Some stats from an absolutely dominant season

Submitted by reshp1 on January 10th, 2024 at 11:14 AM

I totaled up some stats from our season and some of these are absolutely bonkers:

  • Michigan trailed for a total of 41:47 all season, less than 3 quarters of football through 15 games (4.6%). The 5:18 we trailed Alabama was our only second half deficit.
  • The defense's cumulative TD-INT ratio was 8(!) to 18
  • We allowed just 17 touchdowns total all season, 9 rushing, 8 passing. Fun fact Billy Edwards (Maryland) accounts for 33% of the rushing TDs against Michigan, all from inside the 1 yard line.
  • Turnover margin was an NCAA leading +17. The offense only lost 5 turnovers all year (3 on special teams), while the defense forced 25 turnovers. 4 of 8 M turnovers happened in one game, against Bowling Green. 
  • None of our three top backs lost a fumble all year, with only Blake fumbling at all (3 recovered by M). Mike Hart uber alles.
  • Michigan outscored opponents in the 3rd quarter 146 to 24. We had a 3rd Qtr shutout through ten games until Maryland (14). Only ohio (7) and Washington (3) scored in the 3rd the rest of the way.
  • And for completeness total scoring: 538-156 (+382), total yardage: 5741-3705 (+2036). We were only outgained by one team all season (ohio).

I know some of these cumulative stats were padded out through the early games against bad teams, but overall they still tell the tale of a historically dominant season. This team was elite in almost every facet.

What were some of your favorite stats this year?

 

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k1400

January 10th, 2024 at 11:20 AM ^

We shut the offense down in a lot of those early games too. Bench guys in for half the game for some of them. 
 

Edit:  shut both sides down.  Bench guys on both sides of the ball early. 

Joined: 06/30/2011

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Logan88

January 10th, 2024 at 11:35 AM ^

Yep. 

UM actually could have had a better scoring average than Washington but they chose to play the three non-conference games like NFL pre-season games. Washington put up huge numbers against Boise State and Tulsa (Penix played deep into the 4th quarter in every Washington game this season) while UM put up very pedestrian yardage and scoring numbers against their non-conference opponents because they rested their starters by the middle of the 3rd quarter and did lots of unusual lineups and play calling in those pre-season games.

I thought it was kind of hilarious how the narrative before the championship game was Washington had this unstoppable offense but they only averaged 1.6 ppg more than UM on offense while putting up video game numbers in their non-conference schedule and they played in a defense is optional league.

Joined: 01/05/2009

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HChiti76

January 10th, 2024 at 9:50 PM ^

HP, I assume you meant something else here. After M gave up 40 to Missouri in game 3 in 1969, Bo’s first year, Michigan didn’t give up more than 23 points in a game until the Wisconsin game to open the 1976 season!

That was over 6 1/2 seasons. 74 games. Hell, in 1972, my freshman year, we only gave up 57 points total in the entire 11 game season!
 

 

Joined: 12/01/2014

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J. Redux

January 10th, 2024 at 11:22 AM ^

Muffed kicks are not turnovers.  You don't need to add in three "special teams turnovers."  If the player never had the ball, they can't turn it over. :)

Joined: 10/15/2020

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Amazinblu

January 10th, 2024 at 11:52 AM ^

IIRC - Harbaugh was asked prior to last season about the "Stats that matter".    His reply - besides the score?  Nothing.

It doesn't necessarily matter how you win - as long as you win.

Washington won the time of possession - and had more first downs than Michigan on Monday evening.  Michigan won the turnover battle.

Joined: 01/22/2010

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soniktoothe

January 10th, 2024 at 3:17 PM ^

The time of possession stat and first downs is a weird one against the Huskies.

The Michigan offense only needed 19 plays on their 4 touchdown possessions. 8 of those plays came on the the opening drive. The one touchdown came off the interception that only need two plays to get into the end zone.

It's interesting that this game was kind of the inverse of how Michigan usual plays. Michigan had more explosive plays that shortened their TOP.

Usually it's the slow methodical Michigan offense chewing away at the clock and wearing out the defense. Instead Michigan's defense forced the Huskies to take long drives for repeated short gains that usually fizzled out before getting into the red zone. 

I was amazed by how exhausted Washington looked on both side of the ball at the end of this one. Exhausted and battered.

Joined: 08/27/2013

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Qmatic

January 10th, 2024 at 12:26 PM ^

Even if Jim goes, we should retain a lot. I would expect to see it shake up like:

Minter & Jay go with Jim

Clink is elevated to full-time DC

Hart & Campbell OC (Kind of like a Drevno and Fisch situation with Moore still the primary play caller)

Newsome OL

Elston: Maybe a Co-DC tag along with DL duties

Bellamy: WRs or he moves back to Secondary with the elevation of Clink

Need to hire a Special Teams and LB coach and one more (WR or Secondary)

Joined: 01/09/2013

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leftrare

January 10th, 2024 at 11:52 AM ^

The opp. TD to Int ratio is kind of amazing.  I'd love to know what was opposing QBR was against M but I'm too lazy to try to figure that out.

 

Joined: 06/30/2008

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Romeo50

January 10th, 2024 at 11:55 AM ^

How rested the starters were since "we never played anybody" and took them out the final quarter. Game tested backups as a result. Cupboard not bare this year despite big losses. The numbers have been shown even on broadcasts all season

Joined: 03/09/2013

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MRunner73

January 10th, 2024 at 11:59 AM ^

The stats don't lie. Some of the numbers are very impressive like the turnover margin. The INTs are amazing. The defense stats are also off the charts. They held the opposition net yards rushing to under 100 in 8 games. The regular season ave was 90.1 and the post season of IA, 'Bama and UW was 84.3 net yards. Passing was similar with the regular season ave of 155.3 yds and the post season of 163.7 yds. Total offense: Regular season ave was 247.4 yds; post season was 248 yds.

No doubt, a season to always remember. Nothing beats perfection.

Joined: 11/11/2018

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soniktoothe

January 10th, 2024 at 4:34 PM ^

That is one stat that I hadn't thought to look for. 

Iowa's inept offense throws off the numbers. But between Washington and Bama they still only averaged 294.5.

I had commented on r/CFB about the lack of Wolverines on the All-American lists and someone responded it was because Michigan's stats were padded by a terrible schedule. This shows that their defense was somewhat opponent invariant. 

Joined: 08/27/2013

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Blue1972

January 10th, 2024 at 12:02 PM ^

And I think Blake was dinged for a fumble with the muffed flea flicker in the Bama game.

Not sure I would consider that a fumble, but perhaps that is classified as a fumble for official scoring.

Joined: 09/12/2010

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Nixon Bluett

January 10th, 2024 at 12:06 PM ^

First to +1000 total wins while within a championship season.

Also, M is 1000 via roman numerals which is fun. Also, we have Roman Wilson who is awesome. Also, if you like to compare football to warfare our team was very Romanesque in that we always marched forward and never retreated. Shields up marching downhill victory!

Joined: 08/14/2014

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Yeoman

January 10th, 2024 at 12:07 PM ^

For all the talk about the weak schedule, in the end it didn't turn out to have been that bad. UNLV played for a conference championship, BGSU had a competent defense for a MAC team, only ECU and MSU were truly abysmal.

FEI has a few different SOS calculations posted:

(1) How many games would an average team be expected to lose playing this schedule? Michigan was 4th here, behind the other three playoff teams.

(2) How many games would a good team (one standard deviation above average) be expected to lose? Michigan is 11th at 4.64.

(3) How many games would an elite team (2 s.d.'s above average) lose? Michigan is 14th at 1.85; the only schools in the FEI top 10 with tougher schedules all played Michigan.

To me that's really what we mean by a difficult schedule: how many chances did you have to lose? It doesn't matter whether your cupcake was MTSU or ECU or Portland State, though that's a heavy factor in the usual average-ranking SOS calculation.

FWIW, Washington was #1 in all three. That's not a surprise, they had to play three games against FEI's top two.

Joined: 06/08/2011

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SDCran

January 10th, 2024 at 3:38 PM ^

Giving you the courtesy to respond on your real post.   I do like these SOS better than most.  This way, depending on who you are, you can have a good conversation.   OSU and UM can compare on the ELS scale, while MSU and EMU can compare on ALS scale.

And swapping our our ECU game for my hypothetical Miami NTM games would make no difference.   Too bad the mainstream sports media still uses the dumb ones.

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jmblue

January 10th, 2024 at 12:09 PM ^

The 5:18 we trailed Alabama was our only second half deficit.

Think it was longer than that - they scored at the beginning of the fourth quarter and we didn't tie it up until about 1:30 to go.

But still.

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