Orlando, Fla. – Growing pains were to be expected with a new offensive coordinator, but the early part of Michigan’s season definitely tested the Wolverines' pain threshold.
The season opened with a fumble on the first play, a week later they needed double overtime to beat Army, and by the midway point of the season, the Wolverines were ranked 118th nationally of 129 teams in turnovers lost. Michigan had fumbled 17 times and lost nine of them.
This was supposed to be the launching of first-year offensive coordinator Josh Gattis’ self-proclaimed speed-in-space offense, but the propensity for turnovers significantly stunted its growth.