Inside the Numbers: Don't Take Michigan's Defense for Granted

The conversation about Michigan football ebbs and flows with its offense.

It’s understandable. An efficient offense has been the missing piece during Jim Harbaugh’s tenure in Ann Arbor. In his first four years, Michigan was no better than 42nd in yards per play.

Harbaugh recognized this, so he brought in offensive coordinator Josh Gattis to install what was supposed to be a passing spread that relied upon run-pass options, unleashed senior quarterback Shea Patterson’s arm and legs and put speed in space. When Gattis’ offense experienced early struggles, the conversation focused on what was wrong and how Michigan could fix it. When the offense thrashed then-No. 8 Notre Dame to the tune of 45 points and 303 rushing yards, the conversation turned to redshirt freshman running back Hassan Haskins, freshman running back Zach Charbonnet and how Harbaugh has revived the rushing attack with familiar concepts.

However, what has not been discussed nearly enough in all of this has been Michigan’s defense. Instead, it has been taken for granted because its dominance each year has become familiar.

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