All-time great Michigan defenses
A lot of the talk early this season has been about the dominant Michigan defense. I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of the best Michigan defenses of all-time. I have included 8 of my favorites for comparison, but I would love to hear any additional ones that you can add to the list. I also included 5 non-Michigan great defenses for consideration. It was hard to find the same stats accross all eras, but maybe Wolverine Historian or somebody with more skills than myself at gathering stats from online sources can provide some better metrics and put them in a pretty chart. Here's what I've got:
2015 – Def S&P+ rating 5.0 (#1 in the country). They have given up 3.06 yards per play, 6.3 points per game and only 181.3 yards per game. They are on pace to record 6 shutouts for the season.
2006 – Gave up only 43.4 yards rushing per game (1.9 yards per rush), but did give up 268.3 total yards per game (4.4 yards per play). They recorded 3.3 sacks per game.
1997 – Gave up 222.8 yards per game and 9.5 points per game. Did not give up a second half touchdown through the first eight games of the season. They allowed 8.8 yards per completion (FBS record) and 89.0 rushing yards per game. Obviously ended up winning the National Championship.
1985 – Held opponents to 6.8 points per game, including 3 shutouts. One of Bo’s best teams, finished the season ranked #2 and were led on offense by some QB named Jim. Defense recorded 15 INTs and held opposing offenses to 143.4 yards passing per game and 119.9 yards rushing (3.2 yards per rush).
1973 – Held opponents to 6.2 points per game (this was also the year they went undefeated but controversially did not get a bowl game and finished the season ranked #6). This team also recorded 3 shutouts (which were consecutive). Other stats are a little skinny, so feel free to fill in the gaps. #15 all-time defense by SRS.
1948 – In Oosterbaan’s first season, the team recorded 5 shutouts, had the #20 all-time defense by SRS, shutout #3 Northwestern and won the national championship. They gave up a stingy 44 points on the season and were led by Alvin Wistert and Al Wahl. The defense also forced 32 TO’s over 9 games.
1947 – The Mad Magicians! Led by greats Bump Elliott and Bob Chappuis, this was the best overall Michigan team of all-time by SRS. This undefeated team was Chrisler’s last and beat MSU 55-0, Pitt 69-0, #9 Wisconsin 40-6 and #3 USC 49-0 in the Rose Bowl. Despite that, they were robbed of the National Championship (rankings at that time were done prior to the bowl games? All hail the modern playoff system!). This team was also revolutionary in that it was the first to embrace the concept of defensive and offensive specialization. Only Bump Elliott and Jack Weisenberger played both ways. They recorded 5 shutouts and gave up only 5.3 points per game.
1940 – The Tom Harmon led team gave up only 4.3 points per team (outscoring teams 196-34). During the 8 game season, they shutout 5 of their opponents, and their only loss was 6-7 to Minnesota on a missed PAT.
1901 – In their first year under Yost, Michigan went 11-0, outscoring opponents 550-0!! They defeated Stanford 49-0 in the 1902 Rose Bowl (the first college football bowl game ever played). This was Michigan’s first national championship and was the first of Yost’s “Point-a-Minute” teams. Michigan’s defense allowed only 7 first downs. Four of Michigan’s opponents never crossed the 50 yardline.
Other great (non-Michigan) defenses:
1971 Nebraska – Forced 4.7 turnovers per game (27 INTs and 20 fumble recoveries). They gave up 12.2 points and 71 rushing yards per game.
2003 LSU – Gave up only 11 points per game, 67 rushing yards per game, 252 total yards per game and 4 yards per play. They also recorded 44 sacks.
2011 Alabama – Recorded 30 sacks and gave up only 9 TDs for the season (and 106 total points). They held opponents to 2.4 yards per carry and 938 total rushing yards on the season.
2001 Miami – Recorded 39 sacks, forced 45 total turnovers, gave up 9.4 points per game, and only allowed 5 total passing TDs. They held opponents to 3.9 yards per play.
1992 Alabama Crimson Tide – Gave up 1.67 yards per carry, 9.2 points per game, undefeated and national champions. 9 of the 11 defensive starters went on to play in the NFL.
October 11th, 2015 at 10:17 PM ^
Michigan - today - right here - right now
October 11th, 2015 at 10:18 PM ^
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October 11th, 2015 at 10:20 PM ^
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October 11th, 2015 at 10:23 PM ^
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October 11th, 2015 at 10:26 PM ^
- 50-0 vs Albion
- 57-0 vs Case
- 33-0 vs Indiana
- 29-0 vs Northwestern
- 128-0 vs Buffalo
- 22-0 against Carlisle Indian School in Detroit
- 21-0 at Ohio State
- 22-0 vs Chicago
- 89-0 vs Beloit
- 50-0 against Iowa in Chicago
- 49-0 against Stanford in the Tournament East-West football game
October 11th, 2015 at 10:32 PM ^
October 11th, 2015 at 10:34 PM ^
Many of these were shortened games, either by mutual agreement ahead of time or by having the opposing coach concede. That makes the offense, if anything, even more impressive.
I think you have to consider pre-V-J day as its own category. I mean, just consider Yost's first few years:
1901: 550-0
1902: 644-12
1903: 565-6 (11-0-1)
1904: 567-22
1905: 495-2 (12-1)
Those are some stout defenses. :)
October 11th, 2015 at 10:59 PM ^
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October 11th, 2015 at 11:03 PM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 12:08 AM ^
Damn... I didn't even realize they took sports that seriously back then.
October 12th, 2015 at 1:53 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 11:27 AM ^
It was that the ball only had to be touched by the kicker's foot to be in play, like it remains in soccer. The rule requiring the kickoff to go 10 yards before it could be recovered was added in 1894.
"On side" is an interesting term still in use, as it is a holdover from the original Rugby days. "On side" meant being behind the ball, which made you eligible to receive a lateral pass and handle the ball generally. The term gradually came to mean the status of being able to take possession of the ball rather than one's position relative to it, and we continue to use in that form to this day.
October 11th, 2015 at 11:37 PM ^
October 11th, 2015 at 10:24 PM ^
1901 is obviously the greatest one and that will most likely never be touched.
Not allowing an opponent to score one point all year long. 11 game season.
October 11th, 2015 at 11:07 PM ^
October 11th, 2015 at 10:24 PM ^
October 11th, 2015 at 10:25 PM ^
Last 6 games of the year, gave up no TD's.
October 11th, 2015 at 10:37 PM ^
This. Was also the last team that did the three shutouts in a row.
October 11th, 2015 at 11:13 PM ^
Purdue, Ohio State, and Washington (in the Rose Bowl) were all ranked.
The stats on that team may not be as good because of the way they started the season but completely shutting down both Mark Hermann and Art Schlichter...have to put them on the list of great Michigan defenses.
Overall, the 1980 defense was 5th in scoring defense that year w/ 10.8 pts./game (better than a couple of those "other" defense on that list) and best of all...
The preseason #1 team in 1980 was...
October 11th, 2015 at 11:27 PM ^
was ranked 5th heading into the game. Both UM and OSU were 7-0 in Big Ten play and OSU had scored 40+ points in their 3 previous games.
October 11th, 2015 at 10:58 PM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 12:25 PM ^
They largely held Rogers in check, though. He got ~120 yards but averaged around 4 yards per carry. Michigan turnovers, a critical third-down penalty on the winning touchdown drive and a drive that stalled in the red zone at the end of the game were what lost the game.
October 11th, 2015 at 11:40 PM ^
October 11th, 2015 at 10:27 PM ^
was 1931, when they had six in a row. 8 shutouts overall in 10 games. That team also lost to OSU and tied MSU.
October 11th, 2015 at 10:31 PM ^
Does a tie really count as a shutout?
October 11th, 2015 at 10:36 PM ^
So yes, it was a mutual shutout.
October 12th, 2015 at 7:44 AM ^
I was just to about to put that into the discussion, but saw them mentioned here, that was a pretty good team. Only two teams scored on them all year.
October 11th, 2015 at 10:29 PM ^
October 11th, 2015 at 10:42 PM ^
I don't think it will happen either, but who of us saw the BYU shutout coming?
October 11th, 2015 at 10:30 PM ^
Interesting read and appreciate the research but let's talk after all 15 games are over.
October 11th, 2015 at 10:42 PM ^
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October 11th, 2015 at 10:55 PM ^
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October 11th, 2015 at 10:53 PM ^
Nobody thought or really cared much about a national championship back then. They had ranking systems like the Dickinson (which Michigan won in 1932, see below), but it really didn't become a widespread thing until the AP poll.
Retroactive titles based on selectors. Minnesota a few years ago claimed 1904 as a national championship season over 100 years after the fact.
Michigan could claim 16 national championships if they wanted to. They were selected as national champions in 1925, 1926, 1964, 1973 and 1985.
It's all mythical really, a recruiting tool and something you can hang on banners or in your stadium. I still say the 4-team playoff is crowning a mythical national champion. Until there's 16 or even 8, it's still horseshit.
October 11th, 2015 at 11:56 PM ^
They cared very much about championships right from the very beginning. Since the only good teams were in the northeast, it was usually Harvard, Yale, or Princeton that was declared champion based on their mutual play. It was "national" in that there were no other competitors for it. As evidence, this article from The New York Tribune from November 28, 1886:
Football became a national game in the 1890s, but western teams weren't considedered the equals of the eastern teams for a long time. Lots of newspapers spent lots of column space arguing about who was the best, but no one seriously tried ranking teams.There simply weren't enough good teams to worry about anything other than #1. Caspar Whitney began contacting fellow sports writers to evaluate teams on a truly national basis in 1901, but only kept it up until 1907.
Whitney's 1901 Poll had Harvard #1, Yale #2, and Michigan #3.
As the quality of football shifted from the east to the midwest, picking a truly national champion became more problematic and there wasn't any real consensus until Dickinson's system appeared in the 20s.
October 11th, 2015 at 10:37 PM ^
The numbers over at TeamRankings tend to speak for themselves right now (rank in FBS is at the end of the line item) - LINK
Points per game - 6.3 - #1
Yards per game allowed - 181.3 - #1
Points per play allowed - 0.103 - #1
Yards per play allowed - 2.9 - #1
3rd down conversion pct. allowed - 18.82% - #2
Yards per rush allowed - 2.2 - #3
Rush yards per game allowed - 66.2 - #3
Yards per pass allowed - 3.9 - #1
We've done this before, but it is a long time since we've done it quite like this, it seems.
October 11th, 2015 at 10:48 PM ^
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October 11th, 2015 at 11:56 PM ^
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October 12th, 2015 at 9:20 AM ^
One thing that stands out in my recollection of that game is Hayden Fry calling a timeout in the final seconds of the first half, up 13-7, so Michigan would have to punt. Tim Dwight was an excellent kick returner, but it still seemed a bit odd that Fry would bother. Lo and behold, Dwight took the punt to the house with no time left on the clock. Iowa then converted the 2-pointer to give themselves a 21-7 lead at half, which felt completely demoralizing. Fry is deservedly in the College Football Hall of Fame.
October 11th, 2015 at 11:18 PM ^
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October 11th, 2015 at 10:48 PM ^
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October 11th, 2015 at 11:05 PM ^
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