The word the players used most had little to do with strategy or scheme. It was tied more closely to pathos.
"Personal," they said.
That's how it felt to have offensive coordinator Josh Gattis calling plays from the sideline in Michigan's 52-0 win over Rutgers on Saturday rather than from the press box. The result was the Wolverines' most complete offensive performance of the season -- and affirmation that this pro-spread system can work.
"I think it just brought more energy and made things more personal," said running back Christian Turner. "I think just him congratulating me after the touchdown showed how we’re all in this together. It was just a cool experience, cool feeling."
What did Gattis tell him?
"Good hard run," Turner smiled. "All week he emphasized believing in his players and we just have to believe in him. I think him being on the sideline just emphasized that even more."
Gattis operates on the sideline during practice, but called plays from the press box in Michigan's first three games of the season. With the new offense sputtering and then stalling completely against Wisconsin, Gattis and Jim Harbaugh agreed he should make the move down to the field. It's a good bet he stays there moving forward.
"I think it’s just something we were used to," said Shea Patterson. "I really liked it, and I think all the other guys really liked it, too. Coach Gattis is without a doubt the leader of our offense. We all trust in him. We see it every day in practice, so I think it was just a little bit more personal."
Michigan put up a season-high 476 yards against Rutgers -- standard caveat applies -- and maybe more importantly cut down on the turnovers and mistakes. Harbaugh said having Gattis on the sideline improved the level of communication across the board.
"I thought it was better," he said. "Everything was better face to face, me communicating with him, him communicating with the players, players hearing it from him and not going through the box. It was good, a good move. Glad we did it."
Harbaugh said he and Gattis landed on the idea during a conversation this week. They felt it was the best way to translate the positive things they were seeing in practice into the game. For this game anyway, it worked.
"I would agree with Shea, that it felt more like (practice). I thought it was also really good for substitutions," Harbaugh said. "We’ve been having some substitution errors the first three games. For Josh to be there as the play’s getting formulated, he can react to the kind of subs that he wants, who he wants running what particular route or play. It flowed much better today.
"It can still be better, the operation and the mechanics of it, but I thought it took a big leap today."
For the players, it came back to the comfort factor.
"It was a familiar face. Just seeing him on the sideline with us, seeing his emotion after plays, whether good or bad, I think that definitely helped," said Turner, who took 11 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown.
Michigan's offense showed flashes of its ballyhooed 'speed in space' in the season-opener against Middle Tennessee. But it lost some momentum against Army, then hit a wall against Wisconsin. From 453 yards to 340 to 299. From 40 points to 24 to 14.
Saturday was a much-needed turnaround.
"It felt great," Turner said of lighting up the scoreboard. "We had that bad taste in our mouth, we just had to get it out and show what we can do."
It will be much harder next week against 4-0 Iowa, who smacked Middle Tennessee on Saturday 48-3. The Hawkeyes, who themselves shut out Rutgers earlier this month, haven't allowed more than 17 points this season. If Gattis' presence on the sideline truly makes a difference, that would be a good time to prove it.
But for now, Michigan has some wind back in its sails.
"Every time you win it just makes everybody feel more comfortable, more hungry. It just feels better," said wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, who caught four passes for 62 yards. "It’s just like having a good day. After you have a good day, you just feel better the next day."