Out with the old, in with the new.
Michigan football had a new-look offense in 2019 under first-year offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. The Wolverines ran an up tempo spread attack that featured quite a bit of run/pass option (RPO) plays, which are becoming increasingly popular in college and professional football.
While U-M increased the amount of RPOs it ran in 2019, PFF analyst Josh Liskiewitz believes that number will go up once again in 2020.
"You’ve got a lot of the modern stuff [under Gattis], in terms of the RPOs, and I think those are going to be even more emphasized this year, regardless of which one wins the starting quarterback job," Liskiewitz told The Wolverine.
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Last year, starting quarterback Shea Patterson netted just 50 yards rushing for the season. If you take lost yardage due to sacks out of the equation, he gained 287 yards (22 yards / game).
Patterson seemed unwilling to run at times last year — for whatever reason — Liskiewitz pointed out. He believes the skillsets of redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey and redshirt sophomore Joe Milton are much better fits for the Gattis offense, especially when it comes to the quarterback run game on option plays.
"I think [RPOs] are going to be a major, major factor," Liskietitz said. "1) Because both quarterbacks are more willing to run than Shea was, and it’s a legit weapon.
"2) Because they’re replacing four starters on the offensive line. While they certainly have talent, they don’t have a lot of experience there, and so RPOs are going to help them out quite a bit, in terms of slowing down that pass rush a bit."
