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Josh Gattis can prove to be a huge asset to Jim Harbaugh, Michigan against Penn State
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Michigan’s hire of Josh Gattis consumed the college football media during the offseason. It was like Jim Harbaugh purchased the sleek new 2019 Lamborghini Aventado to replace his clickity-clacketing, rusty old Honda Accord.
Flash, power, speed and efficiency landed in Ann Arbor, fresh off the lot. Gattis was the Lamborghini and Harbaugh won the bidding war. Nobody was going to slow down the high-powered hunk of metal that pulled up to the doors of Schembechler Hall. Not even the likes of Ohio State.
With Shea Patterson at quarterback, the best offensive line in the B1G and a star-studded group of receivers that included Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black, the offense would be almost impossible to stop. Gattis was the hottest offensive mind on the market, and his touch was going to transform Michigan into one of the highest-scoring teams in the country.
Halfway to its destination, the cylinders on the Lamborghini have already misfired on several occasions. And it’s made you wonder if Harbaugh’s decision to trade in that Honda was really the smart move. At least that vehicle got from Point A to Point B without so many white-knuckle experiences.
This weekend, though, Gattis has the opportunity to prove he can be an asset to the Michigan program. That Harbaugh’s decision to bring the young gun to Ann Arbor was the smart move, and not just a knee-jerk reaction to the grief of the Wolverines’ struggles with the mighty Buckeyes.
Gattis will be back at Beaver Stadium this weekend, a venue he’s familiar with. He’ll be standing on the sideline opposite of James Franklin, a man he worked under for six years dating back to the Vanderbilt days. Gattis will be calling the offense against Brent Pry’s defense, a guy he worked alongside while at Penn State.
Michigan should have the advantage.
There’s no disputing that the Wolverines have underperformed considering expectations through the first six games of the season offensively. The “speed in space” motto that was thrown around all offseason has been absent from the field, with Michigan behind where it was a year ago in nearly every statistical category. Saturday night is an opportunity for Gattis’ group to change that.
Having worked with Franklin and Pry for six seasons at Vanderbilt and Penn State, Gattis should have a good understanding what to expect from the Nittany Lions defense in Happy Valley this weekend. Franklin essentially said as much this week during his press conference.
“Obviously, there’s some familiarity there. I would say in some ways, they’re probably more familiar with us than we are with them,” Franklin said. “Josh didn’t leave right from Penn State and go [to Michigan]. He’s had other experiences and other influences.”
Against one of college football’s top defenses, Gattis has the upper hand, at least in the scheming department.
Nobody anticipates that Lamborghini to be running at full speed during a White Out game on Saturday. Penn State’s defense is the only one in the country that hasn’t surrendered multiple touchdowns in a game this season. It’s allowing fewer than 1.6 yards per carry (first nationally) and 8.2 points per game (second nationally). Getting points on the board isn’t going to be easy for the Michigan offense.
But this could potentially be the week that we finally see what Harbaugh has been talking about during weekly media interviews and post-game press conferences. That is, Saturday night could finally be the game when Michigan’s offense “hits its stride,” and shows some life.
“I feel like we’re very close offensively,” Harbaugh said two weeks ago. “We’re close to hitting the stride of hitting on all cylinders. There’s really good evidence to back that up in what I see.”
We haven’t seen much success yet, but if Gattis is worth that 3-year, $900,000 contract, though, the Wolverines will challenge Pry’s defense.
Knowing what to expect should make Gattis’ job much easier on Saturday night. Play-calling, which has been criticized at times this season, shouldn’t be an issue. With a week to prepare for a defense he saw up close for four years, Michigan shouldn’t be surprised by much the Nittany Lions throw at it.
Obviously, not everything falls on Gattis. Players need to execute. But execution comes easier when the offense knows what to expect, even against one of the nation’s top statistical defenses.
Michigan can’t put the ball on the turf, and Patterson has to hit his receivers when they’re open. The offensive line has to contain Penn State’s front seven. It’s all basic stuff, but these are the things the Wolverines have struggled with through the first six games. If they can’t shore up these issues, the outcome will mirror the one we saw against Wisconsin in mid-September.
Michigan’s B1G and College Football Playoff hopes will be shattered before the month of November.
Not everything can be pinned to Gattis and Harbaugh on Saturday night, but it’s usually noticeable if a team isn’t prepared for a game, a team or a scheme. That can’t be the case in Beaver Stadium this weekend, not considering all the time Gattis spent with Franklin and Pry in Nashville and State College.
The Wolverines don’t have to put up 50 points or connect on 50-yard bombs all night to be successful. Michigan has all the tools to catch Penn State off guard and keep the Nittany Lions on their toes. And if the offense gets the job done, it could be the moment this unit finally gels together, just in time for the most daunting stretch on the schedule.
It’s time to find out if the Lamborghini was worth the money.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB