| • Michigan has achieved its second 9-0 start under head coach Jim Harbaugh (2016). It’s the third time in the last 25 seasons that U-M has reached the 9-0 mark (2006, 11-0). • U-M is scoring 42.2 points per game and allowing 12.1 points against, on average. Michigan is one of two teams ranked in the top 10 in both scoring offense (fifth) and scoring defense (third), along with Ohio State (first, offense; eighth, defense). • The Wolverines’ scoring average of +30.1 points per contest is the best in the nation. Ohio State (30.0) and Georgia (+28.9) are the only other teams winning games by more than 24 points per contest, on average. • U-M has scored points on its opening possession in seven of nine games this season. Five of those seven scores have been touchdowns. • U-M is even more dangerous after the break, having outscored teams 84-6 in the third quarter and this season. In the last month (four games), U-M is out-scoring its opponents 100-3 in the second half. The defense has not surrendered a touchdown in the third quarter this year and has allowed just six in the fourth quarter. • Michigan’s +271 cumulative scoring differential is the best in the FBS. OSU (+270), Georgia (+264), Tennessee (+213) and Alabama (+211) are the only other teams above the cumulative 200-point mark. • The team’s explosiveness in all phases is evidenced by U-M recording at least six plays of 20-plus yards in four consecutive games and eight of nine this year (includes returns). • Dating to this time last season, U-M has averaged better than three rushing touchdowns per game (42 rushing TDs in 13 games). The team has 29 in nine games of 2022 and scored 13 in the final four games of 2021. • Blake Corum has 952 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns (one receiving) across six Big Ten games in 2022, averaging 5.76 yards per carry in conference play. Across his last 14 Big Ten games (dating to 2021), Corum has totaled 1,484 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns on 5.77 yards per carry. • Corum ranks fourth in the country in rushing yards (1,187), 27th in yards per carry (5.96), and first in total touchdowns (17). He is also the best chain-mover in the country, having picked up an FBS-best 77 first downs, and has 13 runs of 20-plus yards (tied-second most, nationally). • Corum has produced 13 of Michigan’s 48 explosive offensive plays (20-plus yards). He has at least one run of 20-plus yards in seven of nine games this season; Colorado State limited him to a 19-yard rush and he had a long run of 17 yards against Michigan State. • PFFCollege credits Corum with 56 missed tackles forced on 199 carries this season, second-most among Big Ten backs (Chase Brown, 62) and seventh overall. Corum has 59 fewer carries than Brown. • The service grades Corum as the highest-rated player in the FBS at any position, offense or defense, (93.4). • So far this season, the offensive line has paved the way to an average of 6.02 yards per sack-adjusted carry, and 6.6 yards per play overall. U-M (465.7 yards per game) has outgained opponents (242.4) by more than 220 yards per game, on average. • The men up front have permitted just 40 negative plays on 637 offensive snaps (4.4 per game, or on 6.3 percent of all offensive snaps). When the line does allow a sack, it comes on an average of 4.77 seconds to throw, the 10th-most time when considering passers with at least 100 dropbacks. • Opponents have pressured a U-M passer 18 times (10 sacks, eight hurries) across 36 quarters of play. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy averages 4.16 seconds to throw, the 10th-most time among FBS quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks. • In the run game, U-M ball carriers have recorded just 78 yards lost on 388 non-sack rush attempts. • J.J. McCarthy’s completion percentage is among the best in the country among qualified passers at 70.9 percent (136-of-196), and he’s averaging an FBS-best 13.2 yards per attempt on play action (minimum 100 dropbacks) with a touchdown percentage of 9.75. • McCarthy also ranks 20th in pass efficiency (158.3) and has an NFL passer rating of 106.4 this season. • When McCarthy starts and finishes a Michigan drive, U-M has produced 34 touchdowns and 16 field goals on 76 possessions, translating to points on 66 percent of drives. In his eight starts, the team has scored in 40 of 43 red zone trips (93 percent) with him on the field, scoring 33 touchdowns (77 percent red zone touchdown rate). • Receiver Ronnie Bell leads all pass catchers in catches (41) and yards (525), while Cornelius Johnson holds the lead in receiving touchdowns (four). Seven different players have at least one touchdown catch. • Tight end Luke Schoonmaker has come on strong in the pass game while also posting career-best blocking grades. Schoonmaker is No. 2 in the Big Ten and tied-20th in the country among tight ends (minimum 15 targets) in yards per route run (1.92). • Schoonmaker entered the 2022 season having never caught more than three passes in a game but has four or more catches in four of the last six contests. He has established new career highs in catches (nine at Indiana) and yards (72 vs. Maryland) since the start of conference play. • U-M’s high scoring rates have Blake Corum (102 points) tied for first and Jake Moody (99 points) third among all FBS scorers. The next-highest-scoring pair of teammates are Bert Auburn (85 points) and Bijan Robinson (84 points) from Texas and Chase McGrath (85 points) and Jalin Hyatt (84 points) from Tennessee. • The defense is ranked in the top 12 of 10 major categories, with top-five ranks in rushing defense (first), total defense, passing efficiency defense (second), and scoring defense (third). • No team has reached 150 yards on the ground against Michigan this season and Maryland is the only team to reach 300 yards of total offense. • U-M has held four of the last five teams under 50 yards rushing for the game. • After trailing at the half for the first time this season at Rutgers, the Wolverine defense responded emphatically, forcing a three-and-out to open the third quarter before intercepting passes to end three of the next four drives. This led to 21 U-M points in a span of 1:42 of game clock. • Opposing offenses have been held to 4.1 yards per play, including a stingy 2.6 yards per rush. On average, teams suffer more than six negative plays per game (6.33) for 31.8 yards lost. • Mike Morris leads the team in TFLs (10.5) and sacks (7.5), and ranks second in the Big Ten and tied-12th nationally in the latter category. Morris has PFF’s top pass-rush productivity grade (PRP, minimum 65 pass rush snaps) in the Big Ten. • Morris is credited with 33 combined sacks, hits, and hurries in true pass-rush sets — tied-third-most in the conference — on 178 pass-rush snaps. The two players with more combined sacks, hits and hurries than Morris have 278 and 206 pass rush snaps, respectively. • Kris Jenkins leads all FBS defenders with a 19.8 stop percentage, nearly three percentage points clear of the next-closest player (16.9 percent), minimum 60 run plays defended. Run stop percentage is a metric by PFF that measures the percentage of a player’s defensive snaps that result in a stuff on a run play. Mazi Smith (13.0 percent) is also elite in this category, listing seventh in the league. • Defensive back Rod Moore (three interceptions) leads the team in turnovers, tied for 18th nationally. Five different Wolverines have at least one pick, and 16 different players have at least one pass breakup. • Linebacker Michael Barrett recorded the first interceptions (two) of his career at Rutgers, returning the second for a 31-yard touchdown. Freshman Will Johnson also recorded his first career interception in his first career start. Combined, they gave the Wolverines 81 return yards on the three plays. • Among punters with at least one punt per game (eight), Robbins’ 4.36-second hang time is the best in the country, according to PFFCollege. He is the only punter in the nation above 4.3 seconds. The average among Big Ten punters who meet the same qualifications is 3.86 seconds. • With Robbins directing the unit, no opponent has registered a punt return of 10-plus yards since U-M played Ohio State in the 2017 season (106 punts). So far this year, return attempts gained 3.4 yards on average. • Seventeen (17) of Robbins’ 22 punts have been downed, fair caught, or rolled out of bounds. The other five have been returned for a combined total of 17 yards. • U-M is No. 11 in the nation in net punting (42.17 yards per attempt) following the blocked punt by the Scarlet Knights last weekend. The slim difference between Robbins’ yards per punt (45.2) and net yards per punt has long been the veteran’s calling card. • Robbins’ special teams partner Jake Moody has allowed 11 returns on 67 kickoffs this season (16.4 percent return rate). When opponents do attempt a return, they start at their 16-yard line on average. Moody is fourth in the country with 67 kickoffs and leads the country in combined touchbacks (47) and touchbacks (9) with 56. • Moody has entered a truly elite company in the Michigan record books. He’s now tied with Mike Gillette (307 points) for fourth on the program’s all-time scoring list. Garrett Rivas (354 points, all-time leader) is the only kicker to have contributed more points to Michigan Football. |
