The majority of the talk surrounding Michigan’s offense this offseason has been the hiring of offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and the new philosophies he plans to implement.
Up-tempo and no huddle have been the main phrases thrown around while describing Gattis’ attack, and senior left guard Ben Bredeson spoke last night about how the offensive adjustments have been going in practice.
“He's [Gattis] bringing different ideas in,” Bredeson explained. “We’re excited for the changes he’s implementing, because it’ll make us a tough unit to stop.
“As an offensive line we have to set the tone for all 11 guys out there, so the plays obviously start with us. Receivers can be as open as they want to be, but if we don’t block, the ball will never get to them.
“Things are more accelerated now. We want to be the best offensive line we can be, and want to be the most dominant line both in the Big Ten and against every team we play. Winning the battle in the trenches will give us the best chance to win games.
“We take so much pride in that aspect and strive to be consistent. We know that if we set the tone, it'll help us move the ball. The new offense actually isn’t drastically different for us as a group, because Coach [Ed] Warinner and Coach Gattis have done a great job working together. It’s not necessarily tougher for us with the no huddle, except other than maybe from a conditioning standpoint.
“We have a team who can run this offense because of the personnel and the coaches we have — it’s a great fit for us.”
Head coach Jim Harbaugh revealed right off the bat that he would be handing the offensive keys to Gattis and letting him call the plays, but some were skeptical upon first hearing it.
Even though it certainly seems to be a reality, Bredeson explained that it actually doesn’t affect him — and the offensive line — that much.
“I was excited when I heard he was coming in, and then the rumors kicked in on how much control everyone would have,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to us [who calls the plays], because we just run whichever one are called. We’re building the best possible playbook we can bring into games.”
A big key to how successful Michigan’s offensive line is this season will be the right tackle spot, and who steps in as the starter.
Harbaugh revealed Monday that redshirt freshman Jalen Mayfield and redshirt sophomore Andrew Stueber are the top candidates there, and that the competition is neck-and-neck between the two.
“They’re both rotating in and doing well,” Bredeson revealed. “They showed some great strides at the end of last year last year and have been working with each other every day in the weight room. They’re both prepared to win the job, and we have full faith as a group in whichever one runs out there.”
Stueber actually started the final two contests of 2018 when fifth-year senior right tackle Juwann Bushell-Beatty was out with injury.
He had his share of ups and downs, however, in the season-ending blowout losses to Ohio State and Florida.
“Those two hurt,” Bredeson admitted. “You never want to lose the last game of the year, because everyone knows what the Ohio State game means to both fan bases. We think about it every single day.”
There may actually be more motivation than usual for the Wolverines to take down the Buckeyes this upcoming season, especially when considering the fact that both defensive line coach Greg Mattison and linebackers coach Al Washington departed Ann Arbor in January for jobs on the OSU staff.
“It always hurts when coaches leave, and it hurts a little more when they go to a rival school,” Bredeson admitted. “I will love Coach Mattison until the day I die, because he recruited me here and has done more than anyone will know for my growth as both a player and a man. I have nothing ill to say about him, but I want to beat him when we play them.”
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