Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner will play his senior season under a new offensive coordinator after Wolverines coach Brady Hoke fired Al Borges on Wednesday.
Hoke brought Borges with him when Michigan hired Hoke away from San Diego State after the 2010 season.
Borges inherited Denard Robinson at quarterback, but the two never seemed to mesh. Borges prefers a pro-style attack and Robinson was a spread quarterback through and through. It was a bad fit, of the square-peg-in-a-round-hole variety. Borges didn't totally scrap the spread but did add in pro-style elements; he never quite seemed to understand that Robinson was at his best when he was allowed to freelance.
Gardner -- who has not said publicly whether he will return for his senior season -- was recruited by Rich Rodriguez, Hoke's predecessor, to play in the spread. Michigan switched to a pro-style attack this season, and Gardner and the Wolverines struggled offensively, finishing 10th in the Big Ten -- which wasn't exactly filled with exciting units -- in total offense (373.5 yards per game, which was 87th nationally).
The Wolverines played at a high level offensively in just two games, against Indiana (which had the third-worst defense in the nation) and archrival Ohio State. The Wolverines rolled up a combined 1,354 yards and 104 points in those two games. But in their other six league games, the Wolverines -- who finished 7-6 -- totaled 1,603 yards (267.2 average) and 149 points (24.8 per game).
Michigan was especially bad on the ground, averaging only 125.7 rushing yards per game.
In his first full season as the starter, Gardner threw for 2,960 yards and 21 TDs. But he also tossed 11 interceptions and completed barely 60 percent of his passes. Eight of his TD passes came in two games -- a win over Notre Dame and a one-point loss to Ohio State.
Gardner threw 10 interceptions in the first six games of the season. He threw only one in the second half of the season, after the offense was simplified. But the simplification didn't really lead to positive results.
Hoke is a defense-first coach, and this hire will be extremely important for his long-term viability at the school. Ohio State has embraced the spread, but the other Big Ten "powers" use a pro-style attack (though it will be interesting to see what the new coach at Penn State does offensively). Hoke seems likely to hire another pro-style guy; after all, that was the direction he took when he hired Borges. And if he hired a pro-style guy when he had Robinson on hand, why change now?
Michigan loses arguably its three best offensive players: Tackles Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield and wide receiver Jeremy Gallon were seniors. Gardner has an intriguing skill set, and sophomore tight end Devin Funchess is a burgeoning star. But the new coordinator will need to revamp the line, find a go-to receiver, find a feature back and "repair" Gardner. That's a lot of work in one offseason.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
