On Tuesday, we took a look at how Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown's defenses have fared against the best offenses he's faced during his three years at Michigan, and today we've flipped the script a bit and have examined how head coach Jim Harbaugh's offenses have performed against the best opposing defenses during his tenure here.
We used the same statistical qualifications that were used in the Brown article, and as a result have categorized "very good defenses" as having finished the year ranked in the top-35 nationally.
Harbaugh's offenses have often been criticized for their tendency to stall against stellar defenses, and while that has undoubtedly been the case at times, the results aren't as bad as one may think.
The Wolverines have racked up a 14-11 record in the games listed above — in fact, 11 of the 14 setbacks of the Harbaugh era have occurred when the Wolverines have gone up against an exceptional defensive club (2015 at Utah, 2017 vs. South Carolina in the Outback Bowl and last season at Ohio State are the lone exceptions).
It also needs to be noted that Tim Drevno served as Harbaugh's offensive coordinator from 2015-17, while Pep Hamilton acted as the de-facto coordinator this past season.
With that being said, Hamilton was also seemingly a co-coordinator alongside Drevno in 2017, while Jedd Fisch played a similarly crucial role in 2015 and 2016 before departing.
Many have claimed that the Maize and Blue's offense has not had the same effectiveness since Fisch left and Drevno/Hamilton took over following the 2016 campaign, and there is some statistical evidence behind that.
When Fisch was present in 2015 and 2016, Michigan's offense averaged 28.1 points in the 13 outings against stellar defensive competition listed above, but just 23.2 in the 12 affairs without him and one of Drevno/Hamilton running the show.
Hamilton's name was added to the list of ex-Michigan staffers following the 2018 campaign, and Alabama wide receivers coach/co-offensive coordinator Josh Gattis was hired to run U-M's offense as a result.
It is expected to be the best offensive attack Harbaugh has had during his four years at Michigan, due to not only the personnel but also to Gattis' prowess.
Gattis has never been a full-time offensive coordinator before, but his track record has led many to believe he'll be a significant upgrade from the likes of Drevno and Hamilton, and perhaps even Fisch as well.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook
