Current Head Coach
Early on during Ohio State/Michigan week, @MarkRussell1975 would like to remind everyone about ten times Jim Harbaugh famously lost his maize and blue mind – https://t.co/wO7tIMeVE0 via @buckeyeswire #GoBucks #GoBlue #B1G #TheGame
— Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) November 25, 2019
Jim Harbaugh – 76-37 overall, 47-16 at Michigan
Offensive Style
You used to be able to count on a Jim Harbaugh team using a pro-style that leaned on a rough and tumble type of running game, with the play action mixed in. Those days are now gone.
Harbaugh lured Josh Gattis away from Alabama to install and implement more of the spread attack. You’ll now see the Wolverines spread the field more and get quarterback Shea Patterson out of the pocket often. The offense is geared to getting the skill position players out in space. It looked like a failed experiment earlier int the year, but the offense now seems to be getting its act together to become a dangerous one.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Ohio State coaching staff game plans against this attack as opposed to the one it saw in seasons past. And … how will having two former Michigan defensive assistants now on staff play into it?
Defensive Style
Dan Brown is still in charge and he’s made some adjustments after the Wolverine defense got lit up by both Ohio State and Florida last year. Brown is still a man-to-man 4-3 base guy, but the defense has used a lot more zone in situations this year.
The defense will still attack downhill with blitz packages designed to stop the run and get pressure on the quarterback, but the Wolverines are a little lighter and faster now in the second level to be more flexible against those crossing pass schemes they got burned on last year.
Let the chess match begin.