Michigan football has thoroughly dominated Western Michigan throughout history, with the Wolverines having won each of the seven meetings to date, leaving the Broncos still searching for their first-ever victory over the Maize and Blue when the two teams meet Sept. 4 in Ann Arbor.
In those seven contests, Michigan has outscored WMU, 261-72, or by an average score of 37.3-10.3 per game. The closest tilt was the first one, when the Wolverines won, 17-13, Oct. 10, 1917, at Ferry Field, the program's previous home before The Big House was built. The most lopsided affair occurred Sept. 25, 1943, when Michigan won 57-6.
In the most recent meeting, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and Co. took down WMU head man Tim Lester's Broncos Sept. 8, 2018, in a 49-3 blowout.
RELATED: Thirteen Former Michigan Players Projected To Be NFL Starters In 2021
In the win, Michigan took control right out of the gate, posting 21 points and 208 yards of offense, including 167 rushing yards, in the first quarter alone. Then-senior running back Karan Higdon accounted for 140 of his 156 rushing yards in the opening stanza.
Prior to that contest, Michigan beat the Broncos in 2011 (34-10), 2009 (31-7), 2002 (35-12), 2001 (38-21), 1943 (57-6) and in the aforementioned 1917 tilt (17-13).
The 2018 clash actually stands as the only time Harbaugh has gone up against a Mid-American Conference opponent since being hired in 2015, but the Wolverines have a long history of beating MAC teams.
The Maize and Blue are 33-1 all time against MAC schools, with the only loss coming to Toledo Oct. 11, 2008, during former head man Rich Rodriguez's first season in Ann Arbor.
Michigan's most common MAC matchup is Eastern Michigan, which hails from just down the road in Ypsilanti, Mich. The Wolverines are 10-0 against the Eagles, while they're 6-0 against Miami (Ohio) and 4-0 against Central Michigan. Here is a closer look at how the Maize and Blue have fared against the MAC:
By The Numbers: Michigan Football vs. Western Michigan
3rd Is where WMU redshirt sophomore quarterback Kaleb Eleby ranked nationally in passer rating in 2020, trailing only Heisman Trophy finalist Mac Jones and BYU's Zach Wilson. On the season, Eleby completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,715 yards and 18 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
1:27 Remained on the third-quarter game clock when Michigan's 34-10 victory over WMU was declared final due to weather Sept. 3, 2011, in Ann Arbor. The triumph was former head coach Brady Hoke's first at the helm of the U-M program. It also came one week before the Wolverines' first-ever night game at Michigan Stadium, a parallel to this year's matchup, as U-M will host Washington under the lights (8 p.m. ET kickoff) Sept. 11.
7 Tackles, including 1.5 stops for loss, for Michigan redshirt junior linebacker Josh Ross against WMU in 2018. The former stat was tied for second on the team and the latter was tied atop the squad. Junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, then a freshman, recorded six tackles of his own.
13-4 Is head coach Jim Harbaugh's record in season openers during his collegiate and professional coaching career. In openers, Harbaugh compiled a 2-1 record at San Diego, owned a 3-1 mark at Stanford, posted a 4-0 record with the San Francisco 49ers and is 4-2 at Michigan. The Maize and Blue are a perfect 13-0 in non-conference home games under Harbaugh.
33-1 Is Michigan's record against MAC opponents, with the only loss coming to Toledo Oct. 11, 2008.
100 Miles separate Waldo Stadium, the home of the Broncos, and Michigan Stadium, the home of the Wolverines. Interstate 94 is nearly a straight shot between Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor, and Google Maps estimates that it takes one hour and 34 minutes to drive from one campus to the other.
151 Years of coaching experience at the college (123 years) and NFL (28) levels for Michigan's new-look staff, which is making its collective debut this weekend. Harbaugh replaced six of his assistants this offseason, adding safeties coach Ron Bellamy, defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale, running backs coach Mike Hart, linebackers coach George Helow, defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss.
644 Days between Nov. 30, 2019 — the last time before this weekend's game that Michigan welcomed a full-capacity crowd to The Big House — and Sept. 4.
1,507 Passing yards over four seasons during WMU head coach Tim Lester's playing career for the Broncos from 1996-99. Both head coaches were once signal-callers for the programs they now work for, with Harbaugh competing at Michigan from 1983-86, when he racked up 5,449 passing yards and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting following the 1986 campaign.
1982 Is the year when WMU hired Harbaugh's father, former Michigan secondary coach Jack Harbaugh, as its head man. The elder Harbaugh compiled a 25-27-3 record with the Broncos, and was let go following a 3-8 campaign in 1986.
2016 Was the last time Michigan played all four games in the month of September at The Big House, and the Wolverines are set to do so once again this year. Following this weekend's contest, U-M will host No. 20 Washington Sept. 11, Northern Illinois Sept. 18 and Rutgers Sept. 25, before heading to Wisconsin Oct. 2. The most consecutive home contests to start a U-M season is eight, a mark reached during the 1905 and 1917 campaigns.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Listen and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our daily newsletter and breaking news alerts
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW,
@JB_ Wolverine, @Clayton Sayfie and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook