Michigan’s offense turned the page in the offseason as they turn to Joe Milton at the quarterback position. Now, it’s up to head coach Jim Harbaugh to coach him up and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis to make the offense explosive in the passing game.
Speed is the name of the game for Michigan. If the Wolverines are to get by Minnesota on Saturday night, they’ll need said speed.
Speaking on CBS Sports HQ on Friday, 247Sports’ Barton Simmons outlined the outlook for the Michigan wide receiver group going up against the Gophers.
“I don’t know what it’s gonna look like," Simmons said. "I tend to have a little bit of optimism in terms of what Josh Gattis has put together in the wide receiver group. He sort of turned in his lease of Cadillacs. It’s up, and he’s turned those Cadillacs in and instead has got this gang of dirt bikes. It’s athletic, speedy, space players. There’s still Cornelius Johnson, who’s a big body on the outside. Ronnie Bell is more of a complete guy. Giles Jackson, A.J. Henning and Roman Wilson are the true freshmen — that’s a lot of speed, that’s a lot of explosiveness, that’s a lot of athleticism, and I think that’s really the makeup that I think Josh Gattis wanted when he arrived at Michigan or when he wants his dream receiving corps.
“I know the quarterback is an unknown. I know the offense has been slow to get rolling here the last few years under Jim Harbaugh, but I’m curious if this collection and the makeup of what I call these dirt bikes is gonna be enough to get Michigan really rolling, because these guys are fun. These guys are talented, and I think it could be really interesting to see what they look like.”
The group is needed in the absence of stars Donovan Peoples-Jones, who now plays for the Cleveland Browns, and Nico Collins who opted out the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Collins was dangerous last season with 37 catches, 729 yards, seven touchdowns and an average of 19.7 yards per catch.
Jackson had the most reps last season at wide receiver within the group mentioned by Simmons. He finished the year with nine catches, 142 yards and one touchdown while the big bodied guy in Johnson finished with four catches, 61 yards and one touchdown.
It’ll be up to Gattis to get the motor running but expect some fanciness and hard nosed football combined with the new crop of receivers and quarterback Joe Milton.
However, speaking on College Football Countdown on Thursday night, analyst Trevor Matich pointed to the defense as the key for Michigan to win their season opener at Minnesota.
“That’s where they’ll have to carry the team and they’ll be salty on defense, especially on the defensive line,” Matich said. “They’ve got a deep stable of pass rushers on the edge. And they’ll need to slow down Minnesota’ offense because their own offense is replacing four offensive linemen. They’ve got good running backs but the O-line’s new, the quarterback’s new. This defense, led by the defensive line of Michigan, is what needs (leadership).”
No. 18 Michigan takes on No. 21 Minnesota on the road at 7:30 p.m E.T on Saturday.
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October 24, 2020 at 08:32PM
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Barton Simmons on new Michigan WR group: 'These guys are fun' - 247Sports
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