By the numbers: Michigan is 5-0 for the fourth time under Jim Harbaugh

Michigan Wolverines football‘s 2023 season couldn’t be going much better. The Maize and Blue are ranked No. 2 in the country in both major polls and off to a 5-0 start with five blowout victories. That marks just the fourth time under head coach Jim Harbaugh that Michigan has opened the year 5-0, joining the 2016, 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Michigan lost its season-opener in both 2015 and 2018, and dropped the fifth game of the year to Michigan State in 2017. The Wolverines fell in the second week (also to MSU) in 2020 but only played against Big Ten competition that season.

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Until the Wolverines ran through the regular season undefeated at 12-0, Harbaugh’s best start was when he led his team to nine-straight victories in 2016, before falling at Iowa in the 10th game. Michigan opened 7-0 in 2021, prior to a loss at MSU. Last regular season’s undefeated mark was the Wolverines’ first since 1997, a year in which they won the national championship.

Other comparable win streaks under the ninth-year Michigan head coach, not just to begin a season, are winning five in a row to conclude the 2021 regular season, rattling off 10-straight victories following a season-opening loss to Notre Dame in 2018 and notching five straight triumphs after Harbaugh’s U-M debut in 2015, a loss at Utah.

Michigan has commenced 5-0 or better only eight times this century, with 2013 (5-0), 2011 (6-0), 2010 (5-0) and 2006 (11-0) being the occasions besides Harbaugh’s four hot starts.

The Maize and Blue are really on a rampage that was started in the 2021 campaign. Michigan has won 17-straight conference games, two shy of matching the program record set from 1990-92. The last Big Ten loss came at Michigan State Oct. 30, 2021, in a controversial, 37-33 setback. The Wolverines are 30-3 since the beginning of the 2021 season, with the only other two losses coming to eventual national champion Georgia in the 2021 Orange Bowl and national runner-up Texas Christian in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, both College Football Playoff semifinal showdowns.

Battle for the Little Brown Jug

Michigan and Minnesota used to play annually from 1919-2015, but that tradition was put to bed following Harbaugh’s first campaign as Michigan’s coach. The Little Brown Jug was introduced in 1903, when Fielding H. Yost and Co. left their water jug in Minneapolis after a loss to the Gophers. In the next meeting between the two schools in 1909, the Wolverines won the jug back, and it’s been exchanged, given to the winner, ever since. It’s the FBS’ oldest traveling trophy game.

Michigan is 72-23-2 when competing for the Little Brown Jug, and the Maize and Blue hold a 76-25-3 overall record against the Golden Gophers.

The Gophers stunned Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1986, winning 20-17 and ruining the Wolverines’ bid at a perfect season. Quarterbacked by Harbaugh, U-M beat Ohio State the next week and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl. Since then, Michigan has dominated the series, winning 25 of the last 27 meetings, with the losses coming in 2014 and 2005. The Wolverines have actually come out on top in 42 of the last 45 matchups, dating back to 1968.

By the numbers: Michigan vs. Minnesota

0.564 Points per play for the Michigan offense, the best rate in the Big Ten and No. 10 in the country. The Wolverines lead the sport with 0.111 points per play against.

3-0 Is Minnesota’s record at home this season, with wins over Nebraska (13-10), Eastern Michigan (25-6) and Louisiana (35-24). The Gophers haven’t won away from home, falling to North Carolina (31-13) and Northwestern (37-34 in overtime).

4 Passes attempted in the fourth quarter for Michigan junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy, showing just how dominant the Wolverines have been this season. Backups have played at least the majority of the fourth quarter in every game.

8 Touchdown receptions for Michigan senior wide receiver Roman Wilson. He had 8 scoring catches in his previous three seasons combined before breaking out this year. His 8 touchdown grabs are the most by a Wolverine in a season since Donovan Peoples-Jones posted an identical number in 2018. Jehu Chesson has the most among Harbaugh-era wide receivers, with 9 in 2015.

9 Touchdown rushes for Michigan senior running back Blake Corum, pacing the nation. He has 40 career rushing touchdowns, which ranks fifth in U-M history. He’s just one short of his position coach, Mike Hart (41), and two shy of support staffer Denard Robinson (42).

10-0 Is Michigan’s record against Minnesota in night games, with a 9-0 record in Minneapolis and 1-0 record in Ann Arbor.

16th Is where Minnesota ranked among the nation in rushing defense in 2022, after slotting eighth the previous season. The Gophers have slipped in that category this season, though, checking in 54th while allowing 127.2 yards per contest on the ground.

58.7 Completion percentage for Minnesota quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, with 71 completions on 121 attempts, for 745 yards and 5 touchdowns to 4 picks. He’s connected on only 35.7 percent of his passes of 20-plus air yards and 50 percent of his throws from 10-19 yards in the air. Minnesota ranks 125th in the country and third to last in the Big Ten with only 149 passing yards per game.

79.0 Completion percentage for McCarthy, which ranks third in the country. He’s connected on 83 of his 105 passes for 1,071 yards and 10 touchdowns with 3 interceptions. He’s averaging 14.9 yards per attempt on play-action passes, ranking tied for fifth in the land.

532 Rushing yards for Minnesota freshman running back Darius Taylor, with that mark leading the Big Ten. He’s done so in essentially three games, carrying only once in the opener against Nebraska before having 22 or more rushes in the next three outings, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on each occasion. Taylor missed last week’s contest against Louisiana with an injury, but classmate Zach Evans won the award with 15 rushes for 85 yards and 1 touchdown.