The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1133554
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Inches is the reported vertical jump of Central Michigan graduate transfer defen- sive end MIKE DANNA, according to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman. That would match the best for an edge rusher or defensive lineman at the NFL Combine since 2006, equaling the leap posted by Mark Anderson (out of Alabama in 2006) and Dontay Moch (out of Nevada in 2011). Other Future Non-Conference Opponents 2026: Sept. 12 vs. Oklahoma 2027: Sept. 11 vs. Texas 2025 Date Opponent Sept. 6 at Oklahoma Sept. 13 TBD or Bye Sept. 20 at Maryland Sept. 27 at Nebraska Oct. 4 TBD or Bye Oct. 11 Michigan State Oct. 18 at Illinois Oct. 25 Iowa Nov. 1 Rutgers Nov. 8 TBD or Bye Nov. 15 at Indiana Nov. 22 at Penn State Nov. 29 Ohio State Dec. 6 Big Ten Championship THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 15 THEY SAID IT "The 6-foot-6 Michigan native played all 13 games as a freshman in the shadow of future NFL Draft picks Rashan Gary and Chase Win- ovich. His older teammates were predicting Hutchin- son would be a future All- American after just a couple months on campus last fall, and he'll have a chance to shine as he steps into a starting role this season." — ESPN's Dan Murphy on choosing AIDAN HUTCHINSON as the Wolverines' second-year breakout player "Huddles are gone. Fullbacks and snot bubbles will fade from center stage. [Offensive coordinator Josh] Gattis assures Michigan's traditional- ists, though, that there will be no need to tilt their bedside photos of Bo face down to shield his eyes. The Wolverines' offense will be faster and replete with trendy run-pass option, but it will still set its roots in a power run game. [Senior] Quarterback Shea Patterson will still tuck himself under center, flanked by at least a couple of tight ends when the team needs to pick up a couple of tough yards. "Gattis calls his scheme 'a mutt,' an indistinguishable mix of styles that will fold in elements of what Harbaugh's past offenses have done best. … Michigan's offense wasn't exactly inept before Gattis arrived. The Wolver- ines averaged 35.2 points in 2018. At its best, Harbaugh's offense found creative twists to make troops of tight ends and fullbacks feel fresh. But that ingenuity was absent during the past couple of seasons, and the teams the Wolverines are chasing were using more innovative approaches to average at least a touchdown more per game." — ESPN's Dan Murphy in an April 8 article describing the new changes U-M's first-year coordinator will bring to the offense 85.5 Was Shea Patterson's overall grade from Pro Football Focus last year, best — by a wide mar- gin — among the Big Ten's returning passers with a minimum of 175 drop-backs (second was Nebraska's Adrian Martinez, at 73.8). Using the same parameters, Patterson's grade ranked 19th nationally last season, and among returners he ranks 10th overall and seventh among Power Five signal-callers. 42 "The program at large is in bet- ter shape today than it was when Harbaugh was hired. That's not debatable. Michigan has had double-digit wins in three of the past four years, played in two New Year's Six bowls and come within one game of a division title and a possible College Football Playoff bid twice. "Harbaugh insists Michigan's close. He's probably not wrong. But this is big-time college football and Michigan's put itself into the 'all or nothing' lane with Harbaugh — fair or not — since he walked in the door. "Close doesn't cut it. Close gets you a trip to somewhere no one really wants to be over Christmas and a seat on your couch for the games that really matter. "When you're close, you change and hope for the best. Harbaugh's Michigan is changing again. Maybe it'll be enough this time. It has to be. Because everyone's pretty sick of close." — Nick Baumgardner of The Detroit Free Press PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN PHOTO COURTESY CMU