Michigan Football: 5 predictions for Wolverines offense under Josh Gattis

The running game will improve

One of the most interesting battles in fall camp for Michigan football comes at running back with Tru Wilson, Zach Charbonnet and Christian Turner duking it out for the starting job.

Last season, outside of the last two games and the first one against Notre Dame, Michigan ran the ball effectively, averaging 203 yards per game. Karan Higdon led the way with more than 1,100 yards. Chris Evans was second with over 400 and was followed by Wilson and Patterson.

This season, there may not be a bell-cow runner like Higdon. Wilson was announced as the starter and will see plenty of time in large part because he is the best pass blocker of all the backs.

Wilson also averaged just under six yards per attempt last season, so he can run too. Charbonnet and Turner are more dynamic and will push for more and more carries as the season goes on. Patterson and even Dylan McCaffrey will run more too.

In the end, Michigan will be a more productive team running the ball in 2019, even if the leading rusher doesn’t reach 1,000 yards. Ultimately, my belief is that Charbonnet will lead the team with 800-900 yards rushing, followed closely by Wilson and Turner. All three will get over 500 yards, along with Patterson but like the first two seasons under Harbaugh, it will be by committee.