Kornacki: What Makes a Third Consecutive Shutout So Rare
10/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 11, 2015
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The fans standing and rhythmically clapping at Michigan Stadium shouted it from the depths of their lungs: "Deee-fense! Deee-fense! Dee-fense!"
There were 29 seconds remaining after Delano Hill and Ben Gedeon dropped Northwestern quarterback Matt Alviti on a failed fourth-down play at the Wildcats' 33-yard line. The 38-0 victory over No. 13 Northwestern and Michigan's third consecutive shutout victory had been secured on Saturday (Oct. 10).
"It sent chills down my spine," said cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown. "I've never experienced anything like that. It was so amazing to know that we are finally making our fans proud. There's something out there they can be proud of, and it's great to be a part of it."
Defensive back Jabrill Peppers said, "The fans recognized what we were trying to do on the defensive side of the ball, and that's set a standard. We're going to play to the last down and until the final whistle blows. We're not going to let off. They see our work ethic and how hard we play together.
"So, I think they definitely enjoyed the show. And I think they definitely wanted to see another shutout."
The last FBS team to record three consecutive shutouts was Kansas State in 1995, and this is something to be savored.
What this defense is doing has been done only once before at Michigan in terms of the quality of opponents involved. There have been five other Wolverines defenses that have matched the three consecutive shutouts dating back to 1932, when Michigan completed a streak of seven straight shutouts with a 26-0 win over Michigan State in the season opener. The Wolverines finished the 1931 season by blanking six opponents to begin the school's last shutout streak longer than this current one.
But only one of those five previous three-consecutive-shutout teams in 1980, 1973, 1971, 1948 and 1940 did what this team has done in pitching shutouts against two ranked teams. That was the 1948 national champions of Coach Fritz Crisler -- which beat unranked Oregon, 14-0, before beating No. 15 Purdue, 40-0, and No. 3 Northwestern, 28-0, on the first three Saturdays of October.
First up for the 2015 Wolverines was No. 22 Brigham Young, which got dropped, 31-0, on Sept. 26 at Michigan Stadium.
Then unranked Maryland was thumped, 28-0, on Oct. 3 in College Park.
No. 13 Northwestern was next in line with the 38-0 demolition on Saturday.
And so this team became only the second Michigan defense to record three consecutive shutouts since the Associated Press poll began in 1936.
"It's amazing," said Lewis. "That puts fear in people's hearts that we can do something like that. It boosts our confidence and makes us want to play harder. It feels amazing to know we're capable of doing something like that."
Peppers said, "We don't really focus on shutouts and statistics per se. But we definitely preach, 'Let's not give them anything.' When everyone's doing their job, it's hard to score on us. We don't go into games saying, 'Let's get a shutout.' We say, 'Everyone do your job.' And the ultimate is a win.
"We have a lot of great athletes in the secondary, and we have a lot of great athletes and smart guys at linebacker, and the D-Line -- those guys do all the dirty work. They make our jobs a lot easier. They compress the pocket and get hits on the quarterback. That forces a lot of errant throws."
Willie Henry, a 6-3, 307-pound defensive tackle, had two of the four sacks and has become a force.
"Most of our sacks come from great coverage by our defensive backs," said Henry, returning the compliment.
Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, secondary coaches Michael Zordich and Greg Jackson and line coach Greg Mattison have their players hitting on all cylinders.
"They brought that energy," said Lewis. "They want us to go out and play to our full abilities, holding nothing back. We're going to pound it, pound it, pound it and keep coming. Nobody can mess with us if we're doing our technique and playing that hard to our full potential. It gives us that extra edge."
Peppers said, "I can't say enough about the great jobs those guys do as far as being on us and not accepting mediocrity. When they see us loafing or lagging in practice, they're getting on us. They break down the film and find the tendencies to give us ideas of how we can play certain coverages or find tendencies in certain downs or in certain personnel.
"That really helps us. We get a jump. They do a great job of putting us in the right positions, and then it's up to us to play. We've got a lot of playmakers and do what we do best."
Lewis' interception against running back Dan Vitale was an example of a playmaker doing what he does best. He simply took the ball away from Vitale.
"He was trying to brace his fall," said Lewis. "He didn't think I was going to try to get it out, but when I got it out he just fell to the ground. He tried to get my leg, and I knew I had it. So, I just took off."
However, beating Northwestern foremost required shutting down tailback Justin Jackson. He was averaging 127.2 yards per game for third in the conference but was held to 25 yards on 12 carries.
The Wildcats led the Big Ten with 248.8 yards rushing per game but were held to 38 yards and 1.5 per carry.
"That was one of the statements we were going to make," said Peppers. "They were first in Big Ten rushing, and we came out here and made a statement. It's all a collective effort."
Henry added, "It's a mindset. We go out Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (in practice) saying, 'We've got to stop the run.' And we had to click as a defensive line because it all starts up front."
Northwestern passed for 130 yards but never got closer than Michigan's 25-yard line. Jack Mitchell attempted a 42-yard field goal on that lone drive across midfield but was wide left. The Wildcats never came closer to scoring points.
When asked about the shutouts, Peppers, who broke up three passes, said, "It's expected. We have to be great. That's the standard around here. It's expectations. That's what Coach Durkin preaches: get the ball back. When you're out there, it's an opportunity to get a shutout. It's just a standard. "
The No. 18 Wolverines (5-1) aren't fixated on a fourth straight shutout, though.
They simply want to win next Saturday's (Oct. 17) game -- by any score -- at home against No. 4 Michigan State (6-0).
"They are great opponents," said Henry. "It's a great rivalry. We're going to go out there and give it our all; they are going to go out there and give it their all.
"We want to bring Paul back home."
That would be the Paul Bunyan Governor of Michigan Trophy, which goes to the winner of the intrastate rivalry.
It's a game where the best defense generally prevails, and right now the Wolverines have one that is attempting to set the standard.
• Michigan Jumps on Wildcats Early, Rolls to Third Straight Shutout
