6:30 AM
There is a saying in boxing that styles make fights. The Capital One Orange Bowl is expected to be a "Heavyweight" game if that is the case, according to Josh Gattis.
Michigan wants to be physical up front on offense and wear defenses down through the running game, which is why it has led the way with 2,227 rushing yards this season. The All-American nose tackle Jordan Davis is trying to take away the run and get after the quarterback.
Gattis said that the Orange Bowl would be a train wreck. Friday on the app.
Harbaugh made an offer to Gattis after the end of the Michigan season, saying that he would run the offense.
The product on the field today doesn't look like what many Michigan supporters expected when Gattis was hired. Harbaugh's brand of conservative bully ball is what the offense is built around.
Gattis is not poking holes. It's still his offense. It has been three years since he was hired in Ann arbor, Michigan, and now, finally, he is celebrated. The school punched its first trip to the College Football Playoff and Gattis won the college football's top assistant coach award.
Michigan's game plan won't be altered much to counter Georgia.
Harbaugh was pictured in a shirt with boldface type that might as well have been broadcasting their strategy in advance: "RUN THE DAMN BALL."
Josh Gattis won the college football's top assistant coach award after a rocky few years with Michigan.
The Michigan offense had been stagnant during Harbaugh's first four seasons as head coach, and Gattis was supposed to breathe life into it. Michigan needed someone to come in and drag the old-school Harbaugh into the 21st century, even though they averaged 9.5 wins.
Under Gattis, the UM promised to push the pace and not try to win the time of possession battle. They would use three- and four-receiver sets instead of using pro-style formations with one or two receiver and the quarterback under center.
The change of guard was going to be exciting. "Speed in space" was the slogan.
Gattis's phrase, which he came up with, showed up everywhere. Fans could download a phone wallpaper with an astronauts in a blue and yellow helmet on the moon. Gattis shot out of a T-shirt cannon during a basketball game in February.
Gattis leaned in, using the #SpeedInSpace slogan 33 times in the year, including once with a video he shot from a boat on the waters of Cape Town, South Africa.
The Michigan offense was ok but never really took off, so the # was removed from Gattis' account.
Everything that could go wrong for Michigan football happened in 2020. The team's record didn't tell the whole story as the offense ranked 66th in points per game, Joe Milton III struggled at quarterback, and the team's last three games were all canceled.
There wasn't a lot of hope going into 2021. There was more buzz about McNamara's backup, freshman J.J. McCarthy, than about McNamara himself.
The team's chances of winning the Big Ten championship were 2% according to one oddsmaker.
"We believe in each other," he said.
McNamara attempted only 11 passes and the team's most experienced receiver,Ronnie Bell, was lost for the year with a knee injury as Michigan won the season opener against Western Michigan.
The first month of the season seemed to be a mirage. McNamara hadn't attempted 20 passes in a game, but Michigan went 4-0, and it had beaten only Western Michigan, Washington, Northern Illinois and Rutgers.
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The wins came against Wisconsin, Nebraska and Northwestern. The Michigan didn't fold after the loss to Michigan State. They defeated Indiana and Penn State.
This defensive-minded, run-oriented team might be the real deal even without McNamara and the passing game in the driver's seat at all times.
McNamara threw for 159 yards and no points against the then-No. Is there 2 Ohio State? Michigan ran for 297 yards and six touchdown and won at home by 15 points.
This wasn't a picture of speed in space. Michigan doesn't have a single player in the top 200 in reception or the top 100 in receiving yards. The offense goes a full 7 seconds per play slower than Tennessee, and still huddles 40.9% of the time.
This was more like a fight in a phone booth. Michigan is third in rush attempts. The Joe Moore Award is given to the best offensive line in the country.
Corum recalled an interview from a year ago in which Gattis seemed to indicate he wasn't focused on the running game. Corum said that has not been a problem this season as Gattis has bought in to running the ball early.
The team motto is P.S.P., according to Michigan wide receiver Mike Sainristil.
He said that it was physical, smart, and precise. The first word is physical. That's how we play football. We want to do that. That's what we teach our guys, and that's how it's going to be.
As he accepted the award, Gattis was on the verge of tears.
Gattis recalled how Harbaugh took a risk when he hired him at the awards luncheon. He would become one of only a few Black offensive coordinators in the Power 5, having never been a primary play caller before.
Gattis acknowledged the patience shown by the athletic director and the chief of staff. The Michigan team could have cleaned house and still not have had a bad season.
Gattis thanked them for giving him a chance to ride the wave.
He said they believed they could.
The College Football Playoff is upon us after a wild regular season. Everything you need to know is here.
The complete bowl schedule is included in the preview.
Every bowl game has players and storylines.
The Fiesta and Rose are previews.
