ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A bitterly disappointing end to Michigan's 2018 season made one thing clear: The Wolverines' offense needed a genuine shakeup.
The offenses Jim Harbaugh had won with as a Michigan player, and had employed successfully with both Stanford and the San Francisco 49ers, weren't cutting it. Michigan couldn't ride top-10 defenses filled with NFL players to championships.
After several key offensive coaches left for other opportunities, Harbaugh turned to Josh Gattis, the co-offensive coordinator at Alabama, to reshape the unit. The 35-year-old Gattis had never been a primary playcaller, but had important roles in record-setting offenses at Penn State and Alabama, two programs that, like Michigan, broke away from their traditional schemes.
Gattis and his offense, based around a #speedinspace philosophy, is the top story for Michigan entering Harbaugh's pivotal fifth season. The angst is rising after Michigan needed two overtimes Saturday to outlast 23-point underdog Army 24-21, in a game where the offense committed three turnovers and six penalties, and struggled with short-yardage run situations.
Will No. 10 Michigan's offense blossom and ultimately propel the team to championships, or will more of the same create genuine pressure around a decorated coach who hasn't delivered?
I watched the Army game and last week spoke with Gattis and others who know him to break down Michigan's offense and where it goes from here.
'I have 100% autonomy'
A theme emerged this offseason when I asked coaches about Gattis joining Harbaugh at Michigan.
Big Ten head coach: "Is it really going to be Gattis' show? He's never called a play before. I don't envision Jim giving up that."
Big Ten defensive coordinator: "Apparently Harbaugh let him do what he wanted him to do this spring, but will he let that hold up?"
Big Ten offensive coordinator: "He's never called an offense before. I'm just anxious to see how that goes, and to see if Coach Harbaugh gives it up."
Gattis laughed when being told of the offseason consensus about him.
"It's like the No. 1 question for some reason, and I don't get it," he told ESPN last week. "I have 100% autonomy."
Gattis went on to say how supportive Harbaugh has been since his arrival, despite the two men not knowing each other before. Harbaugh's practices are heavy with playcalling opportunities and situations, where the veteran head coach puts his young coordinator on the spot.
"It was very unique, the way we practice here," Gattis said. "A lot of times, you script every play in practice. We do two-minute [drill] every week -- that's on script -- but we'll do red zone, we'll do third down, he'll say, 'Just call plays.' It gets you very comfortable with your system. I feel like I go out there and call plays without a call sheet because I'm used to doing it a ton in practice.
"It was a huge benefit to my development as a playcaller."
Gattis' influence showed in Michigan's opener against Middle Tennessee. The offense used different formations and personnel groups, including quarterbacks Shea Patterson and Dylan McCaffrey on the field together, and spread the ball around to eight ball carriers and nine pass-catchers. It reflected one of Gattis' core principles: "Finding creative ways to be able to use all your personnel." Last Monday, Harbaugh described Gattis' Game 1 playcalling as "practically flawless," adding that Gattis showed good decisiveness.
But in a closer, low-possession game against Army, Michigan looked more limited and conservative. Freshman Zach Charbonnet logged 33 of 37 carries among running backs, and Patterson rarely kept the ball on read-option plays. Although six Michigan players logged receptions of 15 yards or longer, only sophomore receiver Ronnie Bell had more than three catches. Despite a poor first half for the Wolverines, McCaffrey saw the field for only one play, an incomplete pass, before exiting. After a three-and-out to begin the second half, Michigan's final three possessions of regulation included 19 Charbonnet runs.
Michigan tried to impose its will on the smaller Army defense, like Harbaugh teams did in the past. It didn't work. Twice in the fourth quarter, Michigan faced third-and-3 in Army territory. Both times, Charbonnet gained a yard. On both fourth downs, Army stopped Charbonnet.
"They had a better defense called than we executed our offensive play," Harbaugh explained.
If Michigan can't push around Army, how will it convert similar situations against more talented defenses such as Wisconsin, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Iowa and Ohio State?
"Looks like Harbaugh's taking over playcalling," a Power 5 offensive coordinator texted me. "Not much up-tempo."
Harbaugh's influence on playcalling, and the structure of Michigan's overall offensive operation, was a popular topic in recent years. That Michigan's offensive staffs were filled with playcallers -- Pep Hamilton, Jim McElwain, Ed Warinner (still with the Wolverines), Tim Drevno, Jedd Fisch -- added a degree of mystery to the process.
Gattis' arrival seemingly brought clarity.
"I lean toward [Gattis] did what he wanted to do," Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo said after watching Michigan's opener against Middle Tennessee. "Jim can't just totally disengage from the operation. He's still going to have to make clock decisions and go-for-it decisions and that kind of stuff. [Gattis is] a playcaller. That doesn't mean he controls the game. The head coach still controls the game."
DiNardo added that it's important for coaches to be consistent in handling their playcallers, as some back off only during blowouts while micromanaging during tight games. Gattis last week made it clear that Michigan's operation remains collaborative, which should serve the unit going forward.
"It's not some dictatorship of an offense," he said. "This is not about me. This is not about Josh Gattis. This is not about Coach Harbaugh. This is about our offense. This is the offense we run now at Michigan."
More explosive plays, fewer mistakes
Gattis lists three chief objectives for Michigan's offense: limiting negative plays, protecting the ball and, most significant, generating more explosive plays, which he defines as runs of 12 yards or longer and passes of 15 yards or longer.
"We're not some dink-and-dunk offense," Gattis said. "We want to outgain the other team in chunk plays and explosive plays. That's absolutely first and foremost for us, being an attacking offense that looks to take advantage of every part of the defense."
In 2018, Michigan ranked 42nd nationally in yards per play (6.1) and 73rd in percentage of plays of 10 yards or longer (19.5). During Harbaugh's tenure, Michigan hasn't ranked higher than 69th nationally in percentage of plays of 10 yards or longer (2016). The Wolverines particularly have struggled to generate long runs under Harbaugh, ranking no higher than 49th (2016) and as low as 120th (2015) in percentage of rushes longer than 10 yards.
Gattis comes to Michigan from two offenses -- Penn State and Alabama -- that thrived in these categories. Last season, Alabama ranked second nationally in percentage of plays 10 yards or longer (29). Penn State ranked 15th from 2016 to 2017 (23%).
Through two games, Michigan has shown promise here. Patterson's first three touchdown passes of the season all stretched 28 yards or longer. Charbonnet ran for 14 yards on his first carry of the season, and later added rushes of 41 and 13 yards against Middle Tennessee. Michigan had seven explosive plays against Army, although only one run (12 yards by Charbonnet).
"The game's changed," DiNardo said. "You win with a good defense and an explosive offense. Everyone needs to be explosive, and when you line up in the old Stanford/San Francisco 49ers formations, just by the virtue of your alignment, it's very difficult to be explosive.
"If Ohio State can score 62 on [Michigan], they better be able to score 63."
Michigan's next step is eliminating mistakes. The Wolverines have fumbled eight times, losing five, in their first two games, after just three lost fumbles all of last season. Patterson has been particularly shaky, fumbling on each of Michigan's opening possessions. "You can't get that loose with the ball," Harbaugh said Saturday.
Penalties also are a problem, as Michigan's offense is responsible for 10 of the team's 17 penalties, including several pre-snap fouls.
"We had some mistakes, we had some penalties, turnovers, things we need to clean up," guard Ben Bredeson said. "It's hard to get into an offensive rhythm with that."
Bredeson added that mental focus is Michigan's biggest obstacle with a new system. As a senior, he tries to bring patience and a calming presence to a transitioning unit.
"We've just got some kinks in the offense that we're still working through," Bredeson said. "It's a new look for us, we're two weeks in, and going through this bye week going into the Big Ten season, it will be good for us. We've seen what's working for us, what's not and we'll be able to make some changes."
What needs to change
Despite Gattis' lack of playcalling experience, one reason he seems to be a good match with Michigan, and especially Patterson, is his familiarity with run-pass options. Penn State employed them often with Trace McSorley in 2016 and 2017, and Alabama had incredible success with Tua Tagovailoa last season.
"It was kind of the defining characteristic of our offensive scheme," said Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead, who had Gattis on the offensive staff at Penn State during his two-year run as Nittany Lions coordinator. "You want to put a second- or third-level defender in conflict, force them to choose between playing the run and the pass. We were very creative in the ways we were able to do that."
Gattis noted that the feature isn't just a run-pass option, but also a read-option for the quarterback to spark the run game and create advantages with both numbers and leverage.
"They did a lot more RPO stuff than they did last year on the field," Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill told me. "The quarterback, he runs better than I thought he could. They have the players, the skill set to run that up-tempo offense."
Before transferring to Michigan, Patterson had shown promise with RPOs at Ole Miss. Last season, he often seemed most comfortable when allowed to move around rather than occupy a traditional pocket.
"We have to keep grinding, just getting it more well-oiled. We've got to get the well-oiled machine going."Jim Harbaugh
The quarterback run emphasis is part of the reason Michigan could use both Patterson and McCaffrey, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound junior with strong dual-threat skills. Michigan needs Patterson to show greater willingness to run. Harbaugh on Saturday said Patterson wasn't limited healthwise and attributed the lack of runs to the reads not being there for him to pull the ball and take off.
Although McCaffrey wasn't a factor against Army, he remains in Michigan's plans going forward after eight carries for 42 yards in the opener.
"Not only are they really good athletes, but they're really good quarterbacks," Gattis said. "And so people can't look out there and say, 'Well, Dylan McCaffrey's coming in the game and he's just going to run the ball.' He can throw the ball extremely well. He's a quarterback.
"I don't think it serves us to have someone who we feel is one of our best playmakers sitting on the bench all game, just because we have a talented player ahead of him."
At Penn State, Moorhead had Gattis focus on plays for third-and-medium or longer. In 2016 and 2017, the Lions ranked 13th nationally in converting third downs of five yards or longer (35.1%). Michigan has converted nearly 50% of its third-down chances (14 of 29) through the first two games.
But Michigan ultimately needs to find a rhythm and utilize what appears to be a deeper group of big-play threats. Although Michigan brings back three established receivers in Nico Collins, Tarik Black and Donovan Peoples-Jones, Gattis identified Bell as an explosive threat, along with tight ends Nick Eubanks and Sean McKeon, and running backs such as Charbonnet and Christian Turner. After several missed opportunities against Middle Tennessee, Bell made several clutch catches against Army (seven catches, 81 yards).
Sources say Peoples-Jones (foot) is expected back Sept. 21 at Wisconsin, and running back Tru Wilson also could return. Michigan's offensive line, which struggled against Army, also should get tackle Jon Runyan Jr. back for the Big Ten opener.
"We talk about speed and space and be able to isolate the playmakers, identify who they are and find ways to get them in one-on-one situations," Moorhead said. "I don't know enough about what they're doing at Michigan, but I would guess he's focusing on where he can get good numbers and angles in the run game, and where he can combine dropback passing and play-action."
Speed in space hasn't truly taken shape at Michigan, making the upcoming open week even more crucial. No. 14 Wisconsin's defense hasn't allowed a point through two games and appears back to the nationally elite form it showed from 2015 to 2017.
"We have to keep grinding, just getting it more well-oiled," Harbaugh said. "We've got to get the well-oiled machine going."
Week 2 notes
• Mike Locksley's three years with Nick Saban at Alabama revived his career and helped him structure key elements of Maryland's program. But in terms of offensive philosophy, another coach molded Locksley, someone more familiar to Terrapins fans.
"I'm still shaped by Ralph Friedgen," Locksley told me. "One thing he talked about is get your five best players on the field."
Locksley's challenge after Maryland scored 142 points in its first two games -- its highest two-game total ever -- is picking the right five to surround quarterback Josh Jackson. There's no shortage of options, especially at running back but also receiver, where young players such as Darryl Jones and Dontay Demus Jr. are emerging.
Maryland already has six players with a run of 20 yards or longer, and seven with a reception of 23 yards or longer.
"It's a result of your execution," Locksley said. "We've gotten the buy-in from these guys. We still realize this is very early. We've got a lot of work to do as a program to create the reputation and the identity that we want."
• The coaching hot-seat list already looks different than it did at the start of the season. USC's Clay Helton and Auburn's Gus Malzahn, the two most prominent coaches feeling the heat, are both 2-0. So is Illinois' Lovie Smith.
Meanwhile, South Florida's Charlie Strong is 0-2 and in major trouble, as a late-season slide has carried over. Florida State's Willie Taggart didn't quiet the grumbling, as the Seminoles needed overtime to outlast Louisiana Monroe at a half-filled Doak Campbell Stadium. Life is even worse for Tennessee's Jeremy Pruitt, 0-2 after stunning home losses to Georgia State and BYU.
Although Taggart and Pruitt both have contracts that make dismissals difficult, they both need things to turn around soon.
• LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and his receiving corps shocked college football Saturday at Texas, compiling 471 pass yards and four touchdowns. But the performance didn't surprise those in Baton Rouge who saw this coming. There was tremendous confidence within the program not only about Burrow, who finished strong last season, but a receiver group with possible multiple breakout players.
An LSU source told me Justin Jefferson was just as hard to defend in practice as Alabama's Jerry Jeudy, the 2018 Biletnikoff Award winner, is in games. Ja'Marr Chase emerged into an elite route-runner, and Terrace Marshall Jr. became a beast on 50-50 balls.
"Marshall, Chase and Jefferson are as good as it gets in our league," the source said.
All three eclipsed 100 receiving yards against Texas, a program first for LSU.