By The Numbers: U-M Has Enjoyed Plenty Of October Success Under Harbaugh
Saturday's showdown with Iowa will be the first October contest of 2019 for the Michigan Wolverines' football team, and if history is any indication this should once again be a very good month for it.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh has posted a 12-3 record during the 10th month of the year during his first four seasons on the job, with four of those 12 victories coming against ranked opponents.
Harbaugh has racked up a better record in September (17-3) during his tenure in Ann Arbor, but an undefeated 4-0 mark this October would come within one win of matching that total.
Here is a closer look at Harbaugh's combined records by month at Michigan:
• August — 1-0
• September — 17-3
• October — 12-3
• November — 10-6
• December — 0-2
• January — 1-1
Harbaugh's clubs often play their best — and most consistent — football of the season in October.
| Date | Game | Result |
|---|---|---|
|
Oct. 3, 2015 |
at Maryland |
W, 28-0 |
|
Oct. 10, 2015 |
No. 13 Northwestern |
W, 38-0 |
|
Oct. 17, 2015 |
No. 7 Michigan State |
L, 27-23 |
|
Oct. 31, 2015 |
at Minnesota |
W, 29-26 |
|
Oct. 1, 2016 |
No. 8 Wisconsin |
W, 14-7 |
|
Oct. 8, 2016 |
at Rutgers |
W, 78-0 |
|
Oct. 22, 2016 |
Illinois |
W, 41-8 |
|
Oct. 29, 2016 |
at Michigan State |
W, 32-23 |
|
Oct. 7, 2017 |
Michigan State |
L, 14-10 |
|
Oct. 14, 2017 |
at Indiana |
W, 27-20 |
|
Oct. 21, 2017 |
at No. 2 Penn State |
L, 42-13 |
|
Oct. 28, 2017 |
Rutgers |
W, 35-14 |
|
Oct. 6, 2018 |
Maryland |
W, 42-21 |
|
Oct. 13, 2018 |
No. 15 Wisconsin |
W, 38-13 |
|
Oct. 20, 2018 |
at No. 24 Michigan State |
W, 21-7 |
The case could even be made that three of Harbaugh's first four teams (2015, 2016 and 2018, with 2017 being the exception) were at their best in each of those respective Octobers, with last year's squad being the perfect example.
U-M won its three games that month by a combined score of 101-41 (including triumphs over ranked Wisconsin and MSU clubs), before tailing off a bit in November with an underwhelming 31-20 victory over Indiana and a 62-39 blowout loss at Ohio State.
The 2016 Michigan crew followed a similar script, stringing together a 4-0 mark in October that included a thrilling 14-7 triumph over a top-10 Wisconsin squad on the first day of the month.
The Wolverines later lost at Iowa, 14-13, in mid-November in a matchup where they were heavily favored, before eventually falling at No. 2 Ohio State, 30-27, in double-overtime two weeks later.
Harbaugh's debut squad of 2015, meanwhile, also kicked off its October with a bang, picking up consecutive shutouts (it actually wound up being three straight, including the end-of-September blanking of BYU) over Maryland and No. 13 Northwestern, both of which came in blowout fashion (28-0 against the Terrapins and 38-0 over the Wildcats).
The Maize and Blue also would have picked up an Oct. 17 victory over No. 7 Michigan State if not for Blake O'Neill's infamous dropped punt as time expired that wound up giving the Spartans the victory.
Matching the success of past Octobers will obviously be incredibly difficult in 2019, with the Wolverines currently slated to face three ranked foes before Halloween — No. 14 Iowa on Saturday, No. 12 Penn State Oct. 19 and No. 9 Notre Dame Oct. 26.
By The Numbers: No. 14 Iowa at No. 19 Michigan
3 Different Iowa running backs have already racked up 200 rushing yards this season, more than any other team in the Big Ten. Redshirt junior Mekhi Sargent leads the way with 299 yards, redshirt junior Toren Young is next with 251 and freshman Tyler Goodson rounds out the list with 202.
3.5 Tackles for loss for junior defensive end Kwity Paye last Saturday against Rutgers, which were the most any defensive lineman had ever registered in one game under Harbaugh. Paye's five stops behind the line of scrimmage on the year now pace the team, while his two sacks are tied for the club lead.
4th Straight noon game for Michigan, with at least three more to come (at Illinois Oct. 12, at Maryland Nov. 2 and vs. Ohio State Nov. 30). In comparison, U-M played just five regular-season noon contests all of last year.
5 Of Iowa's 15 all-time victories against Michigan have come since 2009 alone (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2016). The Wolverines still hold a 41-15-4 all-time edge over the Hawkeyes , but possess just a 1-5 mark in the last six meetings.
5-3 Is U-M's home record against Associated Press top-25 opponents under Harbaugh. The five triumphs were against No. 22 BYU and No. 13 Northwestern in 2015, No. 8 Wisconsin in 2016, and No. 15 Wisconsin and No. 14 Penn State in 2018. The three losses, meanwhile, all occurred to rivals — No. 7 Michigan State in 2015, and to Ohio State clubs ranked No. 8 in both 2015 and 2017.
47.62 Yards per punt for redshirt junior Will Hart this season. The veteran doesn't qualify in the national punting statistics yet (punters must average 3.6 attempts per game played, while Hart is averaging 3.2). However, if he did, his average of 47.62 yards per kick would rank as the second-best mark in the Big Ten and seventh in the country.
60 Degrees for a projected high on Saturday in Ann Arbor, with mostly cloudy skies and only a 10 percent chance of precipitation. Wind gusts should also be at a minimum, with maximum speeds only expected to reach 11 miles-per-hour.
81.6 Receiving yards per game for sophomore wideout Ronnie Bell over the team's last three contests, including a career-high 83 yards last Saturday against Rutgers. Bell now leads the Wolverines in both catches (17) and receiving yards (263) on the year.
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