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Michigan's defense leads the nation in almost every relevant statistical category at the halfway point of the regular season. That's what happens when you don't allow a point for three straight games. As impressive as the 11 defenders on the field have been for the Wolverines this year, they didn't post three straight zeroes without some help. Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin called a shutout a "team stat" after Michigan's 38-0 blanking of Northwestern Saturday night. Earlier in the week, Durkin said that the way head coach Jim Harbaugh runs his offense has a big impact on the defensive success. And after delving into the numbers, it's easy to see what he means. "(Harbaugh's) background is offense, but he's got the mentality of a defensive head coach," Durkin said. "He really helps our defense in many, many ways. It's a benefit to us with him being the head coach." Michigan's plodding offensive attack has minimized mistakes and dominated time of possession this season. The result is a well-rested defense and long distances to travel for opposing offenses. The Wolverines are ranked fourth in the nation in time of possession with an average of more than 34 minutes per game with the ball. That number has increased as the season progresses, especially during the current shutout streak. Michigan's offense has been on the field for 110 total minutes in its shutout wins against BYU, Maryland and Northwestern. That's a full 40 minutes more, almost a complete quarter per game, than its opponents. Michigan's starting defense remained on the field during the closing minutes of last Saturday's win against Northwestern, and looked as fresh as they did during the first series of the game. It was easy to catch their breath, according to players like senior defensive tackle Willie Henry, after the offense put together a seven-minute drive to eat up much of the fourth-quarter clock. "The offense going out there doing a great job moving the ball and killing the clock let us be fresh out there as a defense," Henry said. "It's a good feeling." It's a new sensation for Henry and his teammates, who were routinely put in bad spots due to turnover issues and three-and-outs a season ago. Michigan finished the 2014 season allowing a very respectable 22.4 points per game given the short fields and sudden changes they often had to defend. The last three games have been much different. The average starting field position for BYU, Maryland and Northwestern on 40 combined possessions was the 24.2-yard line. Eighteen of those 40 started from inside the opponent's 20 -- a credit to Michigan punter Blake O'Neill and an improved special teams unit. The lack of turnovers also helps in pinning other teams deep in their own territory. Aside from a brief case of fumble-itis against the Terps, Michigan has done a good job of taking care of the ball in its recent games. The offense was turnover-free against Northwestern and BYU. Interceptions were the main culprit in the Wolverines' season-opening loss to Utah, but since then quarterback Jake Rudock and the offense has steadily improved their ball security. Michigan's defense has earned the lion's share of praise during the Wolverines current five-game winning streak. And while they've certainly earned a good deal of it, the wins and the shutouts are products of complete team efforts. Harbaugh has all three phases of the game rolling in Ann Arbor.
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