Does Michigan do anything well offensively? As it turns out, the answer is no

Chris Breiler | Nov 10, 2024

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Michigan Wolverines

Reflecting on the last 10 games of the season, I found myself trying to think of anything I could point to with this Michigan offense and say, "at least they do that well." I couldn't do it. There isn't a single aspect of this offense that I can think of that actually performs well.

Is that just me being pessimistic as a fan and someone who covers the team, or is that the reality? I dove into the numbers to get my answer, and it unfortunately confirmed what I thought... Michigan doesn't do anything well offensively.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Here's a closer look at where Michigan ranks among all 133 FBS teams after 10 games in the 2024 season:

Total Offense: No. 130

I figured this would be a good place to start, and it turns out that Michigan is (unsurprisingly) one of the worst in all of college football in total offense. Averaging 290.1 yards per game, only three teams in all of college football feature a worse output - Northwestern, Florida State, and Kent State.

Red Zone Offense: No. 84

Although Michigan is slightly better with its red zone offense, it's far from impressive. Through 10 games, the Wolverines have had 24 opportunities inside the red zone, and they've managed to come away 14 touchdowns in those opportunities (along with six field goals).

Passing Offense: No. 129

This is another area where the Wolverines have struggled mightily through 10 games. Michigan is near the bottom in all of college football in passing offense, averaging just 134.6 yards per game.

Passing YDS per Completion: No. 132

Speaking of the struggles with the passing game, those struggles are highlighted by Michigan's ranking in passing yards per completion. At No. 132 nationally, only Rice is worse in yards per completion. Additionally, Michigan is the only offense in FBS that has yet to compete a pass for 40+ yards.

Completion PCT: No. 93

With an offense that lacks any explosiveness through the air, you'd think that maybe Michigan would at least have a solid ranking with its completion percentage given the fact that most of the connections come on shorter routes. That isn't the case. Combined, the Michigan quarterbacks have a .595 completion percentage through 10 games - good for No. 93 in the nation.

Rushing Offense: No. 69

It's by far the most effective aspect of Michigan's offense, but it's still very average when compared to the rest of college football. The Wolverines are averaging 155.5 yards per game on the ground, which is good for No. 69 nationally.

3rd Down Conversion PCT: No. 78

One of the hallmarks of a successful offense is how well you do on third down, and this is yet another area where Michigan struggles. Through 10 games, the Wolverines are converting on less than 40 percent of their third down attempts (.392). Michigan has faced 130 third down situations and converted on just 51 of those attempts.

First Downs: No. 118

If you can't convert on third down, you're likely not going to rank very high when it comes to producing first downs - and that's certainly the case with Michigan. The Wolverines have achieved 159 first downs through 10 games, good for an average of 15.9 first downs per game. Unfortunately, that mark puts the Wolverines in the bottom third in all of college football.

Turnovers: No. 106

We all know that turnovers are an absolute killer, and the Michigan offense has struggled mightily in that area as well. The Wolverines had a whopping 15 turnovers through seven games, averaging over two turnovers per game. And although things have improved slightly over the last three games, the turnovers still remain an issue. Through 10 games, the Michigan offense has committed 16 turnovers, averaging 1.6 per game.

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