Just the Stats: Top Defense in the Country
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.
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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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...
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)
October 9th, 2016 at 1:50 PM ^
That joke went way over your head...
October 9th, 2016 at 2:27 PM ^
Serves me right for skimming his post. Neg away comrades!
October 9th, 2016 at 1:59 PM ^
FauxMo doesn't have a "/s" on his keyboard
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October 9th, 2016 at 2:17 PM ^
Yes, I guess I should have used the "/s" for all those people who ACTUALLY BELIEVE A MOUSTACHE WAS OFFERED THE HEAD COACHING JOB AT UT.
October 9th, 2016 at 4:31 PM ^
Or at least everyone should know, that only LSU would offer a mustache their head coaching job.
October 9th, 2016 at 7:32 PM ^
Please, everyone knows they're going to offer the job to a hat next.
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...
October 9th, 2016 at 1:54 PM ^
No other team has put up a performance like that against Rutgers, or anyone for that matter, in DECADES. That tells me that we really are that good.
October 9th, 2016 at 1:18 PM ^
I love defense! Reminds me of the defense from 1985 but this one is better. So much fun to watch!
October 9th, 2016 at 2:00 PM ^
'85 Bears?
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October 9th, 2016 at 3:14 PM ^
Like the man said, better.
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.
October 9th, 2016 at 1:18 PM ^
If not for a few plays of not keeping rush lanes and a bad angle by Thomas early in the season, this would also be a top-5 Rush D
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October 9th, 2016 at 1:22 PM ^
Hail!
October 9th, 2016 at 1:24 PM ^
Great defensive effort from everyone including the freshmen.
October 9th, 2016 at 1:36 PM ^
I'm curious where the offense ranks also after scoring 78 points.
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
October 9th, 2016 at 1:39 PM ^
According to my extensive research, number four scoring offense.
Annoyingly, THE ohio also appears to be top four in both offense and defense.
October 9th, 2016 at 1:56 PM ^
They must be No. 1 in 3rd down success rate too.
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October 9th, 2016 at 2:01 PM ^
Yes... thanks for the reminder... I had meant to include that but forgot. They are far and away the best in the country at stopping 3rd downs. (0.122)
October 9th, 2016 at 3:02 PM ^
Seems like they wont face a legit offense untlil OSU
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.
.
October 9th, 2016 at 3:27 PM ^
Can u imagine it Willie Henry stayed. We would have a potential NFL draft pick that wouldn't be getting many snaps. Insane.
October 9th, 2016 at 3:53 PM ^
If only we could take back about 4 of the runs from the UCF game...
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.
October 9th, 2016 at 9:27 PM ^
Marcus Ray has been on an OSU slurp fest for a while. Using his logic, the better team lost.
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.
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...
October 9th, 2016 at 7:35 PM ^
Why does RichRod still deserve to be piled on, while Hoke doesn't?
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.
October 9th, 2016 at 8:18 PM ^
October 10th, 2016 at 2:23 AM ^
As Michigan's DL coach from '95 through '02. I think if Mattison would have stayed after the '97 season we may have had another NC.
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...
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 ....
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?