Jim Harbaugh is still a 'Michigan Man,' but he has an open mind to modern offense
For the fourth time in as many chances, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh could not lead his team to victory over Ohio State in the team’s regular-season finale last year, falling to a combined 2-7 against the rival Buckeyes, Michigan State and Notre Dame.
The Wolverines were in line for their first Big Ten title since 2004 and a berth into the College Football Playoff entering their game against OSU, but that day ended in a disastrous 62-39 loss that carried over into their bowl setback to Florida and raised a lot of questions heading into 2019.
However, with Ohio State in its post-Urban Meyer era, there is no better time for Harbaugh and Michigan to put behind their struggles in big games.
One of the biggest storylines of the 2019 Big Ten season is whether an offense that all too often looked conservative and bland last year can be revitalized under new coordinator Josh Gattis, who was part of an overhaul on the coaching staff.
While co-OC at Alabama in 2018, Gattis helped oversee a unit that ranked sixth nationally at 522 yards per game. The Wolverines checked in at a respectable No. 49 in the country, but quarterback Shea Patterson was too often prevented from using his athleticism and surrounding playmakers.
Much like fellow Bo Schembechler protégé Les Miles, Harbaugh will always have a run-first mentality. But Gattis has been given the opportunity to infuse the offense with fresh ideas to spice up a predictable unit. And that should get Wolverine fans excited.
At Big Ten Media Days in July, Harbaugh noted that the system Gattis has brought in accentuates the strengths of Patterson and the other quarterbacks because the majority of signal-callers coming out of high school these days are operating in up-tempo offenses that feature RPOs. The concern from fans when Harbaugh hired Gattis was that he would still be hands-on with the unit. While it remains to be seen what occurs when the Wolverines face their first bout of in-game adversity, Harbaugh has maintained that his OC has complete control.
Gattis noted following spring ball that his head coach has been hands-off with the offense. If that remains the case through the 2019 campaign, this could be the year the Wolverines finally break through and claim a Big Ten crown — and possibly more.
Receivers Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and Tarik Black should have plenty of chances to use their speed and make plays in space. And Patterson has shown that he can deliver an accurate ball quickly and effectively, so the expectation is that the Ole Miss transfer will have a chance to make plenty of plays through the air.
Patterson has praised the new offense, noting the balance between the run and pass game behind a veteran offensive line and a plethora of weapons on the outside. He said the unit has adapted well to the arrival of Gattis and his new scheme.
It is clear as we get closer to kickoff of the new season that this is not going to be Harbaugh’s offense. And that’s great news for Wolverine fans.
Former “Michigan Man” Miles was undone by his lack of creativity on offense in Baton Rouge. The increasing fear among some Wolverine fans has been that Harbaugh would suffer the same fate by the time has tenure ends. The Mad Hatter’s 12-year run in Baton Rouge came to a halt because his single-biggest failure was his inability to commit to a philosophical change offensively. The lack of creativity fell squarely on Miles’ shoulders, as he continued to rely too much on a ground and pound style without taking enough shots downfield.
Miles had handcuffed Cam Cameron, his last OC at LSU, and we can look back at many of the Tigers teams under Miles to see that he too often did not allow for enough creativity in scheming and play-calling. The offseason before his firing, Miles had said that the emphasis was on improving the aerial attack. But the Tigers continued to take the same old conservative, vanilla approach on offense. That did in Miles.
Simply put, this Michigan offense needs to make more splash plays. And Gattis, who has been part of aggressive passing attacks in the past, seems to have been granted enough creative freedom in order for this offense to evolve. Bringing in Gattis to reinvigorate the offense was a much-needed move, and giving him complete control was necessary if Michigan has any plans to celebrate a league crown and a potential berth on the CFP national stage against juggernauts such as Alabama and Clemson — two offenses that Michigan needs to more closely resemble in the new season.
Michigan is searching for its first Big Ten championship in 15 years as well as its first victory against Ohio State under Harbaugh, who enters his fifth season at the helm. The expectation is that the Wolverines finally have the offense to keep pace with the Buckeyes and advance to college football’s national stage: a berth in their first College Football Playoff.
The Wolverines don’t have an easy schedule as rivalry games with Notre Dame and Michigan State are on the slate. But those contests are at home. So is a dangerous matchup in Week 2 against Army, which nearly knocked off Oklahoma in Norman last year. Road tilts against Wisconsin and Penn State surely will be tough, but the Wolverines are more experienced than both.
Michigan’s season should still come down to the showdown with the Buckeyes on November 30 when the storied programs meet at the Big House, where Harbaugh will once again have a chance to score a key win on a big stage. Expect both teams to be in position to claim the Big Ten East, and perhaps only a win in the league title game would prevent Harbaugh and the Wolverines from advancing to the CFP.
If the Wolverines find themselves positioned for a league title at the end of the year, it will most certainly be because Harbaugh strayed away from his roots, changed with the times and let another set of eyes re-vision the offense in Ann Arbor.