Just the Stats: Top Defense in the Country

Submitted by RakeFight on

It seemed like every other tackle last night was a Tackle For Loss, so I took a minute to see where we are ranked in the FBS in various categories as of this morning...

#1 Total Defense (212.8 yds/gm, 3.58 yds/play)

#1 Passing Defense (113.7 passing yds/gm)

#1 Scoring Defense (10.3 points/gm)

#1 Tackles for Loss (60 total)... 13 TFL's last night alone!

#1 In Preventing 3rd Down Conversion  (0.122)

Tied #2 for sacks (24 total)... Ohio is #1 with 25 (not that Ohio)

#13 Rushing Defense (99.2 yds/gm)  #3 in Big Ten behind #6 Wisc, #9 Ohio St)

 

This is a fun team to watch.

Formerly Yoda

October 9th, 2016 at 1:18 PM ^

that don brown guy is pretty good...best part is he's no threat to leave for HC position. hopefully the start of a long friendship between jim and don




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FauxMo

October 9th, 2016 at 1:21 PM ^

True, he is unlikely to leave. But I heard a rumor last night that his moustache has been offered the job at University of Texas. The moustache is strongly considering the offer, but is researching the relative cost-of-living vis-a-vis waxes and trimmers in Austin vs. Ann Arbor... 

lhglrkwg

October 9th, 2016 at 1:46 PM ^

I can't imagine why you'd leave a comfortable just as a DC to go try to salvage the drama fiesta down in Austin so late in your career. The dude is from the Northeast too. I seriously, seriously doubt he would ever consider that job offer (unless you're talking a DC job at Texas and again, why leave a stable Harbaugh staff and go to a totally unstable situaton in Texas. Makes no sense)

FauxMo

October 9th, 2016 at 1:18 PM ^

As I watched the game live last night, I wondered if our defense was as incredible and nasty as it looked, or if Rutgers has literally just quit trying for the year. I guess we'll know more later, but wow, that was humiliating. I really and truly felt bad every time the camera would pan on Ash. He looked like he needed to poop all night... 

uminks

October 9th, 2016 at 3:37 PM ^

'85 was a great defense. They held Chuck long in check for most of that game though they could not stop the winning FG drive. I enjoyed the 31-0 shutout of sparty in E. Lansing.  The DL was great with Messner, Hammerstein and Harris. Plus Mallory was back from his injury in '84 and was a great middle linebacker. I think our current DL is even better than the '85 line.

Wolvie3758

October 9th, 2016 at 1:39 PM ^

after the early success b;ocking punts and fgs thats cooled off> I was hoping that was ging to be a trend but it hasnt developed. Last night it looked like we were going to block almst every punt but just couldnt get there

M-Dog

October 9th, 2016 at 3:17 PM ^

This defense is a different critter with Taco and Jourdan back in it.  

Had they played all year, this defense would rank #1,2, and 3 in all categories just so nobody else would embarrass themselves by trying to compare.

.

charblue.

October 9th, 2016 at 4:36 PM ^

in three Big Ten games and a total of less than 400 yards. I mean that's the impact of having Lewis and Charlton back. And you saw what happens with the full complement of the defense  last night.

If you were to compare the offenses that both Michigan and OSU have faced this year, Michigan's opponent averages in the 50th percentile while the Buckeyes have seen no team with an offense below the mid-80's until yesterday when they played Indiana. Indiana had chances to put up more than 30 against the Buckeyes, but they appear very good on defense.

What surprised me was the effectiveness of Indiana's defense. That game could have turned on two plays that benefitted Ohio, the first was a qb fumble call on a ball that could have been ruled an incomplete pass deep in Indiana territory and then a later fumble by Barrett that a teammate was able to fall on before a Hoosier could get to it. There was also a bad snap on a crucial down in which a false start penalty was called on Ohio and negated the play.

 

chatster

October 9th, 2016 at 4:55 PM ^

Michigan has scored 300 points and given up 62 points in six games. The Wolverines are 6-0, and they’re ranked first in total defense among FBS teams.  LINK

Oregon’s high-powered offense has scored 221 points, but they’ve given up 251 points in six games, including 70 points in their recent loss to Washington, and they’re ranked 126th in total defense among FBS teams.  The Ducks are 2-4.  LINK 

Let Oregon’s first-year Defensive Coordinator explain it for you.

1VaBlue1

October 9th, 2016 at 6:46 PM ^

Cheap shot at Brady...  I'm glad he's not at Michigan anymore, but he doesn't deserve to be piled on.  At least he tried, which is more than I can say for Rich Rod.  Oregon no longer has a high powered offense.  They have no QB, and Helfrich can't do what the other recent Oregon coaches perfected.  Without that offense scoring 50 a game, it can't protect a defense running a scheme it has no players for.  I think Hoke can recruit the players he needs, but he can't make butter without a bell cow to work with.  

Nonetheless, he (and Helfrich) won't get the chance to prove themselves.  Hoke, or not, Helfrich has had a couple of years, and hasn't gotten it done.  His time is limited, and Hoke will exit with him having a second straight failure on his resume.  He chose poorly going to Oregon given the coaching circumstance there...

1VaBlue1

October 10th, 2016 at 7:53 AM ^

Valid point, but I can't say that I actually thought RR cared anymore after his last season started going south.  By the time the bowl game came around, he had already checked out.  By then, with a new AD coming, he knew it.  We knew it.  The nation knew it.  And it showed on the field...  He certainly wanted it to be successful, but the last half of his last season here, he was done.

chatster

October 9th, 2016 at 8:18 PM ^

Not sure that I'm "piling on" or taking a "cheap shot" at Brady Hoke, but I accept your analysis, and apologize for causing that impression.
 
To be fair to Brady Hoke, in his first year as Michigan’s head football coach, he and his staff (with Greg Mattison as defensive coordinator) deserved great credit for taking Michigan’s Gergian defense that, according to the NCAA’s statistics, had been ranked 110th in total defense in 2010 and turning several of those same players into the nation’s 17th ranked total defense in 2011.
 
In his first-ever job as a defensive coordinator, this year Hoke has taken Oregon’s 116th ranked total defense from 2015 and made it the nation’s 126th ranked total defense. Granted, Oregon has six games left to show improvement (Cal, Arizona State, USC, Stanford, Utah and Oregon State), so there’s still time to turn it around. 
 
Considering the miracle turnaround for Michigan's defense in 2011, maybe it’s not the players as much as it’s that, at Oregon, Hoke is missing the special ingredient that makes college football defenses much better – Greg Mattison!
 
Most people say that Brady Hoke is a good man and a very good recruiter, and there's ample evidence around that justifies those feelings. Despite the circumstances surrounding his departure from Michigan's football program, I suspect that he still holds a special place in his heart for the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor. I hope that he'll survive and thrive somewhere else, and that he'd always be warmly welcomed back at Michigan.

1VaBlue1

October 10th, 2016 at 7:55 AM ^

Nicely stated...  I don't know how Brady would fare as a DC, but his DL will be good.  And that will allow the back 7 to shine more.  But, like I said earlier, I just don't think he (they) will get a chance to get the right people to actually improve the offense.  I don't see Helfrich being retained in January...

CarsonWolfe

October 9th, 2016 at 7:23 PM ^

Michigan also leads the nation in total points scored 300 (4th in avg)

How are there 24 plays where Rutgers did not make it back to the line of scrimmage,but Michigan was credited with 13 tackles for loss ? wouldnt that be 24 tackles for loss,if a team doesnt get back to the original line?

Rutgers had 9 straight run plays that they were tackled behind the line,hard to believe there were only 4 tackles for loss the rest of the game ....

McSomething

October 9th, 2016 at 7:33 PM ^

I'm curious what the numbers, and their ranks, were before the game as compared to after. Basically, how much did annihilating Rutgers improve our averages defensively?