FanPost

RODRIGUEZ: What He Hath Wrought; By The (Bad) Numbers

Depending on how things go in the next week, this will either be another contribution to the CC War or one of many eulogies.

Despite its length, the following list is incomplete. I invite everyone to offer additions. For example, I think there was some 40-year streak broken by Rodriquez when he went 0-2 vs. Illinois in 2008 and 2009.

Feel free to provide the (good) numbers as well.

Here is the one (good) number that pretty much subsumes all the other (good) numbers: D. Robinson finished 2010 with a school-record 4,272 yards of total offense.

Unless otherwise noted, the source of the information is my research on CFBdatawarehouse.com and ESPN. I apologize in advance for typos, my occasional inability to count and do simple math and other mistakes.

LOSSES:

15-22 overall

6-18 in B1G 10 conference play

for now, 1-13 vs. opponents ranked in the final AP poll (UConn 2010 now ranked, but lost its bowl game;
final AP poll pending)

first losing season since 1967

first back-to-back losing seasons since 1962-63

first 9-loss season ever; worst percentage was the 1-7 1934 team

first time ever MI has had two consecutive five-loss seasons [Straightblogging.blogspot.com, 11/7/09,
"Dead Man Walking"]

ergo, first time ever MI has had three consecutive five-loss seasons

first loss ever to a team from the MAC (Toledo 2008) and it was at home

first loss at home to Purdue since 1967

first successive 3 losses since 1960s against Michigan State

first successive 3 losses ever against Penn State

half of Rodriguez's 22 losses were blowouts (that is, losses by 2 TDs or more)

most losses ever by 20 points or more (9 in 3 seasons) [FanPost, "Twenty Point Losses",
Mgoblog.com, 1/2/11]

2008 loss to Penn State broke an 11 year winning streak

most ever home losses in three year span (11); comparison: combined Carr, Moeller, Schembechler 26
home losses in 39 seasons

WINS:

0 wins over B10 opponents with winning conference records

2 wins over B10 opponents with winning overall records (both ended up 7-6; WIS and IL)

Rodriguez never beat a team that ended up with more than 8 wins (UConn 2010; 8-5)

two-thirds of Rodriquez's 15 wins came against teams with overall end-of-season losing records

nearly half (7) of Rodriguez's 15 wins were close wins (that is, by 7 points or less)

20% of Rodriquez's 15 wins came against teams with 10 losses or more (BG, Miami (OH), E. Mich)

13.3% of Rodriquez's 15 wins came against teams formerly known as Div I-AA (UMass, DelwSt)

BOWLS:

Rodriguez ended MI's streak of 33 straight bowl appearances

worst bowl loss in school history, both in points given up and in margin of loss; 52-14 Gator Bowl 1/1/11
[P. Bigelow, AnnArbor.com, "R. Rod. Biggest Regret ...", 1/1/11]

COACHING COMPARISON:

only MI coach with losing record since 1891

only MI coach ever with losing record in the Big Ten

worst winning percentage of any MI coach overall (.405) and in conference (.250)

only MI coach not to have his team ranked at least once in a final major poll
(at least since they started the polls in the 40s-50s)

one of two MI coaches to lose to MSU, ND & OSU in the same year

OHIO STATE RELATED:

first MI coach since Harry Kipke (1929) to lose his first game against OSU and, going back to 1897, only
the second MI coach ever to lose his first game against OSU (Biff Lea tied OSU in 1900)

first MI coach to lose his first two games against Ohio State

first MI coach to lose his first three games against Ohio State

[likely] first MI coach to never beat Ohio State

Rodriquez joins Kipke and Elliotte as MI coaches who lost twice to OSU by 30+ points

Rodriquez has two entries on list of worst blowout losses to Ohio State:

1. 1935 -- 38 point loss;
2. 1968 -- 36 points;
3. 2008 -- 35 points;
4. 1934 -- 34 points;
5. tie 1961 and 2010 -- 30 point losses;
7. 1962 -- 28 points

Rodriguez's loss in 2008 by 35 points is highest in the Schembechler era

"A sea of scarlet at Michigan Stadium on the third Saturday in November [2009] spelling out "O-H-I-O" at
the top of their collective lungs." DailyTribune.com, "Has Rodriquez Passed The Point Of No
Return?", 11/22/09

NCAA:

first ever NCAA finding of major violations and probation for the MI football program

DEFENSE:

2008 defense gave up the most points ever (346 total)

2010 defense blew away the 2008 record for most points given up ever (458)

2009 defense gave up the most offensive yards ever (4,720) [Bigelow]

2010 defense gave up the most offensive yards ever (5,860) [Bigelow]

Illinois' 65 points in 2010 game were most ever scored by an opponent at Michigan Stadium
[Rittenberg, ESPN.com, "Michigan's Explosive Offense Raises Bar", 11/9/10]

SPECIAL TEAMS:

NOTE: I do not know where to find this information. Thus, I offer only questions. In 2010, MI was 4 for 14 in field goals.

did the 2010 MI team attempt the fewest FGs ever for MI? ever for CFB?

did the 2010 MI team make the fewest FGs ever for MI? ever for CFB?

is a 28.6% made FG percentage the worst all time for MI? for CFB?

I am almost at a loss for words. Personally, I am dumbfounded most by the coaching comparisons and I admit that I am shocked by the first entry under "Ohio State Related" Who would have thought all those MI coaches would have done so well in their first games against Ohio State?

All in all, the numbers paint a very interesting picture.

Thoughts? Comments?

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