Devin Gardner: Michigan Needed To Do More Offensively Against Maryland

With just three games between Michigan and Ohio State, the Wolverines' trip to College Park last weekend was an opportunity to build the type of offense U-M will need to beat the Buckeyes, and they didn't take advantage, former quarterback Devin Gardner shared on his MMQB radio appearance.

A starter for the Maize and Blue for the final five games of the 2012 season, all of 2013 and for 11 contests in 2014, Gardner offers his takes and analysis every Monday on "Inside the Huddle with Michael Spath" beginning at 12pm on WTKA/1050AM in Ann Arbor. 

Gardner was pleased with Michigan's 38-7 win at Maryland, but was also disappointed that against one of the nation's worst pass defenses (115th nationally going into the contest), U-M didn't go downfield much, only attempting two passes of 20 yards or more in the air - a 51-yard completion to junior wide receiver Nico Collins and a 29-yard wheel-route completion to senior tight end Sean McKeon. 

"Once again, we had an opportunity … we were going to be dominant, we wouldn’t have a chance to lose the game. You don’t want to go in there thinking that, but when you’re playing a team that is inferior and you’re playing well, there is next to no chance that you will lose the game and we want to see Michigan work on things that will help us beat THE team that we want to beat (Ohio State)," said Gardner. 

"We once again did not do that. We dominated the game but I hope we’re not just satisfied with dominating Maryland. I wanted to see us push the ball down the field because that is what we’re going to need. 

"When we play that team we want to beat, we cannot be pedestrian. We cannot just manage the game. We cannot control the clock. We will not be able to do that to beat that team because they are going to be explosive. They are going to get that ball in the end zone."

Michigan has found success running the football over its last five games, averaging 202.8 yards per game on the ground, and 4.8 yards per carry. While those numbers may not seem overwhelmingly positive, I explained in a story last week why they are a strong indicator of a burgeoning rushing attack. 

What U-M has not done is build its passing game - 185.4 yards per game over its last five and 7.0 yards per attempt (84 teams in college football are averaging better than 7.0 yards per attempt this season). A heavy downpour in the first half of the Michigan-Notre Dame game explains some of that, but conditions were ideal against Iowa, Illinois, Penn State and Maryland. 

Michigan did throw for 276 yards at Penn State, but just 122 in the first half in falling behind 21-7. (U-M did have a bogus pass interference overturn a long completion). 

In these past five games, Michigan has completed 12 passes of 20 yards or more (2.4 per game) and six of 30 yards or more (1.2 per game, which is also the Maize and Blue's season average). There are 64 teams in college football averaging better than 1.2 30+ completions per game and the most explosive offenses are doing about 3.0 per game.

"If we don’t push the ball down the field, and our quarterback doesn’t make explosive plays, we will not be able to beat the team we want to beat," Gardner opined. 

The good news is Michigan still has time to work on that, but doing it in practice and doing it in games are two very different things. 

"There is a difference between Main Street (where the stadium is located) and State Street (practice)," Gardner said. "You can practice anything you want on State Street but it doesn’t matter if you’ve never done it on Main Street. The one anomaly to that is our receivers who don’t get many chances on Main Street and yet continue to make plays. 

"I think [Shea Pattterson] would exponentially better [if they were throwing it 3-4 times downfield per game]. And they’re just not giving him enough opportunities to do that. Is he capable of doing it? Every time he does, he underthrows [his receiver]. When you see that happening, maybe the coaches are thinking ‘We don’t have a chance to get Ohio State anyway so we better make sure we just get these games [against Maryland, MSU and Indiana].

"I hope that’s not the attitude going into these games and the attitude of calling plays, like ‘Let’s just win these and maybe we can flip a switch against Ohio State’ because flipping a switch against Ohio State has not worked in the time that this coaching staff has been here."

The other side of the argument is that Michigan will not approach the OSU game with the intent of throwing the ball down the field. That U-M has discovered its bread-and-butter in the running game and will try to beat the Buckeyes with a game plan focused on a heavy dose of running, the bubble screens to WRs that have worked for the Wolverines lately and controlling the clock.

"What do you mean by running the football? I wish you could see my face," said Gardner, incredulous when I suggested that would be the game plan vs. OSU. "What are we doing? We’re not running the ball down Ohio State’s throat, especially since we’ve been announcing we’re going to run the ball down their throat. It’s not gonna happen. I hope it happens. That will be great. But it’s not gonna happen.

"Wisconsin is the best running team in the Big Ten besides Ohio State. How did they do?" [83 yards on 34 carries, 2.4 yards per carry]. 

As I finished up with Gardner, I asked if he agreed with my assertion that Michigan should have done more Saturday when they threw just 29 times for 176 yards (6.1 yards per attempt). Always playful, he came close. 

"I wouldn’t say I agree with you, I would say I don’t agree with what Michigan did.[against Maryland]."  

You can listen to Gardner's entire 30-minute MMQB on the podcast below and can see him in-person at Wolverine State Brewing Co. Tuesdays from 6-8pm or Good Time Charley's from 8:30-10pm. .