The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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36 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW see necessary. … That's truly a great attri- bute of his, being the head coach and being the CEO of the program." Harbaugh has certainly seen pro-spread offenses work, from some of Moorhead's offerings at Penn State, to Alabama, to the team his squad squares off against at the end of every regular season. He's firing back, and Moorhead insists it's a savvy move. 'It Speaks Volumes' The Mississippi State head coach assured Harbaugh's effort to intercept Gattis from a jump to Maryland and install him as Michi- gan's OC says plenty about both of them. "I think it speaks volumes for both Coach Harbaugh and for Josh," Moorhead said. "Obviously, Coach Harbaugh has had an incredible amount of success as an offensive coach and as a play caller — at San Diego, at Stanford, in the NFL and at Michigan. "For him to pass the baton to Josh — and a style of offense that maybe is a little bit dif- ferent than what Coach is accustomed to — I think it speaks volumes, one for Coach to be able to delegate that responsibility, and two, for his belief in Josh that he's prepared for that responsibility." Harbaugh stands convinced Gattis is ready to take it on. When he heard Gattis was leav- ing Alabama after a year to join new Mary- land coach Mike Locksley as his OC, the Michigan boss didn't hesitate. "It was an opportunity to get a great coach, somebody that I've been following," Harbaugh said. "I saw that he was becoming an offensive coordinator, so I moved fast and made him my offensive coordinator." The questions raised over the move center completely on Gattis' experience as a play caller. He's long enjoyed extensive input — witness his involvement in Penn State's scheme against Michigan two years ago, and Nick Saban's reported ire over losing his mentoring at Alabama. But Gattis hasn't called a game himself. Those sorts of concerns draw a collective shrug from Gattis, Harbaugh and, for that matter, Moorhead. They all agree Gattis is ready for the next step. "He's prepared his whole life for this opportunity," Moorhead said. "At a certain point, regardless of the business endeavor or if it's in coaching, you have to let some- one do something for the first time. I had to become a first-time head coach, I had to become a first-time play caller. "There are plenty of first-time coaches that have had a lot of success, having not done it before. I think Josh would fall into that category." "I called the whole spring game from out of script," Gattis said. "That's how I do prac- tice. I don't need a script. I've got the plays in my head. I know what I want to call. I know what I want to accomplish. "We do a number of different periods in practice where we call it, which is really good, whether it's situations, two-minute, backed up, red zone, short yardage … we don't script half of practice. We just call it on the field and run plays. "It's really neat. The players also under- stand, as a play caller, what I like to call in certain situations, and we'll often watch those plays together on offense, so I can explain to them what I was thinking, so they can think like me. The more they have a thought pro- cess like me, it allows them to be comfortable and allows them to go out and be successful." Nobody can deny the success of the last two offenses with which Gattis served. That 2017 Penn State crew averaged 41.1 points (tied for sixth nationally) and 460.3 yards per game (19th). McSorley and the Nittany Lions threw for 3,772 yards and 32 touch- downs (21st and 13th, respectively). The Crimson Tide eclipsed those numbers last year, averaging 45.6 points per game (third) on their way to the national champion- ship contest. They averaged a ridiculous 522.0 yards per game (sixth), rushing for a total of 2,976 yards and throwing for another 4,854, while leading the country with 52 TD passes. The Wolverines weren't bankrupt on of- fense last year, averaging 35.2 points (21st) and 419.5 yards (49th) per contest. They threw for 2,804 yards and 24 touchdowns, while rushing for 2,653 yards. Former Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead, now the head coach at Mississippi State, noted Gattis' "expertise was critical to us in the pass game" during their time together with the Nittany Lions. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS In his first year as a full-time assistant coach, Gattis coached Western Michigan wide re- ceiver Jordan White to consensus All-Amer- ica honors after leading the NCAA with 140 catches and 1,911 receiving yards. PHOTO COURTESY GS PHOTO/WMU ATHLETICS