In 31 games for Michigan football, Don Brown's defense has been on the field a total of 1,965 plays.
During that time, his unit – ranked No. 1 nationally in total yards allowed, again, by the way – has given up 4.1 yards per play.
For context, anything under 5.0 is considered elite. U-M's 1997 defense, long considered by fans to be the best in program history, allowed 3.7 per play through 12 games on its way to a shared national title.
Brown's unit is within spitting distance of that over an average of three years, playing modern offenses that run at a faster, point-obsessed pace.