Michigan football outlook 2019: More points needed. Now.

In Jim Harbaugh's first four years as Michigan's coach, the team has scored plenty of points.

Just never enough, and certainly not enough when it counted the most. Just go back to the past four games against Ohio State.

So like what any good coach would do when something isn't working, Harbaugh made changes. He hired a young, up-and-coming assistant as offensive coordinator in January. He relinquished full control of the offense.

It made sense. It was time to adapt. 

Enter Josh Gattis. 

For better or worse, what Gattis brings to Ann Arbor will largely dictate the success of Michigan's 2019 season. In 2018, the three teams with the most plays of 20-yards or longer were Oklahoma, Clemson and Alabama.

That's the direction Gattis wants to take Michigan, which ranked No. 66 last season in that category. 

"Most of the time, anytime you have a big play, you look at the stats — if you have a 20-yard or more play, the odds of you scoring on that drive no matter where it is on the football (field) almost double," offensive line coach Ed Warinner said. "So, it just statistically makes sense if you can get some explosive plays. We have guys that can do that, too.”

More: Michigan's 2019 schedule

The top five offenses in 2018, according to Bill Connelly's S&P+ Ratings: Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Clemson. The top five defenses: Mississippi State, Michigan State, Clemson, Washington and LSU. 

As it has been for some time, just having a great defense is no longer enough in college football. The margin for error is too thin — especially when the offense moves at one speed, can't dig itself out of holes and can become too predictable, all maladies that infected Michigan's previous offense in big games.

Pace of play was one of the bigger problems. U-M ranked near the bottom of the country in tempo, averaging two plays per minute.

Controlling time of possession with long drives worked against lesser opponents. Not so much against Notre Dame or Ohio State. Holding a 10-minute, 48-second advantage in time of possession didn't matter when Michigan couldn't stop Dwayne Haskins.

In many ways, the Wolverines should resemble some of the offenses that have beaten them the past few seasons. The offense won't huddle, and calls will be taken in from the sideline. Michigan will operate heavily out of the shotgun, most of the time with 11 personnel (1 back, 1 tight end, 3 receivers). It will have more run-pass options (RPOs) that allow the quarterback to decide where the ball goes, based on what the defense does.

Adding all of this to the offense doesn't just make sense in the context of college football. It makes sense based on the roster, too. Michigan's returning senior quarterback had the most efficient season by a full-time starting quarterback since 2000. He did that in an offense that, for lack of a better term, handcuffed him.

Shea Patterson has played in these types of offenses his entire football career, dating to high school. He has the vision to make the right reads, the arm to find pass-catchers in space and the ball-handling skills and athletic ability to make stuff happen on the ground. 

Patterson will play behind an offensive line that returns four starters, all of whom improved greatly last fall. He will throw to receivers Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and Tarik Black, who might form one of the deepest units in the nation.

More: What does Michigan's recruiting picture look like?

With all of that talent, going into 2019 and running the same methodical, ball-control offense would've simply been a waste, because Patterson and company can do so much more.

"We know the athletes we have on this team," center Cesar Ruiz said. "We know what a lot of people are capable of. When you’re actually able to see those people be put in positions where they can show their athleticism, show what they truly can do, it’s actually amazing to see.”

So things are going to look quite different on Saturdays in Ann Arbor this fall. There will be times when Michigan's offense is forced off the field too quickly. There will be times when the explosive plays simply aren't there.

Michigan's betting that none of the growing pains will matter. That in the end, this new offense will take the program to the next level. 

Just last week, Patterson told reporters that "the sky's the limit for this offense." 

Pretty soon, we'll see how high Michigan can climb.

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.