Iowa rolled to 10 wins and a B1G West title in spite of a disastrous offensive performance. Kirk Ferentz’s squad has rallied every time their back was against the wall, and not their biggest test of all awaits.

Iowa heads into Indy as a massive three-touchdown underdog against Jim Harbaugh’s program, but Mason Richman said in a Monday video teleconference that Iowa simply doesn’t care about the narrative.

Iowa OT Mason Richman on facing Michigan in B1G title game: “We know what the narrative is going to be, but we really don’t care.”

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) November 27, 2023

Defensive end Joe Evans followed that up and said the Hawkeyes “love” the underdog role. He pointed to the team being counted out by many people after a 31-0 loss to Penn State.

Instead of folding, Iowa rallied and responded to get to the B1G Championship:

Iowa DE Joe Evans, on what he said after 31-0 loss to Penn State: “We still have all of our goals ahead of us. We can still win the Big Ten West and we can still win the Big Ten championship, and I know a lot of people kind of laughed at that. So we love being the underdog.”

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) November 27, 2023

Iowa may not care about the narrative of the game, but the Hawkeyes still have to face a top-5 Michigan team that has been rolling through the B1G in recent seasons. That even includes a B1G title win over Iowa with the Wolverines steamrolling to a 42-3 win in 2021.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.