Josh Gattis can't help but laugh. As he recalls, Michigan was criticized last season for failing to run the ball. Now they're being criticized for ... running it too well?
The Wolverines rank first in the country in rushing and seventh in rushing attempts, which has led to outside complaints of a one-dimensional offense despite the team's 3-0 start.
And how would the offensive coordinator answer those complaints?
"They must have forgot about the offseason, I think I heard it all that we didn’t run the ball enough last year," Gattis said Tuesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show. "The hardest job is obviously trying to please everyone, but the No. 1 job is for us to win the game, to please our team. I’m just thrilled that whatever we’ve been through this year, we haven’t had issues with our players. There’s no one complaining. Everyone’s happy. It’s a different feeling. I think a lot of those frustrations can come out when you’re not winning, whether or not you’re running the ball enough or this or that.
"But the unselfishness of our players, the leadership of our team, it feels good to be back winning. We’ve been through a lot here in the last 18 months, so we’ll do whatever it takes to win on Saturdays."
Take Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins. While neither back has anything to grumble about with Michigan running it 49 times per game, Gattis said they'd be just as happy with a smaller workload. Asked about the duo's success thus far, Gattis said, "Let me say this first, how pleased I am with the way they’ve handled everything."
"You’re talking about two guys that are unselfish. They'll do anything and everything for the team. Whether they get 20 carries, 10 carries, as long as we win they’re happy. So credit to those guys and credit to (running backs) coach (Mike) Hart for really managing that room and developing those guys," said Gattis.
Jim Harbaugh indicated a similar attitude shift among the players when asked Monday about Michigan's improvement from last year.
"The biggest thing is just how hard they’re playing. And they’re having fun doing it," he said. "Good things happen when you play hard. Energy. Energy just finds the ball, whether you’re on defense or you’re on offense. The ball finds you.”
A lot can change in a year. The Wolverines finished 66th in the country in scoring offense last season and threw the ball about seven more times per game than they ran it. They're third in scoring offense this year. They've run it about 33 more times per game than they've thrown it. Gattis said Michigan is approaching each game with "a 1-0 mentality" where "we take what the defense is giving us in order for us to get the outcome that we want."
But he dismissed the idea that Michigan's offense is different this year, other than the fact that "the guys are older." He singled out sophomores like Corum, receiver A.J. Henning and O-lineman Zak Zinter as players coming into their own.
"We were just a young team in the past and we finally have the guys in here that we’ve recruited and that have been in the system now two or three years and they’ve really taken it over," Gattis said. "So credit to our players, credit to our leadership. I’m just proud of these guys for the way they’re playing at the level they’re playing."
There are more mouths to feed in Michigan's offense, and Gattis knows it. Five-star freshman running back Donovan Edwards immediately comes to mind. It's a good problem for Gattis to have, and he'll only solve it when he has to. The players he's feeding are helping Michigan win.
"It’s been a good start," he said. "It’s really just come down to the execution. We talked all offseason about our leadership and how good we felt about the leaders that we have on offense, and you’re seeing those guys go out and play at an extremely high level."
Other highlights from Gattis' interview on 97.1 The Ticket:
On what's surprised him on offense: "I think quietly, how well our tight ends are playing. I think for most people when you judge that position you base it on numbers. You base it on catches and yards. But they’re the unsung heroes in our offense. You look at the physicality of that group and how well they’re playing in the run game, they’re oftentimes at the point of attack. Our running backs and our offensive line get a ton of credit for the production that we’re getting out of the run game, but I think our tight ends are just (as much) up there. They’re playing at a very, very high level.
On pressing Cade McNamara to do more: "We just need him to continue being who he is. I don’t want to add any other pressure. I think what’s helped us this year is our ability to run the football. That takes a ton of pressure off the quarterback and he doesn’t have to go out there and do anything extraordinary. He just needs to continue to be our quarterback, be our leader on the field and run the offense."
On getting creative with formations moving forward: "The thing that has allowed us to be more aggressive is our ability to handle pressure and handle movement. That’s an area where we didn’t always excel at, being able to block movement and block pressures. For the first three weeks you’ve seen every team blitz us from every different direction, trying to stop us, and they just can’t find the answer. When that happens, it (makes) defenses say, 'You know what, we’re just going to play base and try to bend but not break.' And then we can expose them on the perimeter and on the edge. So everything’s clicking all together. It’s working all together as an engine should, but we gotta keep it up."