The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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or 14-7, hey, let's make it 28-0 by the end of the first quarter. Let's put some points on the board quickly, because we have that ability." Making Himself At Home That's what Gattis wants — bury some people, and never let up. It fits his personality. It's what he enhanced, in attitude and tech- nique, under Moorhead. It's what he partici- pated in at a heightened state in Tuscaloosa. Now Harbaugh stands ready to see some of it in Ann Arbor. That shouldn't come as a huge surprise to anyone, according to the new OC. "I don't think Coach Harbaugh has ever been labeled one way as a head coach," Gat- tis said. "His offenses at Stanford were dif- ferent than the offense he had at San Fran- cisco. You look at what he was able to do when he had Colin Kaepernick, and how he changed and evolved the NFL with the quar- terback read stuff. He hasn't been labeled one way as a head coach. "This is another example. Obviously, switching things over offensively, there were some spread elements in the offense in the past. But he has given us full authority. This is our offense. This is not my offense. This is our offense." Their offense, against a Michigan defense looking to enhance its own performance versus certain pro spread looks, might be a match made in practice heaven. "Going against our defense is phenomenal in practice, because of how well our defense has played here throughout the years, the number of challenging things that Coach [Don] Brown presents," Gattis said. "There were things we were able to install that we scaled back on, that weren't necessarily good against our defense but will be great versus other defenses. "That's one of the challenges here — you see everything. That makes us better. It re- ally solidified our offense, because there are things our defense creates problems for, that you've got to have answers. You really feel great when you go against our defense in practice and you're able to solve your own problems in practice." Brown feels the same. They both intend to send units on the field in 2019 prepared to exert as much pressure as possible on those across the line of scrimmage. A certain head coach all the way down in Mississippi stands ready to vouch for the newest Wolverine in a headset. He's watched Gattis in action and sees a blue wave coming. "I'm confident in Josh," Moorhead as- sured. "I know his exposure to the Big Ten and those defenses. The things he learned and brought to the table at Penn State and certainly Alabama, he'll do a great job with this opportunity." ❑ porous offensive line, which gave up 135 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. 2016 — PENN STATE Chris Godwin — 59 catches for 982 yards and 11 touch- downs His touchdown total ranked second on the school's all-time single-season list, and despite leaving after his junior season he finished his career No. 4 in pro- gram history for career touchdown receptions and receiving yards. DaeSean Hamilton — 34 catches for 506 yards and one touchdown Averaged 14.9 yards per catch, which ranked ninth in the Big Ten. Top three wide receivers — 120 catches for 1,928 yards and 13 touchdowns Despite quarterback Trace McSorley seeing his first sig- nificant action as a redshirt sophomore, Penn State had the No. 3-ranked passing attack according to S&P+, improving from No. 64 the year prior, and won the Big Ten. 2017 — PENN STATE DaeSean Hamilton — 53 catches for 857 yards and nine touchdowns The second-team All-Big Ten pick became Penn State's all-team leader with 214 career receptions, shattering the old mark of 179, and finished No. 2 with 2,842 receiving yards. The receiver who played under Gattis every season he saw the field was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Juwan Johnson — 54 catches for 701 yards and one touchdown The redshirt sophomore debuted with just two catches, but saw a dra- matic increase en route to honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media. Top three wide receivers — 115 catches for 2,001 yards and 13 touchdowns The Nittany Lions scored 3.5 points per game more than they did in 2016 and upped their passing average by 30 yards on its way to a second straight top-10 finish in the polls. 2018 — ALABAMA Jerry Jeudy — 68 catches for 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns The winner of the 2018 Biletnikoff Award, presented each year to the nation's top wideout, also earned consensus All-America honors as a true sophomore. He caught 54 more passes than he did in 2018 prior to Gattis' arrival. Henry Ruggs III — 46 catches for 741 yards and 11 touchdowns The sophomore caught 34 more passes and had 512 more receiving yards than he did in 2017. Top three wide receivers — 159 catches for 2,900 yards and 32 touchdowns In Gattis' lone season with the Crimson Tide, who gave him the title of co-offensive coordinator, Alabama's passing S&P+ rating improved from 20th nationally to first. Third-leading receiver Jaylen Waddle had 45 catches for 844 yards and seven touchdowns, earning him SEC Freshman of the Year distinctions. The top four Alabama wide receiv- ers were all underclassmen, and each had more than 40 catches and 675 receiving yards. THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 41 DaeSean Hamilton PHOTO COURTESY BLUE AND WHITE ILLUSTRATED Jerry Jeudy PHOTO COURTESY ALABAMA ATHLETICS PHOTOGRAPHY