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Smash mouth football. Running the ball between the tackles. Stiff and tough defenses. Those are usually what you see when Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh leads a team. This year in 2020, we see far from that.
We see a struggling offensive line create running lanes for the running backs. We’re seeing a secondary that can’t compete well against its opponents and continues to make them look good. We’re seeing a front seven not scare opposing offenses as they have all the time in the world to get the ball out of its hands. We see a struggling Michigan team that has had six years under Harbaugh, and the plan has always been, win with your defense and run it down their throats with the rushing attack.
Now with the defense failing, there isn’t a backup plan in place.
Since Harbaugh has been in Ann Arbor, he has been able to have a solid defense year in and year out. In his first year, Harbaugh and former defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin put out a fourth-ranked defense. After Durkin left, Harbaugh went out and got the best possible replacement in Don Brown.
Brown has elevated that game to a new level, with the Wolverines improving on a defensive front, finishing tied for first in 2016, third in 2017, second in 2018, and 11th in 2019. Outside of the 2019 performance, Michigan has had a top-four defense in the country for the past five years. How’s that holding up now in 2020? Not great as they are outside of the top 50.
We saw the unit take a step back in 2019 after losing multiple starters, but they still could create turnovers, force mistakes, and keep the team in the game. Now out of all of the years, what has continued to be an issue for the Wolverines? Putting up points and moving the ball on offense.
Michigan has won plenty of its games under Harbaugh because the defense could make just one more stop than its opponent, or because they forced a huge turnover that ended up being the deciding factor. Harbaugh has won more games at Michigan because of its defense rather than its offense.
In 2015-2017, Tim Drevno led the offense as the offensive coordinator, and he finished the seasons as such nationally, 69th in 2015, 58th in 2016, and 105th in 2017. Pep Hamilton would take over the role somewhat in 2018 as the play-caller, and the offense finished 50th, but it still wasn’t good enough to take them to the next level.
Michigan was beating Michigan State, Penn State, and Wisconsin, but it couldn’t beat Ohio State or Notre Dame, and besides the bowl win against Florida in 2015, they haven’t won a bowl game since. The offense needed help desperately. Ohio State just exposed the defense in 2018, beating the Wolverines 62-39. Harbaugh knew that the defense couldn’t do it all, so he went out and got co-offensive coordinator/ wide receivers coach Josh Gattis out of Alabama.
Since arriving in Ann Arbor, the offense hasn’t been exactly what was promised from Gattis. Speed in space is what he called it, and so far, we’ve only seen flashes in the pan of what his envision is. In 2019, Michigan’s offense finished the season ranked 68th, and so far this year, the unit is doing better as they are in the top 50, but they aren’t enough to lead this team yet.
The plan of riding heavy on the defense is starting to not work out for Harbaugh. Injuries, COVID-19, opt-outs, and more have changed what the 2020 season was supposed to be for the Wolverines. Nobody expected a 1-2 start for Michigan, and while the players certainly have something to do with it, the majority of the blame is on the coaching staff, primarily Harbaugh.
Harbaugh has changed his mantra somewhat as a coach, but one thing he has yet to give up on is living and dying by the defense playing well. The offense Gattis has is too inconsistent to takeover games and make it hard for opponents to stop them. The offense can’t be the difference-maker Gattis wants it to be, and while they have improved so far over time, time is running out for them to take that next leap.
Despite the lack of depth at the cornerback position, the injuries to multiple players, Harbaugh still hasn’t been trying to adjust his game plan differently. Different coaches have come through on both sides of the football, and still, the message is clear that in Harbaugh’s eyes, it’s defense or nothing. With the defense having its worst year ever under Harbaugh, it’s looking like he has yet to have a backup plan for when the defense can’t get things figured out.
The offense and the team itself have been spoiled by having a good defense that now, when the defense isn’t there to save them, the offense can’t seem to answer the bell either. Yesterday against Indiana, is a prime example of a struggling defense trying to carry the offense to a victory.
Michigan couldn’t even move the ball for an average of one yard per carry against a defense that allowed 250 on the ground just two weeks before. Receivers weren’t able to make big-time catches. The quarterback wasn’t able to play without turning the football over. The offensive line wasn’t able to make a big push and win the battle in the trenches.
The defense made a few key stops in the second half and almost had a turnover or two, and while the defense did put itself in a bad spot by letting Indiana put up 38 points on them, the offense had to take that next step. The offense needed to show up and pull out a comeback on the road, and they couldn’t.
For Michigan to take that next step, to be like an Ohio State, it just doesn’t need to have an elite defense. It needs to have an elite offense as well. Having only a good offense can get you so far; look at teams in the Big 12 like Oklahoma. The teams having only a good defense can only get you so far; look at the Wolverines.
In 2020 and beyond, just having one good side of football isn’t enough. You need both sides to be at their best to be the best team around. If your defense is having a bad night, your offense can save you. If your offense can’t put up many points, your defense can bail you out and create turnovers. There is a backup plan for the elite teams of college football, but for Michigan, the main plan seems to be live and die by the defense, and they are experiencing a slow death without that backup plan.
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