Michigan Monday: Press Conference, Radio Show, Notes
9/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 19, 2016
#4 Michigan vs. Penn State
Saturday, Sept. 24 • 3:30 p.m. EDT
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, Michigan
Monday Schedule
Noon -- Weekly Press Conference
Coach Jim Harbaugh followed by players
• Watch below 
7 p.m. -- Inside Michigan Football Radio Show
Live from Pizza House in Ann Arbor
• Listen Live 
In the Polls
• Michigan: No. 4 AP, No. 5 Coaches
• Penn State: Not ranked
• Week 4 Rankings
Monday Press Conference
Coach Jim Harbaugh, OL Erik Magnuson and DL Maurice Hurst meet with the media.
Coach Jim Harbaugh
Players
Game Notes
Did You Know?
• Jabrill Peppers was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week and shared the conference's Defensive Player of the Week honor.
• Amara Darboh has a receiving touchdown in three straight games.
• U-M leads the nation in third-down defense and red-zone defense.
• Michigan is fourth nationally in scoring offense (53 avg.).
• The special teams leads the country in blocked kicks (3 total; 2 field goals and 1 punt).
Wolverines and Nittany Lions
• This will be the 20th meeting between Michigan and Penn State. The Wolverines have an 12-7 advantage in the all-time series and are 6-3 at Michigan Stadium. U-M has claimed victories in six of the last seven games played in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines have a two-game winning streak in the series after victories in 2014 (18-13) and 2015 (28-16).
Big Ten Openers
• Michigan has won nine of its last 10 Big Ten openers and 32 of its last 34 conference openers. The Wolverines boast an impressive 49-12-2 mark since 1953 in their first Big Ten game of the season.
• The Wolverines will play their 111th conference opener Saturday against Penn State.
• U-M has compiled an 83-25-2 record in conference openers and has claimed victories in 45 of its last 48 Big Ten openers.
• Michigan had a 23-game winning streak in conference openers snapped at Wisconsin (23-20) in 2005.
• The only setbacks in the past 48 Big Ten openers came on the road against the Badgers (21-14 in 1981 and 23-20 in 2005) and at home against Minnesota (30-14 in 2014).
Conference Openers at Home
• U-M will look for its 54th victory in Big Ten openers at home when it faces Penn State.
• This will be U-M's 69th conference opener at home.
• The Wolverines have compiled a 53-14-1 record in Big Ten openers on home turf.
• U-M has won 26 of its past 27 conference openers at home.
• Michigan had its 22-game winning streak in Big Ten openers at Michigan Stadium snapped against Minnesota in 2014.
Conference Openers vs. Penn State
• This will be the second time that Michigan faces Penn State in the conference opener.
• The only previous matchup came in 2007, a 14-9 U-M victory at Michigan Stadium during Lloyd Carr's final season as head coach.
• The Wolverines have played 11 of the current Big Ten schools in conference openers.
• Recent members Nebraska and Rutgers are the only schools that the Wolverines have not faced in a Big Ten opener.
Series History with Penn State
• This will be the 20th meeting between Michigan and Penn State.
• The Wolverines lead the all-time series, 12-7, and won last season's matchup, 28-16, in Happy Valley.
• Michigan has a 6-2 advantage in games decided by seven points or less.
Michigan vs. Penn State at Michigan Stadium
• Michigan has compiled a 6-3 record against the Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium.
• The Wolverines maintained a five-game win streak at home against Penn State between 1998 and 2007.
Michigan When Ranked vs. Penn State
• U-M has been ranked in the AP poll for 13 of the 19 matchups with Penn State, including the first 10 games of the series.
• Michigan is 9-4 all-time against Penn State when listed in the top 25 of the polls.
• The Wolverines have compiled a 5-3 record against the Nittany Lions when both teams enter the game ranked in the AP poll.
• Michigan has a 2-1 mark against Penn State when ranked in the top five of the national polls.
• U-M has been ranked in the AP national poll for eight of the nine games played at Beaver Stadium, winning six of those seven contests.
Offense
• The offense went 10-plus quarters before committing its first penalty of 2016; the offense has been flagged twice in three games, committing a false start and chop block.
• U-M is averaging 197.7 yards per game on the ground and 254.3 yards passing.
• The Wolverines have run 212 offensive plays for 1,356 yards, an average of 6.4 yards per play.
• The only turnovers by the offense came in the first quarter; interception on the first play of the 2016 season and a fumble by Wilton Speight on a sack against Colorado.
• Michigan has an 8:1 touchdown to interception ratio.
• U-M is eighth nationally and second in the Big Ten with only two turnovers.
• After throwing the interception, the Wolverines scored touchdowns on seven straight offensive possessions against Hawaii.
• The Wolverines are 16-of-18 on red-zone chances this season, with 12 touchdowns and four field goals; the only non-score came when U-M ended the game inside UCF's 20-yard line and a missed field goal against Colorado.
• Michigan has converted 49 percent of its third-down opportunities (20-of-41); was a perfect 7-for-7 on third-down opportunities against Hawaii.
• U-M's quarterbacks have completed 56.9 percent of their passes through three games (60-of-91); three signal callers completed 85 percent of their passing attempts against Hawaii (17-of-20).
• Michigan had 16 players carry the football and 16 players catch passes through three games.
• Three Wolverines set career highs with two TDs against UCF: Khalid Hill (2 rushing), Jake Butt (2 receiving) and Amara Darboh (2 receiving).
• Michigan ranks in the top 25 of six offensive categories.
Defense
• U-M has allowed the opposition to convert just 10.5 percent of its third-down chances (4-of-38), which leads the nationally.
• The Wolverines lead the nation in red zone defense; have allowed just three red zone opportunity through three games, with the opposition only score coming on a touchdown pass by Colorado.
• The defense has tallied 32 tackles-for-loss and 11 sacks so far this season.
• The Wolverines are second nationally and tops in the Big Ten in tackles-for-loss (10.7 avg.).
• Michigan ranks 11th nationally and second in the conference in sacks (3.67 avg.).
• U-M has recovered two fumbles this season, which has already equaled its total of recoveries from all of last season.
• Michigan is 19th nationally and fourth in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing 15 points per contest.
• The Wolverines' pass defense is among the nation's best, allowing 156 yards per contest (16th) with a pass-efficiency rating of 102.8 (24th).
Special Teams
• U-M leads the nation with three block kicks this fall -- two field goals and one punt; this total does not include two deflected punts and a punt by the opposition into its own player.
• U-M leads the Big Ten and is fifth nationally in punt returns (22.89 avg.).
• Michigan has converted all 4-of-6 field goals and each of the 21 PATs.
• Fourteen (14) of the team's 28 kickoffs have been downed for touchbacks.
• Jabrill Peppers lists fourth nationally and tops in the Big Ten with an 12.6-yard average per punt return.
