The 4 Most Unbreakable Offensive Records In Michigan Football History
There are plenty of records in the history of the Michigan Wolverines' football program that will likely never be broken, and we've taken a look at the four offensive statistics that will be the most difficult to top.
The official Michigan football database only goes back to 1949, so it's worth noting that we only took into accounts records that have been set since then.
4. Ron Johnson's 347 Rushing Yards Against Wisconsin in 1968
Rushing for 200 yards in a game is quite an achievement, while compiling 300 is seldom seen in a single contest. Only two players in Michigan history have hit the 300-yard plateau in a game — running back Ron Johnson when he racked up 347 yards in U-M's 34-9 win over Wisconsin in 1968, and Tim Biakabutuka when he posted 313 yards against Ohio State in 1995.
It's hard to envision any Wolverine rusher ever eclipsing 347 yards in a single game again, especially when considering the way running backs are rotated in and out more frequently nowadays and workhorse backs are becoming more rare.
Johnson tore up the Badgers on a wet and muddy afternoon in Ann Arbor on Nov. 16, 1968, registering 31 carries (11.1 yards per touch) and five touchdowns in front of a crowd of just 51,117 people.
3. Braylon Edwards' 3,541 Career Receiving Yards
Braylon Edwards recorded three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons during his final three years at Michigan (2002-04), an accomplishment that is incredibly rare in college football.
He hauled in 1,035 yards in 2002, 1,138 yards in 2003 and 1,330 yards in 2004, giving him 3,541 for his career (to go along with the 38 he had in 2001).
If a wideout hopes to break Edwards' career mark, they would have to average 885.5 yards per season over a four-year career. That seems unlikely to happen when considering how players jump early to the NFL at a higher rate than ever before.
When Edwards reeled in 1,330 yards in his final campaign of 2004, he became just the third player in college football history ever to record three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
2. Desmond Howard's 19 Touchdown Receptions in 1991
To further exemplify how rare Desmond Howard's 19 touchdown receptions were in his Heisman trophy-winning season of 1991, consider this: only four other players in school history have even reeled in more than 12 touchdown catches in a single season.
Edwards' 15 scoring grabs in 2004 check in a distant second on the all-time list, with Howard holding the single-season school record by a comfortable margin.
Anthony Carter in 1980, David Terrell in 2000 and Edwards in 2003 are each tied for third on the all-time list with 14 TD catches.
Howard also reeled in his 19 TD grabs in 1991 in just 12 games (one less than clubs play nowadays with a bowl game), to go along with 62 catches and 985 yards.
1. Jeremy Gallon's 369 Receiving Yards Against Indiana in 2013
Jeremy Gallon's 369 receiving yards in Michigan's 63-47 win over Indiana on Oct. 19, 2013, not only set a U-M single-game record, but nearly a collegiate all-time record as well.
He shattered the all-time school mark, surpassing the 246 yards that Roy Roundtree hauled in against Illinois in 2010 (the previous school record) by 123 yards. Gallon was also just 36 yards shy of tying college football's single-game mark, with the 405 yards that Louisiana Tech's Troy Edwards tallied against Nebraska in 1998 standing as the game's all-time mark.
Gallon's 346 yards against the Hoosiers check in second on college football's all-time list.
Only two other Wolverine players have ever even reeled in 200 yards in a single outing — Roundtree against Illinois in 2010 and Jehu Chesson when he reeled in 207 yards at Indiana in 2015.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Listen and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our newsletter, The Wolverine Now
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW, @AustinFox42, @JB_ Wolverine, Clayton Sayfie and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook