Team 144 is the greatest boring team in modern college football history
I had a sense about this team for a while. They are completely unflashy. They just get the job done. But I was struck by a recent CFB on Fox YouTube video from last week that displayed its Top 10 plays of Michigan's season (pre-OSU). It's striking how most of these plays are . . . fairly routine plays. Well-executed, to be sure, but hardly highlight reel material.
Well, I just did a very shallow statistical dive, and I'm further convinced that this team is wonderfully, beautifully boring. Here's why:
Very few long runs
The longest run of the year was by Blake for 54 yards against Bowling Green. It was not a TD. The longest run that resulted in a score was Morgan's 44-yard end-around against Purdue. Edwards's longest run was for 22 yards.
Compare this to last year, when Edwards had five runs of 54 yards or longer, three going for TDs. Blake also had a 61-yard TD.
In 2021, Blake had three runs of 55-yards or longer, including two 61-yard TDs. Hassan Haskins had a 62-yard run against Indiana and a 50-yarder against Nebraska (notable because of the hurdle). Edwards had a 58-yard TD against No. Ill., and AJ Henning had a 74-yard TD against Western.
Very few long passes
The longest reception of the year was Loveland's 54-yard TD catch-and-run against Indiana. There was only one other reception for 50 yards or longer, which was by Cornelius, which was not for a TD.
In 2022, Johnson had three catches gaining at least 54 yards, including two long TDs against OSU. Roman Wilson and Max Bredeson each had receptions longer than 54 yards, as well.
In 2021, Cornelius had an 87-yard TD against No. Ill. Roman had a 75-yard TD in the B1G Championship, Daylen Bladwin at a 69-yard TD against Western. Andrel Anthony had a 93-yard TD against Staee. Heck, even Ronnie Bell's single catch on the year was for a 76-yard TD.
Nothing on kickoff or punt return
The longest punt return on the year was from Thaw for all of 32 yards. In 2022, Henning had a 61-yard punt return for a TD. Bell had a 40-yard return. 2021 was also meh when it comes to punt returns, with the longest also being 32 yards from Henning.
The longest kickoff return on the year was from Semaj Morgan for all of 28 yards. Not much worse than 2022, when the longest return was from Henning for 31 yards. 2021 saw Henning's 81-yard TD off the cross-field lateral from Barrett, and a 79-yard return from Blake in the opener against Western.
So, very little flash. And yet, Michigan dominated the season. They won their games by and average of over 27 points, more than 2022 (24 points) or 2021 (18 points). And why is that?
They don't turn the ball over. Only 7 on the year, tied for 4th best in the country.
They don't give up negative plays. Only 40 TFLs given up on the year, 4th fewest in the country.
They don't commit penalties. Only 2.92 per game for an average of 26.42 yards, best in the country in both respects.
They keep the ball. 8th in the nation in 3rd-down conversions (49.6%), and 5th in 4th-down conversions (77.8%)
They execute on special teams. Zero blocked kicks and zero blocked punts allowed. Seventh in the nation in kickoff coverage (15.21 yard/return average).
And, of course, the defense is stellar. 4th in the nation in passing yards/game (155.3). 6th in the nation in rushing yards/game (91.4). Second in the nation in total defense/game (246.8). Tops in the nation in scoring defense/game (10.25 points).
Thus ends my "should've been a Diary" post.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:15 PM ^
if this is what boring is like, I'll take it every year...
November 28th, 2023 at 4:02 PM ^
Me too. Plus the result is 12-0! That's a perfect record.
BTW; after 12 regular season games Michigan averaged 37.6 pts/game and giving up 11.1 pts/game on defense. Better than a 26 pt margin of victory.
What's not to like?
November 28th, 2023 at 3:15 PM ^
I agree for the most part. The only thing I would say is that a lot of McCarthy's passes this year were pretty jaw-dropping. He just made them look routine.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:42 PM ^
I'll never get tired of JJ throwing dimes so impressive that the announcers gasp or go "whoa" over and over. Having an NFL QB is so nice
November 28th, 2023 at 3:17 PM ^
The defense gets a lot of takeaways.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:20 PM ^
Less than 2 per game (good enough for tied for 17th in the country), although 5 of them were returned for TDs.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:19 PM ^
I hope we all watch Team 144 play three more boring games, with the same “end result” as the first twelve. Go Blue!
November 28th, 2023 at 3:20 PM ^
*yawn*
November 28th, 2023 at 3:22 PM ^
That's a good sign. I'd like to investigate further how they do it. I am sure the League would like answers. Maybe there is a consensus. Can't be too quick to judge.
My conspiracy theory is they may actually be talented, well coached and player led men of high caliber. Implausible amongst pundits I know. Sigh...
November 28th, 2023 at 3:24 PM ^
I think we might see more fireworks from the run game in the playoffs (assuming UM makes it there). Corum is starting to look like "full go" Corum, with some zip that was missing the first half of the season. Give him another month to get healthy and maybe there's even more juice there than the OSU game. Edwards also has been much closer to breaking some runs the past couple weeks, missing a couple by shoestring tackles.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:25 PM ^
12-0 is boring; 100% success rate is boring; perfection is boring. ;-)
Yep. We're even the clear #1 team on the angst/drama scale: coach actually coaches 50% of the games but his dudes just keep winning.
I'm sincerely hoping for the current state of boring perfection to continue.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:54 PM ^
“Practice doesn’t not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” Vince Lombardi.
November 28th, 2023 at 5:05 PM ^
“The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there.”
- Vince Lombardi
(Now, about that guy still standing on third base ...)
November 28th, 2023 at 7:04 PM ^
Interesting choice.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:28 PM ^
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
November 29th, 2023 at 12:15 AM ^
What happens when a team reaches the ultimate nirvana/Valhalla of "complementary football".
November 28th, 2023 at 3:29 PM ^
i wanna be bored, this way, 3x more this year
November 28th, 2023 at 6:50 PM ^
Well actually two more times this year and one time in January 2024
November 28th, 2023 at 3:29 PM ^
Michigan Football, dull and boring, returns....Go Blue!
November 28th, 2023 at 3:37 PM ^
There weren't all that many kickoffs to return this year. Still, I wouldn't be surprised to see them break one for a TD - or at least a very long return - before the year is done.
I'm less optimistic about punt returns. Boivin seems to be more of a threat as a returner than Thaw. But, IIRC, Thaw has improved his decision making and aggressiveness in fielding punts over the course of the year. If we can continue to avoid mishaps on punt returns and not leak yardage, maybe that will be all we need.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:37 PM ^
Is it arrogant to have a low opinion of people who think this team is boring?
November 28th, 2023 at 3:57 PM ^
There is a distinction between arrogant and ignorant.
Until the rules change - with a “sexy / glamorous” TD being worth more points than a “boring, grind it out” TD - I’m very content to watch the Maize & Blue just grind it out.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:42 PM ^
I'll say this, I don't think there's another team in the country that would have gone undefeated with their HC missing for half the season. Except maybe Penn State.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:55 PM ^
PSU might go undefeated if their HC vanishes.
November 28th, 2023 at 4:11 PM ^
And worth repeating: going 2-O versus top 10 teams with an interim coach.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:44 PM ^
Boa constrictors are boring but will squeeze the life out of you
November 28th, 2023 at 4:06 PM ^
When those snakes strike though... oh my it happens fast.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:45 PM ^
You know, I am completely fine with "boring" if that sort of mechanical precision, inasmuch as the game allows, will get me the last three years on a consistent basis.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:49 PM ^
Seems right. Other than the OSU game which essentially came down to McCord gifting us a touchdown I felt little to no worry about any of the other games, it just felt inevitable that Michigan was going to win those easily before the ball had even been kicked off.
The decrease in explosion on offense has been a little bit surprising, with so many returning skill players I thought Michigan would dial up some bombs more frequently just to practice them.
Looking forward to hopefully two more games with stepped up competition to see what this team can really do (and I'm not counting Iowa, Michigan is going to shut them out easily).
November 28th, 2023 at 3:49 PM ^
Could be worse. We could be Iowa where the most valuable player is the punter.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:54 PM ^
In '21 we had a ton of close games too. In '22, there were fewer - only Maryland and Illinois were wins by a TD or less - but there were plenty that were close at half, or had us trailing (trailed PSU, RU and UofI in the 2nd half, tied with IU, less than a TD lead on MSU and UMD). In 2023, our closest games at the half were OSU, Rutgers, Penn State and Bowling Green. We never trailed at the half or in the second half, and we were never tied at the half - and only OSU tied us in the second half.
Beat Iowa, get the lead and keep it.
November 28th, 2023 at 3:57 PM ^
Yup. If we’re talking strictly highlights, the past three seasons have seen them decrease year-by-year.
I made a video following the 2021 regular season compiling the fan-voted-top-20 plays of the season, and Mikey’s incredible one-handed TD vs Maryland was only an honorable mention because there were so many highlights that year.
2022 saw not many highlights outside of PSU, OSU, and TCU.
In 2023, I can barely think of 5 that stand out throughout the entire season.
Great thing is that our team has gotten so much better. Can’t wait for the playoffs.
Here is the link to the 2021 fan-voted top plays, if anyone is interested:
November 28th, 2023 at 4:44 PM ^
Pick any five people who rushed the field on Saturday and those are your five highlights.
November 28th, 2023 at 4:00 PM ^
Wonderful, consistently boring.
12 squared in A squared.
November 28th, 2023 at 4:09 PM ^
WOW -- that is really eye opening.
Someone made a (probably now-removed) highlight video of the last 3 years vs. osu that I watched last night on YouTube. It was stunning to see how much more downfield throwing there was (and just overall offensive highlights) especially in '21, but obviously in '22, as well.
I just hope we can open it up when necessary.
November 28th, 2023 at 4:15 PM ^
they don't turn over the ball because they put stickum on their gloves because they are cheaterz
-- someone on 11W
November 28th, 2023 at 4:42 PM ^
Conor Stalions bought a whole pallet of Stickum and stored it in a warehouse on CMU's campus.
November 28th, 2023 at 4:23 PM ^
The very best make it look easy. And boring.
November 28th, 2023 at 4:30 PM ^
ECU, took the lead 9:17 into the 1st quarter, never lost it. Total trail time 0:00, total lead time 50:43. Game winning score came with 5:43 remaining in the 1st quarter.
UNLV, took the lead 7:54 into 1st quarter, never lost it. Total trail time 0:00, total lead time 52:06. Game winning score came with 14:56 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
BGSU, took the lead 4:16 into 1st quarter, never lost it. Total trail time 0:00, total lead time 55:44. Game Winning score came with 10:44 remaining in the 1st quarter.
Rutgers, went down 1:00 into 1st quarter, tied it 9:04 into 1st quarter, took the lead 13:19 into 2nd quarter, never lost it. Total trail time 8:04, total lead time 31:41. Game winning score came with 1:41 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
Nebraska, took the lead 5:40 into 1st quarter, never lost it. Total trail time 0:00, total lead time 54:20. Game winning score came with 7:15 remaining in the 1st quarter.
Minnesota, took the lead 0:12 into 1st quarter, never lost it. Total trail time 0:00, total lead time 59:48. Game winning score came with 10:08 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
Indiana, went down 9:43 into 1st quarter, tied it 3:41 into 2nd quarter, too the lead 11:36 into 2nd quarter, never lost it. Total trail time 5:58, total lead time 33:24. Game winning score came with 3:24 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
Michigan State, took the lead 6:10 into 1st quarter, never lost it. Total trail time 0:00, total lead time 53:50. Game winning score came with 8:50 remaining in the 1st quarter.
Purdue, took the lead 4:30 into 1st quarter, never lost it. Total trail time 0:00, total lead time 55:30. Game winning score came with 6:05 remaining in the 1st quarter.
Penn State, went down 12:43 into 1st quarter, took the lead 3:04 into 2nd quarter, never lost it. Total trail time 5:21, total lead time 41:56. Game winning score came with 3:36 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
Maryland, went down 8:31 into 1st quarter, tied it 12:41 into 1st quarter, took the lead 13:00 into 1st quarter, never lost it. Total trail time 4:10, total lead time 32:00. Game winning score came with 4:04 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
Ohio State, took the lead 9:24 into 1st quarter, lost the lead 9:25 into 3rd quarter, retook the lead 13:05 into 3rd quarter, never lost it. Total trail time 0:00, total lead time 46:56. Game winning score came with 11:57 remaining in the 4th quarter.
Michigan lead for all 30 second half minutes in 11 of 12 games. The team spent a total of 3:40 tied in the 2nd half of all games combined. Zero time spent trailing in the 2nd half in a single game thus far.
The total time the "game winning" scores were on the board was 463:25, out of a total play time of 720:00. That's roughly 64% of the season. I'll take that kind of "boring" all day every day.
November 28th, 2023 at 4:40 PM ^
Boring? Sheeeeit, wadn't nutin' boring 'bout it tuh me!
November 28th, 2023 at 4:46 PM ^
Boa constrictors are kinda boring too
November 28th, 2023 at 4:51 PM ^
I'd be curious to see how the other playoff contenders rank in those statistical categories.
November 28th, 2023 at 4:57 PM ^
A couple of things I’ve noticed on offense. I feel like Michigan coasted most of the year. Everything was saved for Penn St due to it being on the road, Ohio St and then I’d say the CFP games. The offense has been overly vanilla this year.
They have seemingly tried to save McCarthy this year from taking a beating, similarly with the running backs and the rotation. Honestly, the only times JJ got hit was when Barnhart or Henderson got beat on the edges and JJ took a shot, or when he would scramble and get hit like against Penn St.
The other thing is that I’ve noticed that other teams are stacking the box against the run as well as having a deep safety back to stop the home run plays. Almost every team has elected to take a slow, methodical death instead of a couple quick shots.
I don’t expect to see a whole lot against Iowa but I think we will see some more variety in the CFP, and it will be needed.
November 28th, 2023 at 5:31 PM ^
Fantastic title!
November 28th, 2023 at 5:51 PM ^
One thing contributing to our lack of explosive plays was our starters going to the bench with significant chunks of game time remaining.
November 28th, 2023 at 6:24 PM ^
Don't forget, #1 at stealing signs. We don't beat Staee without that!
November 28th, 2023 at 6:34 PM ^
Love it! And we’re saving the explosions for the postseason haha