After Michigan's defense was destroyed by both Ohio State and Florida in the final two games of last season, a narrative was formed that U-M defensive coordinator Don Brown's clubs are not capable of shutting down elite offenses.
While the final two performances were indeed pitiful in every way imaginable, the aforementioned sentiment is nowhere near accurate.
Elite offenses are seldom 'shut down' in this day and age of college football, especially when considering the way the game's offensive attacks have developed and advanced.
With that being said, Brown's squads have turned in some incredible performances against outstanding offenses during his three years at Michigan, and the numbers on the chart below fully exemplify that.
We have defined 'outstanding offenses' as units that finished the year ranked in the top-35 nationally in yards per game.
U-M has faced eight such clubs who fit that criteria over the past three years, and Brown's defenses have held six of those eight below their season average in yards per game.
The most eye-popping numbers on the chart above involve holding a high-powered OSU offensive attack to 156 yards below its season average in 2017, Western Michigan to 228.8 yards below its average last year and Nebraska to an astounding 324.2 under its mean last season.
In fact, none of the six clubs who were held below their season average in on the list above even came close to hitting their total, with Florida State in 2016 coming the closest at 95.2 yards below.
Perhaps the best reason Brown's defeats have been remembered more than his triumphs have been due to the way some of his clubs have been embarrassed, most notably the meltdown at Ohio State last year.
Allowing 62 points and 567 yards obviously looks bad in every aspect, and has in a lot of ways become the lasting memory of the 2018 defense.
The infamous collapse at Penn State in 2017 also needs to be mentioned, with the Wolverines allowing 42 points and 506 yards to a high-powered Nittany Lion attack that featured Trace McSorley at quarterback and Saquon Barkley at running back.
It should also be noted, however, that PSU's 2017 team had no problem tearing up Washington's No. 8-rated defense (35 points and 545 yards in a Fiesta Bowl win), with the point being that poor performances from elite defenses aren't all that uncommon while squaring off with equally elite offenses.
Ineffective offensive play from the Wolverines certainly didn't do Brown's units any favors in several of the games above either, posting 20 points or fewer against PSU (13) and OSU in 2017 (20), and 17 against Notre Dame last year.
Yes, the veteran coordinator deserves plenty of flak for the season-ending collapses in 2018, BUT at the same time should be recognized for how many outstanding offensive clubs his defenses have contained and/or shut down.
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