Jesse Reed
7. Michigan is a steamroller right now
The ease with which Michigan (No. 18) dispatched previously undefeated Northwestern (No. 13) on Saturday was stunning. The Wolverines thumped the Wildcats by a score of 38-0 at home.
There isn’t a defense in the nation that can compete with Michigan’s outstanding unit right now, which has pitched three shutouts in a row — that’s 12 straight quarters without allowing a single score. This is the first time since 1980 that the Wolverines have accomplished this feat, and through six games they are outscoring opponents by a score of 177-38.
#Michigan defense is legit.
Northwestern only has 86 total yards midway through the second quarter.
21-0 Wolverines #NWvsMICH
— Sportsnaut (@Sportsnaut) October 10, 2015
It’s safe to say the Harbaugh effect is a real thing. It’s working so far, despite the fact that the coach simply cannot stop throwing tantrums on the sideline. His latest occurred when the Wolverines were up 31-o over Northwestern on Saturday.
What’s truly remarkable about this run right now is that Michigan is doing all this despite some pretty mediocre play overall by quarterback Jake Rudock. Rudock wasn’t bad on Saturday, but he didn’t throw a touchdown, either. For the season he’s thrown five touchdowns and six interceptions.
Like he did in San Francisco and in Stanford before that, Harbaugh is cultivating a hard-nosed identity centered around defense and running the football. Next up for Michigan is Michigan State (No. 4), which continues to win ugly games. No doubt, it’s going to get ugly next weekend in The Big House.
