The Wolverine

August 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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AUGUST 2019 THE WOLVERINE 21 • Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News "There was Harbaugh Friday talking about this possibly being a 'special' season, one day after he took a jab at Ohio State's departed Urban Meyer. After praising Meyer 's 'phenomenal' record, Harbaugh noted that controversy always follows, and there's no debating that. "Was the remark a sign of Harbaugh's confidence in his own team, or just an honest statement of fact, or a calcu- lated chance to deride a rival that has dominated him? "Yes, to all of it. It wasn't a particularly good look, to poke after Meyer is gone, but it also wasn't some nasty, unfounded revelation. It fit Harbaugh's mood and motives, to invigorate a Michigan team that has wilted in big games. "Talk is cheap, of course. So are predictions, and Michi- gan was picked to win the Big Ten, something it hasn't accomplished since 2004. To do so, the Wolverines almost assuredly will have to beat Ohio State for the first time since 2011. With key games at home — Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame — Michigan has become a fash- ionable choice to reach the playoff for the first time." • Shawn Windsor, The Detroit Free Press "It's easy to be at peace in July. Easy to tout your team and your staff and your potential. And maybe that's all Harbaugh was doing when he took the podium a few times to talk about his football team in Chicago. "But it's hard to remember him tossing out words like 'special' so easily. Or stating so intently that, yeah, I'd pick us No. 1 in the conference. "He said, more than once — after side-stepping a ques- tion about his former assistants, Greg Mattison and Al Washington, leaving for Ohio State in the offseason — that he's never had a better coaching staff at U-M. And that a handful of his youngest assistants … are the best young coaches he's seen in 35 years. "He praised his players … he likes his depth. That he won't rely on many freshmen. That there is pressure on him, and his program, to win. "Big. "Now it's time to back it up. Now it's time to beat Ohio State. "He knows it. His players know it. You know it." • Adam Rittenberg, ESPN.com "The Wolverines came to Big Ten Media Days as a popular pick to win the league, but they've held that label before and are approaching 15 years without a confer- ence title. Their chances of beating Ohio State seemingly increase with the retirement of Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer and the NFL departure of Dwayne Haskins, the first Big Ten quarterback selected in the first round since Penn State's Kerry Collins in 1995. "And yet Michigan was supposed to end its losing streak last year in Columbus after letting Ohio State escape in 2016. A historic beating, propelled by the of- fensive play calls of soon-to-be Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, extended the Wolverines' slide to seven. "The Maize and Blue breakthrough was supposed to have happened already, especially under coach Jim Har- baugh's watch. It hasn't. The 2019 season undoubtedly has the feel of 'if not now, when?'" • Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch "The Wolverines do have continuity. Harbaugh returns for a fifth season at his alma mater, and starting quarter- back Shea Patterson is back for his senior season. "On the other hand, in addition to his losing streak against the Buckeyes, Harbaugh has been unable to solve problems on his offense. In Harbaugh's four seasons, the Wolverines have not finished higher than 50th in the na- tion in total offense. "So Harbaugh hired Josh Gattis as offensive coordina- tor and tasked him with installing a spread offense. Gat- tis previously had been the co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach at Alabama. Michigan was using one of the slowest tempos in the nation — only five FBS teams averaged fewer plays per minute than the Wolverines, ac- cording to College Football Analytics. "… Last season's blowout loss to Ohio State, though, looms large over the program. When a reporter apolo- gized for bringing up the stinging defeat, Harbaugh inter- rupted him to say, 'It's OK. We bring it up a lot.' "If Michigan can win the Big Ten and topple Ohio State, it might end up crediting the loss for motivation." "I'm really not talking about play- ing them both at the same time," he explained. "It's really going to be they're both playing quarterback during the same game. That's prob- ably where it stands now … and in every game." Most quarterbacks in high school are playing in the type of option offense U-M is incorporating, Har- baugh said, so it only makes sense. Bredeson is among those who love the move, even if it means he and his linemates have had to pick it up conditioning-wise. "It's a little different with the points and stuff like that, but tech- nique wise it's almost the same," he said. "It's harder. At times you're not going to know where the ball is go- ing, and in the old offense we at least knew where the ball was going to be every single time. "This one, the ball could be going to four different spots. You're block- ing a guy, and then if he starts run- ning the other way, you'd better stop and run with him because the ball is probably over there. "It's a little different and some- thing to get used to, but after a few practices in spring, everybody got the hang of it." Now they need to get the hang of winning titles, having come oh so close in two of the last four years. Harbaugh had t-shirts printed list- ing the scores of last year 's losses as motivation, though both Brede- son and Hudson, another media day attendee in Chicago, insisted they weren't necessary. They remembered well enough. "We embrace the negative," Har- baugh said. "Let's take into account the times we've lost and what we can do to make that not happen again. Ever." They feel they've got all the tools needed to make this year different — and potentially special. ❏ What They're Saying About Michigan Football After Media Day Local and national media's take on Michigan football coming out of Big Ten Media Days July 18-19:

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