Michigan Monday: Big Ten Championship Game vs. Iowa

Game Notes Nuggets

• The Wolverines will head to Indianapolis seeking the program's third consecutive outright Big Ten Championship, which would be the first time in program history with three straight outright conference titles.

• Michigan has achieved its second consecutive 12-0 season under head coach Jim Harbaugh. It marks the fifth season in program history with at least 12 wins (1905; 1997; 2021-23) and the first time the program has achieved a 12-0 mark in back-to-back seasons.

• Michigan is the only team in the nation with multiple wins over teams currently among the AP Top 10.

• This is the fourth time U-M has won at least a share of the Big Ten East Division and the third season in a row that U-M has been the outright division champ. The Wolverines will seek their league-leading 45th Big Ten title next Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in a 2021 rematch against Iowa.

• The Wolverines have been victorious in 24 straight Big Ten games dating to 2021, the longest streak in program history and the third longest in Big Ten history.

• The Big Ten Conference does not recognize the 2021 or 2022 Big Ten championship games as conference matchups, so U-M is at 22 straight Big Ten wins by the league's record book. That figure surpassed the previous record, a mark held by Gary Moeller's 1990-92 teams (19).

• Michigan has been victorious in 28 consecutive regular-season games, matching the record set by the 1901-03 Michigan teams and matched by the 2005-07 Ohio State teams.

• Michigan will carry into the 2024 season a 22-game winning streak at Michigan Stadium that dates back to 2021. It is the program's best streak since 1969-73 under Bo Schembechler (28 games) and the third-longest stretch in U-M Football history.

• U-M has trailed for only 23:33 of cumulative game time in 2023, as opposed to 1:05:05 through 12 games last season. The Wolverines have not trailed at any point in the second half of any game in 2023.

• Michigan has scored 14 points or more in every first half this season and at least three offensive touchdowns in every game this year.

• In quarterback J.J. McCarthy's 25 career starts, U-M is 24-1 for a win rate of 96 percent, the best mark by a starting quarterback in at least the last 10 seasons (minimum 20 starts). That mark ranks above those of Trevor Lawrence (34-2; 94.4), Tua Tagovailoa (22-2, 91.7) and Trevone Boykin (22-2, 91.7).

• Running back Blake Corum is the only FBS player to score in each game this season.

• Wolverines have been named finalists for the following awards: Lott IMPACT Trophy (Junior Colson), NFF William V. Campbell Trophy (Zak Zinter), Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (J.J. McCarthy). Individuals have also been named semifinalists for the following awards: Maxwell Award (Blake Corum, J.J. McCarthy), Davey O'Brien Award (McCarthy), Chuck Bednarik Award (Kris Jenkins), John Mackey Award (AJ Barner), Lombardi Award, Outland Trophy (Zinter), Wuerffel Trophy, Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year (Corum), Patrick Mannelly Award (William Wagner), Joe Moore Award (offensive line).

• The Wolverines are averaging a scoring margin of +27.3 across their 12 wins this season, the best figure in the country and one of two rates +25 points per game (Oregon, +25.3).

• Michigan is one of six teams to rank in the top 13 in both scoring offense (13th, 37.6 points per game) and scoring defense (first, 10.2 points per game allowed). Georgia (sixth, defense; seventh, offense), Oregon (seventh, defense; second, offense), Florida State (11th, defense; ninth, offense), Notre Dame (ninth, defense; eighth, offense) and SMU (13th, defense; third, offense) are the other three.

• U-M's 0.596 points per play on offense is the best rate in the Big Ten (next: Ohio State, 0.491) and fifth overall (LSU, USC, Oregon, Notre Dame). The Wolverine defense allows 0.176 points per play against, the third-lowest rate in the nation. This week's opponent, Iowa, leads the country at a rate of .171.

• Yards per point is a metric that describes how much of the field the offense must travel to score, on average. U-M's offense ranks No. 1 at 10.5 yards per point, while the defense forces opponents to travel 24.2 yards per point (No. 1 nationally). That margin (+13.6) is the largest in college football and one of only two margins in double-digits (Ohio State, 10.2).

• Eleven players have made their first starts as Wolverines this season, including five on offense (Barner, LaDarius Henderson, Myles Hinton, Tyler Morris, Drake Nugent) and six on defense (Rayshaun Benny, Kenneth Grant, Keshaun Harris, Quinten Johnson, Keon Sabb, Josh Wallace).

• Michigan holds top-10 Pro Football Focus grades and ranks in 10 of 13 major team categories Full list: overall team, No. 1 (95.8), offense, No. 5 (92.1), receiving, No. 1 (88.4), run-blocking, tied-No. 5 (75.2), defense, No. 1 (95.2), run defense, No. 6 (93.1), tackling, No. 1 (92.1), pass rush, No. 4 (90.4), pass coverage, tied-No. 4 (92.4), and special team, No. 10 (86.0).

• In that span, the offense has registered 235 drives in which the quarterback starts and finishes the possession (excludes kneel-downs, ends of halves). The Wolverines have points on 140 of those drives (59.6 percent) with 104 touchdowns (44.3 percent of all drives) and 36 field goals.

• Through 12 games in 2023, McCarthy has completed 191-of-257 pass attempts for a completion percentage of 74.3, the second-best in the country (Bo Nix, Oregon, 78.6). His completion rate is paired with an average depth of target (ADOT) of 10.3 yards downfield, whereas Nix's is 7.0.

• In the red zone, the Wolverines have 40 touchdowns in 48 scoring conversions (out of 55 opportunities). McCarthy has nearly as many red-zone touchdowns (nine) as incompletions (14) and 20 of Corum's 21 rushing scores have come from the 10-yard line or closer.

• U-M comes up big on the most important downs on both sides of the ball. The team ranks top-10 in third- (49.6 percent, eighth) and fourth-down (77.8, fifth) conversion rate on offense and ranks top-20 in conversion rate against in both categories on defense: 17th on third down (31.2 percent) and 11th on fourth down (36.0).

• McCarthy has been particularly effective on third down, completing 42-of-57 pass attempts (73.5 percent) for 615 yards with a 193.26 passer rating. In situations of 3rd-and-7-plus yards, McCarthy is 27-of-35 (75.8 percent) for 447 yards with 24 first downs or touchdowns (five).

• This season, his 11.5 yards per attempt on play-action is tied for seventh in the nation (minimum 50 attempts). He is 51-of-63 (81 percent) on play-action concepts with five touchdowns to one interception.

• Among players with at least 20 career touchdown passes, McCarthy has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in Michigan history (46:11 / 4.6:1), better than Drew Henson (3.43:1), Cade McNamara, and Shea Patterson (3:1).

• McCarthy is the program's career leader in yards per play (8.65) and ranks sixth in career touchdown percentage as a passer (7.28).

• McCarthy (5,718 career pass yards) passed Shea Patterson (5,661 yards) for seventh on the program's all-time passing list. Todd Collins (5,858 yards) ranks sixth on the list.

• McCarthy also sits sixth in all-time touchdown passes (46). Rick Leach (48) and Denard Robinson (49) are fifth and fourth on the list, respectively.

• With 19 passing scores this season, McCarthy is six shy of the single-season U-M record (Elvis Grbac, 1991). He also ranks fifth in the nation in pass efficiency (176.8) and sixth in yards per attempt (9.66) while ranking second in completion percentage (74.3). He is ESPN's No. 3 quarterback in total QBR (90.8) and PFF's No. 8-graded quarterback (91.0).

• McCarthy is averaging 222 yards of total offense per game in 2023 despite only 18 fourth-quarter pass attempts on the season.

• Corum (3,468 yards) is eighth on U-M's all-time rushing list; Chris Perry ranks one spot ahead of him (seventh) with 3,696 career yards rushing.

• Corum broke Hassan Haskins' (2021, 20) single-season rushing touchdown record with his 21st and 22nd ground scores of the year against the Buckeyes.

• Corum (53 career rushing touchdowns) stands alone in second place on the career rushing scores list; only Anthony Thomas (55) has more.

• Donovan Edwards ranks tied for seventh among running backs in all-time receptions (64) at U-M, two shy of Chris Perry for sixth. Edwards is fourth in receiving yards by a running back with 695, 115 shy of the career record held by Anthony Thomas (810).

• Corum is the national leader in rushing touchdowns (22) while wide receiver Roman Wilson is tied for ninth in receiving touchdowns (11), ranking second in the Big Ten. Corum also leads the nation in total points scored (132).

• Wilson's 11 receiving touchdowns are the most by a Wolverine pass catcher in the Harbaugh era (previously, Jehu Chesson, nine, 2015). They are also the most by a Michigan wideout since Mario Manningham had 12 in 2007.

• For his career, Wilson is up to 19 receiving touchdowns (plus two rushing), tied with Tai Streets (19) for seventh-most all-time. Derrick Alexander (22) is next up on the list.

• Twenty-six of Cornelius Johnson's 35 offensive touches have produced a touchdown or first down.

• Two Wolverine pass catchers are among the Big Ten's leaders in yards per route run (minimum 22 targets): Wilson (2.97) ranks 23rd in the country and second in the conference, Colston Loveland (2.66) ranks 42nd among all pass catchers and third among tight ends nationally, third in the league among all pass catchers.

• Loveland has at least one catch in every game this year with 37 catches for 550 yards and four receiving touchdowns, ranking second on the team in all three categories. He has built on his freshman season totals (16 for 235, two touchdowns) and is up to six touchdowns for his career. One more will tie him with Luke Schoonmaker (seven) for the 10th-most in a career by a U-M tight end and make him one of eight U-M tight ends with at least five in a season.

• Loveland sits ninth in receiving yards by a tight end across the NCAA this season (550) and eighth in single-season Michigan history; he lists 12th nationally among tight ends in receptions (37).

• Wilson (14 receiving), Loveland (11 receiving), Cornelius Johnson (eight receiving, one rushing), and Semaj Morgan (three receiving, one rushing, four returns) have combined for 42 explosive plays (20-plus yards). Six Wolverines have six or more explosive plays overall.

• Michigan's offensive line has allowed only 14 sacks on the season (1.17 per game), the 13th-fewest nationally and first in the Big Ten. With that unit as the engine, U-M permits the fourth-fewest negative plays per game (3.33) of any team in the country.

• The Wolverine defense ranks among the nation's best in third-down conversion rate against (31.2, 17th), fourth-down conversion rate against (36.0, 11th), red zone defense (71.4, sixth), rushing defense (91.4 yards per game, sixth), passes intercepted (16, fourth), pass yards allowed per game (153.3, fourth), pass efficiency defense (97.95, third), total defense (246.8, second) and leads the nation in defensive touchdowns (tied; five) and scoring defense (10.2 points per game).

• The Wolverines have scored five defensive touchdowns, tied for the national high mark with five other teams. Four have come via interception returns and one via a fumble return.

• U-M has allowed 123 points across 12 games for an NCAA-leading 10.2 points allowed per game, the lowest average scoring against through 12 weeks since 1997 (9.5).

• The defense has held opponents to one series (four plays) or fewer on 46.0 percent (58-of-126) possessions with 44 three-and-outs/turnovers on downs, and 14 turnovers or safeties forced in the first four plays of drives. U-M has at least one three-and-out forced in 23-of-24 halves this season.

• On the season, U-M has allowed 158 first downs, an average of 13.2 per game which is the lowest rate nationally. On average, teams reach a first down by passing 6.9 times per game, the lowest rate in the country and the only mark below seven.

• Opponents average 1.6 red zone trips per game against the Wolverines, the fewest in the country and one of two rates below two in the nation.

• Six of the 14 touchdowns U-M has allowed this year have been on explosive plays: a 20-yard rush by UNLV, a 69-yard pass by Rutgers, a 74-yard rush by Nebraska, a 35-yard pass by Minnesota, a 44-yard pass by Indiana, and a 24-yard pass by Purdue. Penn State was the first team to run a play from inside the 10-yard line against U-M this season, and all three of Maryland's scores were one-yard runs to bust the trend.

• The Wolverines have four interceptions returned for touchdowns this season (Mike Sainristil, Will Johnson, Sabb), tied for the program record set in 1998 and matched in 2018. On the season, U-M has allowed seven passing touchdowns to 16 interceptions, and the Wolverines average 21.1 yards per interception return.

• Sainristil is tied for the all-time lead in career interceptions returned for a touchdown with his two this season, as well as the single-season mark. His 158 return yards are ninth. Reaching 175 return yards would take him to fifth.

• In total, Michigan has forced 21 turnovers (16 interceptions, five fumble recoveries) and forced two safeties, while having lost seven turnovers themselves. The defense had a streak of at least one interception in seven straight games (Bowling Green to Purdue) and has one in 10-of-12 overall.

• U-M excels in the second half defensively. Opponents have accumulated 33 total first downs in 12 third quarters played. Ten (10) of 12 teams failed to reach 75 yards of offense in the quarter and four teams have been held under 15 yards of total offense.

• PFF gives Michigan front-seven defenders seven of the top 23 grades for run defense in the Big Ten: Josaiah Stewart (fifth), Mason Graham (eighth), Kris Jenkins (10th), Michael Barrett (12th), Derrick Moore (tied-21st), Colson (tied-21st), Cam Goode (23rd).

• The 13.7 completions per game U-M's pass defense is permitting are tied for the fewest in the country.

• The FBS-leading 4.8 points per half that U-M is allowing across second halves so far this season is the lowest rate nationally. No team has scored more than twice in any half this season.

• Twenty-four different players have at least a share of a tackle for loss on the season. Thirteen different players have recorded at least a share of a sack so far this season, led by Jaylen Harrell (5.5 each).

• Harrell and Stewart rank 10th and 17th in the country, respectively, in pass-rush win rate (21.2 percent, 20.0) and rank three-six the Big Ten. Graham (44th; 11th, 17.1), Moore (49th; 12th, 16.7), and Braiden McGregor (16th Big Ten, 14.8) give U-M five of the league's top 16 pass rushers.

• Punter Tommy Doman is averaging 4.37 seconds of hangtime per attempt, the second-best average of any punter in the country (minimum one punt per game), and the best in the Big Ten.

• Doman has four straight games with a punt at or inside the opponent's 12-yard line, including pinning opponents at the three-yard line or deeper in three of the last four games. His current single-season average of 45.03 yards per attempt would rank tied-third all-time at Michigan.

• The Wolverines also are among the best kickoff return defense units in the country, allowing 15.21 yards per return attempt (seventh, NCAA). Doman has delivered 57 touchbacks on 81 kickoffs this season (70.4 percent).

#2 Michigan (12-0) vs. #17 Iowa (10-2)

What You Need to Know

Wolverines in the Big Ten Championship Game

Wolverines and Hawkeyes

Michigan in Night Games

Game Notes Nuggets