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62 days until Michigan football: The 2023 team's offensive efficiency, 'unselfishness'

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•06/30/24•

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Blake Corum by Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK
Michigan running back Blake Corum runs for a 30-yard touchdown in the second half of a 24-15 win at Penn State in Week 11. (Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK)

There are 62 days until the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines football team takes the field in the Aug. 31 opener against Fresno State. Each day until then, we’ll discuss current Michigan events, the upcoming season and/or take a look at a significant number that correlates with how many days remain until kickoff, whether it be a player’s jersey number, a year, a date, a score, etc.

Michigan football averaged 6.2 yards per play last season, totaling 5,741 yards on 924 plays. The Wolverines amassed 2,766 yards by rushing and 3,205 by passing, plus 298 first downs (121 rushing, 159 passing) and 69 touchdowns (40 rushing, 24 passing, 5 defensive).

Michigan scored 69 touchdowns (tied seventh most in the country) to its 18 made field goals, adding a pair of safeties. It was 14th in the nation with 35.9 points per game.

The Maize and Blue were held to less than 30 points on only three occasions — a 24-15 win over Penn State Nov. 11, a 26-0 win over Iowa in the Big Ten championship game Dec. 2 and in a 27-20 overtime victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal Jan. 1. Michigan’s season high in points scored, meanwhile, was 52 points in back-to-back weeks, beating Minnesota (52-10) and Indiana (52-7).

All that dominance, and yet Michigan’s 6.2 yards per play only ranked 69th in the country. That ranking being on the lower end likely can be attributed to the Wolverines winning most games in blowout fashion — U-M became just the third college football team since 2000 to begin 7-0 with all wins by 24 or more points.

Despite Michigan winning the national championship with a 15-0 record, the Wolverines’ 6.2 yards per play checked in as the third most among U-M teams coached by Jim Harbaugh, behind 2022 (6.62) and 2021 (6.39). It was just the fourth team a Harbaugh-coached group of Wolverines surpassed 6 yards per play, with the 2018 squad (6.09) being the other to join the aforementioned trio.

SeasonYards Per Play
20236.21
20226.62
20216.39
20205.95
20195.77
20186.09
20175.18
20165.85
20155.68

Harbaugh often credited Michigan’s team for being “unselfish” in 2023. With the offense specifically, he lauded offensive coordinator and line coach Sherrone Moore, who’s since been promoted to head coach, for not caring about stats or how much the Wolverines win by — only being concerned by winning itself.

There was perhaps no game that served as a better example of Michigan’s “unselfishness” than the 24-15 triumph at Penn State. The Wolverines ran the ball on 32-straight plays that weren’t interrupted by penalties, despite having an elite quarterback in J.J. McCarthy who was picked No. 10 overall in this past spring’s NFL Draft.

“Players just played their hearts out,” Harbaugh said of what he saw from his team in that win. “It’s a team full of leaders. A team that’s connected, committed and as we’ve talked about many times, plays for each other. Very unselfish. Finally, the whole world is seeing what I get to see every single day. Players playing their hearts out, talented, resilient, great guys and they play their hearts out together.”

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