By The Numbers: Will Michigan Snap Losing Streak At Camp Randall?

Michigan football is 51-17-1 in its 69 all-time meetings with Wisconsin — 29-7 at home and 22-8-1 on the road — but there's some angst ahead of the Wolverines' matchup with the Badgers in Madison this weekend. The hesitation from the fan base is warranted, too, with the Maize and Blue losing five straight tilts at Camp Randall, which holds 80,321 fans, and not coming out on top in the venue since 2001.

U-M hasn't been all that competitive in those five contests, either, losing by a combined score of 164-86, nearly being doubled up by the Badgers over that span.

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Michigan had won three consecutive clashes at Camp Randall before the Badgers' current win streak began.

The Wolverines' 1997 national championship squad pulled out a 26-16 win behind a two-rushing-touchdown performance by running back Chris Howard (cornerback Charles Woodson also had a second-quarter interception), before quarterback Tom Brady completed 17 of 27 passes for 217 yards and two scores to lead U-M to a 21-16 win in 1999.

In 2001, the Wolverines' most recent victory in Madison, it was truly a 'gritty, not pretty' effort by the Maize and Blue. Signal-caller John Navarre completed 11 of 24 passes for 58 yards and one touchdown with an interception, while the ground game produced just 2.8 yards per attempt. With 10 seconds to go and a tied game at 17-17, kicker Hayden Epstein nailed a 31-yard field goal to give Michigan the lead and the eventual win.

From that point on, the home team has dominated this series, winning 10 of 12 games, with the rare road wins coming last season, when the Badgers beat U-M at in Ann Arbor, 49-11, and in 2010, when they won at The Big House, 48-28.

From an overall standpoint, Wisconsin has the opportunity to tie its longest win streak in the series (three), with a victory Saturday afternoon. The Badgers' previous three-game win streaks occurred in 1959, 1960 and 1962.

On the flip side, Michigan can turn the tide by snapping the road streak and two-game overall skid by coming out on top and beginning its own win streak. The most consecutive games the Maize and Blue have won over Wisconsin is 14, which happened over the span of 15 years from 1965-80.

2 U-M players — freshman tight end Max Bredeson (Hartland) and freshman running back Isaiah Gash (Green Bay) hail from the state of Wisconsin, while seven Badgers are natives of Michigan.

3 Teams — Navy, Air Force and Army — have thrown fewer passes per game than Michigan, with the Wolverines attempting 16.3 tosses per contest. It is worth noting that they're the 20th-most efficient passing team in the nation, with a 168.2 rating.

6th in the county is where Wisconsin ranks in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert on just 25 percent of their opportunities.

6.3 Percent of Wisconsin sophomore quarterback Graham Mertz's passes this season have resulted in interceptions, with the signal-caller throwing six picks on 95 throws. Since his starting debut in the Badgers' 2020 season opener against Illinois in which he completed 20 of 21 passes for 248 yards and five touchdowns, Mertz has thrown five touchdowns against 11 interceptions.

8 Out of the 22 total on-field coaches for Wisconsin and Michigan are alums of the teams they now coach. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, safeties coach Ron Bellamy and running backs coach Mike Hart all played for the Wolverines, while Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst, offensive line coach Joe Rudolph, defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej and tight ends coach Mickey Turner played for the Badgers.

23 Rushing yards per game allowed by the Badger defense, a mark that tops the nation. Wisconsin ranks second in total defense (210.3 yards per game), 37th in passing defense (187.3 yards per game) and 57th in scoring defense (21.3 yards per game).

124 Career pass attempts without an interception for Michigan redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara. The Wolverines are the only team in the country that has not turned the ball over this year and one of just 10 programs to have not thrown an interception.

130th (dead last in the FBS) is where Wisconsin ranks in average turnover margin per game (minus-2.33), with nine turnovers lost and two gained.

161 Points scored for the Michigan offense through four weeks (40.3 per game), which ranks 16th nationally and second in the Big Ten. That scoring figure represents the fifth-highest total during that span in the last 50 seasons at U-M (since 1971).

637 Pounds between Wisconsin sophomore offensive lineman Logan Brown (311) and Michigan redshirt freshman defensive tackle Mazi Smith (326), with the duo having played together at Grand Rapids (Mich.) East Kentwood. Brown has played 28 snaps at left tackle this season and could line up across from Smith, who has started all four contests for U-M, Saturday.

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