Michigan's offense took the field at Notre Dame Stadium on a humid night, seeking a fresh start with a new quarterback.
Coach Jim Harbaugh had reshaped the offensive staff, bringing in Jim McElwain, Ed Warinner and others to bolster the brainpower. In late April, the Wolverines learned that quarterback Shea Patterson, who had 23 touchdown passes in his first 10 college games at Ole Miss, would be eligible immediately. The unit began the season with more experience at key spots.
If Michigan could get the offense right after two underperforming seasons, it would finally contend for the Big Ten East division and possibly much more. Simple, right?
Not so simple.
After a 24-17 loss to Notre Dame in which it failed to score an offensive touchdown for nearly 58 minutes, Michigan is still searching for a spark. Harbaugh, Patterson and others maintained afterward that this is just the beginning. The potential, they say, is there. But after a performance that looked too familiar, with some of the same old problems, there are concerns about the long-term outlook.
I talked to players and coaches in South Bend, and other coaches who watched the game to find out what we learned about Michigan's offense and how it could impact the rest of the season.
After months of anticipation about how the Wolverines' offense would look, operate and ultimately perform, Patterson took the field 105 seconds into Saturday's game. What would be different?
There were some early signs of change. Michigan used tempo on its first series, only huddling once while remaining in 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end).
Michigan's second possession was spread-heavy, splitting out three wide receivers and, at times, tight end Zach Gentry. The Wolverines even went empty on one play, which didn't go well as a blitzing Daelin Hayes hit Patterson as he threw, resulting in a near interception. On the third possession, Michigan displayed the man-ball offense Harbaugh espouses -- I-formations with a fullback (Ben Mason) or two tight ends (Gentry and Sean McKeon) on most plays, with deliberate huddles.
As in the past, Michigan showed variety in formations, personnel and pace, trying to keep Notre Dame off balance. But only one possession ended with points, a 28-yard field goal. Several coaches I texted with during the game suggested that Michigan has so much in its playbook that it stifles rhythm, especially with a new quarterback who has different skills. "No identity," one Power 5 assistant told me. Before the game, many coaches also wondered how Michigan's operation would work, as Harbaugh, coordinator Pep Hamilton, McElwain and Warinner all have significant playcalling experience. Even three of Michigan's analysts -- Ron Prince, Ben McDaniels and Tanner Engstrand -- have been college coordinators.
Patterson seemed to be at his best on several rollouts to the right, zipping the ball to Grant Perry for a 12-yard gain and later finding McKeon for 8 yards on third-and-4. That could be a starting point for Michigan going forward. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said the Irish wanted to "condense" the pocket as much as possible, forcing Patterson to step up and make throws from within it, rather than on the move.
Patterson said after the game that he's "very comfortable" executing all elements of a "diverse" system, but some wonder whether Michigan is making it too complicated.
"At Ole Miss, they were up-tempo spread, simple concepts, zone read and RPO game," a Power 5 offensive coordinator said. "Now you put him into a West Coast, pro-style system where the verbiage is long. You're trying to make that kid do what you want him to do, but that's not how he is. You have to find out who your players are and build the offense around your players."
But Notre Dame's defense seemed more comfortable stopping Michigan's various looks than Michigan did in executing them. That's a credit to first-year coordinator Clark Lea and his preparation for the game.
The Irish brought so much pressure that Michigan running back Karan Higdon said it felt as if they blitzed on every down. Notre Dame was the aggressor from the start. The Irish didn't want Patterson to get comfortable, especially on play-action.
The pass to Perry proved to be Michigan's longest play of the first half.
"It certainly didn't look like [Michigan] was presenting a lot of problems," a Power 5 defensive coordinator said. "They didn't take very many shots."
I asked Notre Dame safety Alohi Gilman if, after facing Michigan's offense, he could pinpoint the Wolverines' identity. "We'll see about that, I'm not sure," he said. "We'll see. It was a good foundation for Shea Patterson to work on the next part of his game."
And it might be. Thanks to a 52-yard pass to Nico Collins on the first play of the third quarter and a touchdown drive in the closing minutes, Patterson finished with 227 pass yards, the highest total for a Michigan quarterback in the past 10 games. Seven Michigan players caught multiple passes from Patterson, although other than the strike to Collins, no completion went longer than 24 yards.
"He competed well," Harbaugh said. "For a first time out, with his new team, he did a good job."
What became clear Saturday is that Patterson can't solve the offense's problems on his own. Pass protection remains an obvious weakness, and while the line shouldn't be spared blame, the issues go beyond the front. Michigan's inability to hit explosive plays also remains. And the run game, thought to be a strength, averaged just 1.8 yards per carry with a long of 10 yards and just one rush longer than 7 yards.
"It didn't look like the O-line from Michigan handled them real well," a Power 5 defensive coordinator said.
Warinner arrives with an excellent reputation of upgrading offensive lines, which he did at Ohio State, Notre Dame and other spots. The Wolverines are gray in the interior and green on the edges, although starting tackles Jon Runyan and Juwann Bushell-Beatty are older players. While Michigan gave up three sacks and six quarterback hurries, Higdon praised the line, saying Notre Dame consistently brought more rushers than Michigan could pick up. The concern there is Michigan almost always has one back and one tight end in the game, often two of either position. It's not as if the Wolverines are simply relying on linemen to keep Patterson clean.
An even bigger concern might be the response to pressure.
"You saw in their body language that they're kind of defeated," said Notre Dame defensive end Khalid Kareem, the most effective Irish rusher (two sacks, one quarterback hurry). "After some big stops, you just saw the body language, kind of slumped over. We just tried to capitalize on that."
Until the closing minutes, Michigan showed little urgency. And even its desperation drives took longer than needed. "Just watching the game, not playing," a Big Ten assistant said.
Michigan also needs difference-makers to emerge. The offense clearly missed wide receiver Tarik Black, sidelined again by a broken foot. "Losing Tarik obviously really hurt," Patterson said. "He's really fast."
So who fills the void? Collins showed promise with the long reception, but others must step up. Donovan Peoples-Jones and Perry are more possession types. Michigan needs a player or two who threaten defenses every time they touch the ball.
"It's a beginning," Harbaugh said, "a beginning for us. We're not treating it like the end."
They shouldn't. But there's a lot of work ahead.
Week 1 notes
• Nick Saban might not be ready to anoint Tua Tagovailoa as Alabama's starting quarterback, but coaches who watched the opener said the film doesn't lie. Tagovailoa's accuracy (12-of-16) and big-play ability (14.2 yards per completion) stood out as he got multiple receivers involved. It's a big change from last season, when Calvin Ridley became Alabama's lone consistent target in the passing game. "They will be unbeatable with that kid at quarterback," a Power 5 offensive coordinator said. "It's a different game they're playing now. With Jalen [Hurts], they were more, run the ball, run the ball, play-action. But with Tua, they're explosive." Added another Power 5 coordinator: "Tua's a freak. He's making plays you're not supposed to make. The one throw he made, the first one, should have been a pick and ended up being a touchdown. But a guy who can spread it around and really throw it like that, and he fits in well with what [coordinator Mike] Locksley wants to do."
• Quarterback play is usually a Pac-12 strength, but in surveying league quarterbacks during the preseason, Oregon's Justin Herbert emerged as the one with the highest ceiling. Herbert opened the season with an odd stat line against Bowling Green: 10-of-21 for 281 yards and five touchdowns. He wasn't helped by several dropped passes, but Herbert will be looking for improvement in tuneups with Portland State and San Jose State before Stanford visits Sept. 22. The Cardinal defense looked improved in a season-opening win over San Diego State.
• Among Group of 5 coaches, East Carolina's Scottie Montgomery entered the season squarely on the hot seat. After ECU's 28-23 home loss to FCS foe North Carolina A&T on Sunday, Montgomery might be the first coach to go this fall. He's just 6-19 in two-plus seasons. The Ruffin McNeill firing never made sense, and ECU's once-stable program -- the Pirates had only one losing season between 2006 and 2014 -- is in shambles. Asked Sunday if he felt his job was in jeopardy, Montgomery said, "Every single time you lose a football game, I feel that way." He probably can't afford too many more losses. North Carolina visits Greenville this week.