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September 30, 2019 - Image 10

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4B — September 30, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday

For offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, a necessary step forward

Josh Gattis paced near the
30-yard
line
shortly
before
kickoff,
embracing
players
scattered about. He walked up
to midfield, then back again.
Safeties coach Chris Partridge
approached
and
offered
an
emphatic hug.
As Gattis walked toward the
middle of the offensive huddle,
ready to address his beleaguered
unit before taking the field
against Rutgers, one could only
imagine the thoughts going
through his head.
Since the moment he got
the job, the spotlight of this
Michigan football season has
concentrated on him, and on
his promise of change. Through
three weeks, that promised
growth has been noticeably
absent.
For Saturday’s bout, Gattis
decided
to
change
course.
Instead of sitting in the press
box directing the offense, he
decided to run the offense from
the sideline. Spearheading a unit
in search of an identity, Gattis
felt his presence on the field
could centralize that quest.
“I think this group really
leans on leadership and they
need it,” Gattis said on the
pregame radio show. “To be on
the field, to be able to provide
that leadership, in good and bad
times, it’s something I think that
I want to encourage out of our
guys. … Slept on it all week long,
going through my mind, and
it’s about what these kids need
most. It’s not about what I need,
it’s not about anything else.
“It’s about what the kids need.
And they need it.”
It’s difficult to say what
tangible impact his move had
on Michigan’s 52-0 demolition
over Rutgers — though it’s hard
to imagine anything altering the
outcome. But the importance of
such a move was not lost on his
players.
“All week, he emphasized

believing in his players, and we
just have to believe in him,” said
junior running back Christian
Turner. “I think him being on
the sideline just emphasized that
even more.”
For Michigan
coach
Jim
Harbaugh,
Gattis’ presence
on the sideline
also
clarified
some
of
the
intricacies
underlying many
of the questions
about
this
offense.
“For Josh to
be there as the plays are being
formulated, he can react to the
kind of subs he wants in the
game, who he wants running a

particular route or play. It flowed
much better today,” Harbaugh
said. “It could still be better, the
operation and mechanics of it.
But I thought it took a big leap
today.”
Between
plays, he’d hold
up a hand signal,
frequently
a
number,
which
would then be
mimicked by two
offensive staffers
by
his
side.
Staffers
would
hold
up
two
signs behind him
with an image —
anything from a military tank
to bug spray, pairs of leggings
to a Detroit Red Wings logo.
From there, Gattis would often

bark marching orders to certain
players, specifically receivers
who looked back at him for last-
second instructions.
All
the
while
Harbaugh
stood nearby, though distant
enough. When
the
offense
necessitated
a
huddle,
it
was Gattis in
the
center,
Harbaugh
standing
on
the
periphery.
When confusion
arose,
it
was
up to Gattis to
signal timeout.
The two coaches sometimes
conversed between plays, and
regularly did so between drives.
Sometimes, they’d turn to a

whiteboard to demonstrate their
ideas conceptually.
But there were no ambiguities.
This was Gattis’ show, as it has
been since the day he arrived.
“I thought (communication)
was
better,”
Harbaugh
said.
“Everything
was better face-
to-face

me
communicating
with
him,
him
communicating
with
players,
players hearing it
from him and not
going through the
box. It was good.
It was a good move. Glad we did
it.”
At times, Gattis’ demeanor —
branded as fiery and emotional

— neared a boiling point. After
an illegal motion penalty on
freshman receiver Giles Jackson
in the first quarter, Gattis
furiously marched onto the edge
of the field to substitute him off.
At the next intermission, the
two calmly talked it out. Not a
voice through a radio. Person-
to-person.
At others, though, he opted
for
measured
conversation.
After Patterson’s interception on
an under-thrown ball to junior
Nico
Collins,
Gattis
hardly
appeared frustrated. He brought
Patterson over, calmly pointed
to the video screen, then made a
hand gesture to suggest a tweak.
“I think coach Gattis is
without a doubt kind of the
leader of our offense,” Patterson
said. “I think we all trust in him.
Like I said, we see it every day in
practice, so it was just a little bit
more personal.”
Whether
his
presence
on the field had any direct
impact on play-calling or game
management is only part and
parcel
to
its
intention.
As
Michigan’s new coach tries to
forge a connection with his
team, and with it something
resemblant of an identity, his
presence alone offers value.
Maybe it was little more than
a symbolic gesture, but when
building trust, symbols matter.
“It’s a familiar face on the
sideline with us,” Turner said.
“Seeing his emotion after plays,
whether good or bad, I think
that definitely helped.”
As the score continued to
widen and the starting unit took
a breather, Gattis’ demeanor
grew more relaxed. It was just
a win, and one against a team
destined for Big Ten bottom-
dwelling, but the sense of relief
was palpable.
Slowly, time ticked away, and
the loss at Wisconsin continued
to fade from memory. The clock
finally hit zero. Gattis unfolded
his arms, embraced his team
and, for the first time all year,
took a confident stride forward.

MAX MARCOVITCH
Managing Sports Editor

RUCHITA IYER/Daily
Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis called plays from the sideline on Saturday, a marked shift from the first three games of the season when he was in the booth.

All week, he
emphasized
believing in his
players.

Everything was
better face-to-
face. ... Glad we
did it.

Against Scarlet Knights, Wolverines get contributions from new faces

Let’s cut right to the chase. On
Saturday, the Michigan football
team beat Rutgers, 52-0. It was
such a bad performance for the
Scarlet Knights that they fired their
coach the next day.
So, for the Wolverines, that
meant that most of the regular
starters were out of the game by
the third quarter and others had a
chance to shine.
There were a lot of contributors
you might not be familiar with,
younger players who suddenly
showed up and made an impact.
The Daily introduces you to some
of those players, what they did and
what it could mean for the future:
Sophomore linebacker Cam
McGrone
McGrone got the start at middle
linebacker in place of Josh Ross,
who was out with an injury. He
made several eye-popping plays and
was all over Rutgers quarterback

Artur Sitkowski in blitz packages.
Though he was credited with just
one tackle and one quarterback
hurry, it was clear that McGrone’s
speed could be a difference-maker.
“If he keeps playing like this,
he’s gonna be a star,” Michigan
coach Jim Harbaugh said after the
game. “The way he runs, again, he
played really well last week, but
his physicality is just really, every
week, going higher and higher.”
McGrone has also proved to
be a larger-than-life presence off
the field, making the kinds of bold
press conference proclamations
that players like Chase Winovich
used to have.
Most notably, McGrone offered
up a prediction that Michigan
would rebound from its early
struggles.
“We know we’re gonna see
(Wisconsin) again in Indy, my
hometown,
for
the
Big
Ten
Championship,” McGrone said. “
… I know when we see them again,
we’re gonna smack them in the

mouth.”
Though
he
drew
some
comparisons to Devin Bush with
his
sideline-to-sideline
speed,
McGrone isn’t going to be that
guy right away. He’s still raw,
and he showed that in the loss to
Wisconsin, where he struggled as
Ross’ replacement. But if McGrone
adds a little more polish, the
Wolverines might have another
great linebacker on their hands.
Freshman safety Dax Hill
Early in the second quarter,
Michigan stalled on an offensive
drive for the first time all game.
Will Hart’s punt wasn’t great — it
traveled just 41 yards — but just
as the Scarlet Knights’ returner
caught the ball, Hill flew in his
face, leveling him and preventing a
return. As Hill walked off the field,
he wagged his fingers, a warning to
future kick returners everywhere.
“The punt coverage was such a
big thing from last week to this. Last
week he was a gunner and pretty
much in that same similar position

and was hesitant,” Harbaugh said.
“And all you really had to do was
just coach him on it and that’s what
he did and no hesitation today, you
saw him make one of those big-
time plays as a gunner.”
Hill — a five-star recruit — was
expected to contribute right away,
but he’s been largely absent in the
first few games. Saturday, then,
was somewhat of Hill’s coming-
out party. In addition to his
contribution on special teams, Hill
saw time at safety in the second
half, finishing with four total
tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.
He, too, is a player who could
make a difference on defense with
his speed, and the coaching staff
already seems to have seen enough
to give him more of a look.
“He just keeps coming, keeps
coming along and he’s growing as
a football player very quickly and
he’s so fast and that speed shows
up,” Harbaugh said. “It shows up
when it shows up and you see it,
you see it with Dax Hill, you see it
with Cam McGrone, you see the
guys like that, so he’s come along.
… I probably predict he’ll be getting
more and more time.”
Redshirt
freshman
quarterback Joe Milton
In Madison, the Wolverines’
normal
backup
quarterback,
redshirt
sophomore
Dylan
McCaffrey, took a big hit and went
down with a concussion. With that,
Milton, usually the third-string,
slotted into the backup role.

Though Milton has a cannon
for an arm, he has struggled with
accuracy in the past and is seen as
turnover prone. But on Saturday,
he came in during the third quarter
with the game long over and
provided about as good an audition
as he could hope for against the
hapless Scarlet Knights.
“He’s a leader,” said sophomore
running back Christian Turner.
“He doesn’t have the starting
job right now, he knows that, but
he doesn’t go out there and be
lackadaisical or not being fully
there. He knows what he’s doing.
He’s just a good guy to have out
there.”
The offense kept humming with
Milton in the shotgun. He ran a
bootleg for a touchdown early in
the fourth quarter and later threw
for another.
Milton won’t see the field
much this year with two more
experienced signal-callers in front
of him, but he’s popular among his
teammates and if he plays well in
limited time, he could carve out a
bigger role next year.
“I’ve been waiting for him to get
his chance,” McGrone said. “Seeing
him in the end zone, it warmed my
heart a little bit, man. I’m pulling
for that guy, man.”
Other skill-position players
Sophomore
running
back
Hassan
Haskins
spent
2018
confined to special teams. He
appeared at running back against
Middle Tennessee and Wisconsin,

but had just three combined
attempts for negative-three yards.
On Saturday, Haskins got an
extended look with the score out of
hand and two of the Wolverines’ top
three backs coming off of injuries.
He was Michigan’s second-leading
rusher on the day, gaining 45 yards
on nine attempts, and had a game-
high 15-yard rush.
Haskins
is
blocked
from
extended playing time by Turner,
senior Tru Wilson and freshman
Zach Charbonnet, but Haskins
seems to have secured himself
as the No. 4 option and a capable
replacement
if
Wilson
and
Charbonnet continue to struggle
with injuries.
Freshman wide receiver Giles
Jackson flashed some stuff with a
23-yard touchdown from Milton
in the fourth quarter. Though
he is even more blocked than
Haskins, with four older, mega-
talented receivers in front of
him, Jackson has been given the
chance to showcase his speed as
Michigan’s primary kick returner
— he returned one kick for 13 yards
Saturday — and has stood out from
the pack a little more than any of
the Wolverines’ other freshman
receivers.
“It’s the freshmen out there
now and we’ll see what they can
do,” Harbaugh said. “And they got
valuable reps and they played well,
they’ve been getting a lot of work. ...
Good to see them execute the plays
that were called.”

RUCHITA IYER/Daily
Sophomore linebacker Cam McGrone showed out in place of the injured Josh Ross in Saturday’s win over Rutgers.

ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Editor

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