Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis hilariously believes “Michigan beat itself” against Ohio State

Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis suggested Michigan beat itself against Ohio State. No really, feel free to laugh.

File this one away in the overly optimistic and completely naive column. There’s been a lot of that emanating from Ann Arbor over the last couple of decades, yet the results continue to be the same on the field.

Michigan’s new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis was introduced to the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan last year, and it appears he’s falling right into a pattern some of those before him have.

He took to Twitter Monday and suggested Michigan beat itself against Ohio State, and that the blueprint was set on how to beat the Buckeyes. As part of the “proof” of the template that was set, Gattis shared a touchdown run from the first quarter when the Wolverines executed (for once) with good blocks on the edge and got into the endzone on a long run.

There’s just a few problems with that. It happened on the offensive end and it’s been Dr. Blitz’s (Don Brown) defense has given up more points than a popular pinball machine over the last couple of years. You can selectively choose a play that worked early in the game, but if you can’t stop the speed, athleticism, and coaching on the other side, it’s all a moot point.

Also, if the Gattis thought he found something early in the game, why didn’t he continue to use it to run the Ohio State defense into the ground? Inquiring minds want to know. And if Michigan beat itself, wouldn’t the score have been much closer. Giving a game away generally involves a play here, or a break there. Not a whitewashing that resulted in fans leaving in disgust well before the game was over.

You also have to wonder if Michigan fans are getting tired of coaches and players talking without being able to back it up on an annual basis. From guarantees, to revenge tours, to calling out coaches that left the program, to suggesting things have been corrected and penance is coming, it has to be getting old.

Then again, maybe it’s just the Michigan way now. Talk, talk, talk before you have any success then get smacked around in The Game and the postseason. You’d think at some point, you’d just prepare like crazy, play your heart out, then celebrate when there’s something to celebrate.

If anything, with how the scores have gone over the last couple of years, the blueprint seems to be set on how to beat That School Up North, not the other way around. But you won’t hear the players or coaches in Columbus talking nearly as much as what you hear coming out of Ann Arbor.