Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis takes shot at Ohio State

Michigan fans have been understandably stoking the fire when it comes to their biggest rival, and Wolverines offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has joined in on the fun. 

In an interview with Jon Jansen on “Inside Michigan Football” on Monday, Gattis took a shot at Ohio State after beating them 42-27 on Saturday.

“Started fast in setting the tone for the game and really creating the identity of the game that we were going to dominate on both fronts, not just offensive line but defensive line as well, just being able to smash them however we could could and really set the tone,” Gattis said, per Angelique Chengelis. “They’re a good team….They’re a good team.”

Michigan scored first in Saturday’s contest, a 14-yard touchdown run by A.J. Henning. While Ohio State took a brief lead shortly thereafter, Michigan took a 14-10 lead early in the second quarter and did not trail after that. They dominated both sides of the ball for nearly 45 minutes.

“They’re a finesse team, they’re not a tough team,” Gattis added. “And we knew that going into the game that we can out-physical them, we can out-tough and that was gonna be the key to the game, and that’s what we prepared for all year long. You saw earlier this year in the game they lost to Oregon. Oregon was the most physical team on the field. That’s the way they lost, and we committed to that recipe, and it paid off.”

Oregon defeated Ohio State 35-27 in September in a similar fashion to Michigan. Both teams ran the ball extremely well against the Buckeyes; Oregon posted 269 rushing yards, while Michigan had 297. Both teams passed the ball relatively well, but it was domination in the trenches from the Ducks and the Wolverines that led to the victories.

Michigan has had a lot of success on offense this season with the help of their 37-year-old coordinator. They lead the Big Ten in rushing yardage, posting 224.9 yards per contest, and they score 37.3 points per game, nearly a 10-point increase from last season’s average of 28.3.

Gattis’ success in coaching the Wolverines to victory has paid off for him personally as well. In his third season in Ann Arbor, he is a finalist for the Broyles Award, the honor given to the nation’s top assistant coach. 

Michigan heads to Indianapolis on Saturday for a chance to win the Big Ten title. They will face Iowa, and should they beat the Hawkeyes, they will almost assuredly make their first College Football Playoff appearance.