By The Numbers: Saturday Was U-M’s Best Performance Vs. The Run Under Brown

When the Michigan Wolverines football team held Iowa to one rushing yard in last Saturday's 10-3 win, it marked the fewest yards on the ground that defensive coordinator Don Brown's crew had yielded in a game during his three-plus years on the job (he took over prior to the 2016 season).

That statistic takes on a bit more significance when considering Brown's 2016 defense finished deadlocked with Alabama as the country's best unit (261.8 yards allowed per game), while his 2017 squad finished third (271.0) and his 2018 group second (275.2).

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It's also important to note that Iowa had run for 351 yards and averaged 6.9 yards per attempt the previous week in a 48-3 victory over Middle Tennessee State, and had been averaging 217.5 yards per game on the ground entering the Michigan contest to rank 29th nationally.

U-M, meanwhile, was gashed for 359 rushing yards at Wisconsin just two weeks prior, the most ever under Brown at Michigan and the most the Wolverines had given up in a game since yielding 369 to Ohio State in 2015.

In other words, Brown's unit's worst-ever showing against the run at U-M was followed by its best just two weeks later.

Not only was the Maize and Blue limiting Iowa to one yard on the ground the team's most impressive defensive performance against the rush since holding Northwestern to minus-nine yards in 2014, but it also marked its second-best performance since 2007.

Saturday's effort was Michigan's sixth-best showing against the run since 2000, and the third time that Brown's Wolverines held an opponent to 20 rushing yards or fewer in a game (see chart below).

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The 2006 Maize and Blue defense limited five of its 13 opponents to 16 rushing yards or fewer, en route to finishing with the best run defense in the country (an average of just 43.0 yards on the ground per game).

That total stood as the best in college football since at least 2004 (which is as far back as ESPN's statistics database goes), with only one No. 1-finishing rush defense since then allowing fewer than 65 yards on the ground per game (TCU's 48.7 in 2008).

Perhaps what's most impressive about the 2006 club's front seven, however, were the opponents it shut down — a Wisconsin club that finished 12-1 (held to 12 rushing yards by U-M), a 10-3 Notre Dame squad (four yards) and a Penn State crew who concluded at 9-4 (minus-14 yards).

That same perspective can be used to laud Saturday's defensive effort, especially when considering how seldom Iowa's ground game has been shut down during the Kirk Ferentz era (since 1999, making him the longest-tenured coach in college football).

Since 2006, the Hawkeyes have been held to 20 rushing yards or fewer in a contest just four times (including Saturday against Michigan), and only eight times since 2000.

It's difficult to pinpoint one aspect that has led to U-M's defensive ascension, though the return of redshirt junior defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour from injury has arguably been the most important factor.

He was injured after playing just one snap in the season opener against Middle Tennessee State Aug. 31, and didn't return again until the blowout of Rutgers Sept. 28.

In the three contests without him in the lineup, the Wolverines gave up an average of 208.6 rushing yards per game; in the two showdowns since his return, however, they've yielded just 24.5 ground yards per outing.

5th Straight noon game for Michigan on Saturday, with at least two more to come (at Maryland Nov. 2 and Ohio State Nov. 30). The Wolverines will have a minimum of seven 12 p.m. starts in 2019, after playing just five regular-season noon contests last year.

10 Touchdown passes for Illinois redshirt junior quarterback Brandon Peters this season, to go along with four picks, a 58.3 completion percentage and average of 159.4 passing yards per game. Peters threw just four touchdown passes during his three years at Michigan, and is questionable for Saturday's game after departing last weekend's loss at Minnesota with injury.

10.5, 7.0 Tackles for loss and sacks, respectively, for Illinois redshirt junior defensive end Oluwole Betiku, with the former statistic leading the Big Ten and the latter checking in second. Betiku's tackles for loss total is tied for the fourth most in college football, while his sacks mark is tied for the third most.

20.69 Yards per catch for U-M junior wideout Nico Collins this season, which is the fourth-highest average in the Big Ten. The junior's 63-yard performance on Saturday gave him 269 yards for the season, which overtook sophomore receiver Ronnie Bell's 263 for the team lead.

56 Degrees for a projected high on Saturday in Champaign, with a zero percent chance of precipitation and nothing but sunny skies. It will be breezy, however, with maximum wind gusts expected to hit 15 miles-per-hour.

70 All-time wins for U-M against Illinois, which are tied with Michigan State for the Wolverines' most against a single opponent. The only club the Maize and Blue has ever defeated more times than the Fighting Illini and the Spartans is Minnesota, at 75.

2011 Was the last time Michigan played in Champaign, with the Wolverines picking up a 31-14 victory in Brady Hoke's first season. The Maize and Blue have played at all 12 of the other opposing Big Ten venues since their last trip to Illinois.

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