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A familiar face to Maryland head coach Michael Locksley now leads the Michigan offense, as former Alabama co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, Josh Gattis, made the move up north to Ann Arbor this offseason. Gattis was brought in to give the Wolverines a shot in the arm offensively entering Jim Harbaugh’s fifth season as head coach.

Coming off of an impressive 10-3 record last year, can Michigan take the next step and finally surpass Ohio State atop the Big Ten East? Many think it’s possible as the Buckeyes transition from the Urban Meyer era and the Wolverines put more of an emphasis on scoring points and not just stopping teams with an elite defense that ranked second in the country last year.

Gattis is expected to bring a spread, no-huddle concept that would seem to suit incumbent starting quarterback Shea Patterson quite well. Patterson threw for 2,600 yards and 22 touchdowns last year while only being picked off seven times. But he’ll be switching to the type of offense that he used to play back at Ole Miss before he transferred to Michigan. Much of how far the Wolverines go this season falls on the senior’s shoulders, but he’ll receive support from an offense that returns a lot of experience.

Michigan’s offensive line is perhaps its biggest strength, as four out of five starters return. The only non-returning starter is right tackle Juwann Bushell-Beatty, but he is being replaced by Andrew Stueber, who filled in admirably for an injured Bushell-Beatty during last year’s Peach Bowl.

The Wolverines’ offensive line will be blocking for a backfield that is still being fleshed out. Running back is the one position on offense where Michigan does not have a ton of returning experience. The Wolverines must replace last year’s leading rusher Karan Higdon, who now plays for the Houston Texans, and senior Chris Evans, who was dismissed from the team this offseason. Christian Turner and Tru Wilson are the only two running backs on the roster with game experience, but Hassan Haskins and Ben VanSumeren have been moved to running back this offseason to add depth to the position.

At wide receiver, Michigan returns a very talented group that features Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins, Ronnie Bell and Tarik Black. The Wolverines’ receiving corps was hit hard by injuries last season, so a healthy year could be all this group needs to be special.

That aforementioned elite Michigan defense suffered a lot of attrition this offseason, losing players such as defensive linemen Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich and linebacker Devin Bush Jr. all to the NFL. Not to mention, the Wolverines also lost defensive line coach Greg Mattison to arch-rival Ohio State.

But the defensive line is an area where Michigan is very strong and deep entering 2019. Heavy contributors from last year Carlo Kemp, Michael Dwumfour and Aidan Hutchinson all return, and they’ll help provide the push while Kwity Paye and Josh Uche come off the edge. The depth of this unit shouldn’t be understated with players like Donovan Jeter, Luiji Vilain, Taylor Upshaw, Julius Welschof, Mazi Smith, David Ojabo, and Central Michigan transfer Mike Danna all waiting in the wings.

Michigan’s biggest task on defense will be replacing Bush at linebacker. Josh Ross, who filled in for an injured Bush during last year’s Peach Bowl, Devin Gill, and Jordan Anthony will collectively work to fill the void left by Bush.

Bottom line: Although Michigan has holes to fill on both sides of the ball, the Wolverines will be one of the toughest opponents the Terps face this fall. The game being in College Park will help boost Maryland’s chances a bit, but Locksley’s squad is going to have to find a way to protect its quarterback against a big, fast, and physical defensive line. A healthy dose of runs off the edge would help the Terps negate some of the pressure the Wolverines will bring as well as open up some play-action bootlegs for shots down field. Keeping up with Michigan’s newfound tempo on offense will also be a key to this game for Maryland.

Series: 7-1, Michigan

Last Maryland win: 2014, 23-16 at Michigan

Last Michigan win: 2018, 42-21 at Michigan