Michigan football has always focused on winning the battle in the trenches, and that’s been especially true in recent seasons. With a new OC coming in, we examine how Chip Lindsey’s offenses have faired when it comes to time of possession:
Michigan football’s strategy in recent seasons has been pretty straightforward — run the ball and shorten the game. That strategy was on full display in the Ohio State game this season. Despite only scoring 13 points, the Wolverines put together some effective drives, keeping the ball out of Ohio State’s hands and running the clock as much as possible. Michigan possessed the ball for 33:35 against the Buckeyes.
It’s a strategy that has worked well for the Wolverines, but it’s fair to question if this will change under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey and with the addition of the most prolific quarterback recruit to ever commit to Michigan, five-star Bryce Underwood.
Today, we will take a look at Lindsey’s past offenses and see how they did when it came to time of possession.
UNC Football 2024 (6-6)
The Tar Heels possessed the ball for 30:02 per game on average this season. With six losses, you’d think they would’ve lost the time of possession battle in most of their games, but they still managed to win on that front in a couple of their losses this season.
- JMU – 25:56
- Duke – 34:06
- Pitt – 30:41
- Georgia Tech – 26:33
- Boston College – 22:12
- NC State – 24:15
UNC leaned on running back Omarion Hampton, who has compiled 1,500 rushing yards in back-to-back seasons. While they managed to sustain some longer drives and win time of possession, they also had some explosive plays that helped them get on the board quickly.
UNC Football 2023 (8-5)
The Tar Heels benefited from an impact player on offense in Drake Maye in 2023. Despite going 8-5, they only possessed the ball an average of 28:37 per game. They won some of their games while losing the time of possession battle, but lost others where they won on that front.
- Virginia – 22:54
- Georgia Tech – 32:04
- Clemson – 21:49
- NC State – 19:54
- West Virginia – 34:39 (Maye did not play this game)
Maye went 269-of-425 for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Maybe even more impressive is that Hampton put up 1,504 rushing yards on 253 carries. UNC also incorporated Maye into the run game.
UNC owned the No. 34 offense in the country, according to Pro Football Focus, but the defense gave up at least 30 points in every loss that season. You’d think Lindsey would have enough defensive help at Michigan and that his offense won’t need to get in 40-point shootouts to win a game.
UCF 2022 (9-5)
UCF had a pretty great run in 2022, but couldn’t win some of its bigger games. Looking back, this is another season when Lindsey’s offense didn’t win the time of possession battle on the season, with an average of 28:18, but still finished 9-5.
- Louisville – 27:46
- East Carolina – 24:49
- Navy – 20:24
- AAC Championship – 34:21
- Duke’s Mayo Bowl – 25:32
In UCF’s game against Tulane in the AAC Championship, it won the time of possession battle but turned the ball over once. Running back Isaiah Bowser had 85 yards on 20 carries, and they attempted 39 passes.
Auburn 2018 (8-5)
Auburn had some struggles in 2018, but still had Jarett Stidham at quarterback who was able to get things going offensively in games. The Tigers finished the 2018 season with an average time of possession of 28:21.
- LSU – 24:56
- Mississippi State – 18:07
- Tennessee – 25:59
- Georgia – 21:45
- Alabama – 25:23
Unlike some of Lindsey’s other offenses, this team lost the time of possession battle in every single loss, with the Mississippi State loss being one of the most glaring losses on that front. In an eventual blowout loss to Alabama, the Tigers ran the ball for 149 yards on 43 attempts, averaging just three yards a carry.
Auburn 2017 (10-4)
The Tigers had a pretty successful season overall in 2017, going 7-1 in the SEC but losing the conference title to Georgia and then losing to UCF in the Peach Bowl . That year, the Tigers’ average time of possession was 31:22.
- Clemson – 32:25
- LSU – 30:30
- Georgia (SEC Championship Game) – 26:58
- UCF (Peach Bowl) – 34:15
Despite losing in the championship game, Auburn did have a convincing 40-17 win over Georgia during the regular season. Kerryon Johnson ran for 167 yards on 30 carries and caught a 55-yard screen pass for a touchdown in that game. Jarrett Stidham also had a great game with three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown.
The Conclusion
It’s encouraging to see some of Lindsey’s game plan, especially when he’s got a defense to match. In my opinion, the 2017 Auburn results are telling. Lindsey wants to use his best players in whichever ways he can, something I think Michigan fans would’ve liked to have seen this season.
Lindsey is not just going to abandon Michigan’s run-first mentality to air it out and put up as many points as possible. When given the opportunity, Lindsey has historically tried to maintain offensive balance, something Sherrone Moore mentioned he was looking for in his new playcaller.
Despite some seasons where Lindsey’s offenses didn’t end up possessing the ball more than 30 minutes, it still seems like his strategy could marry well with Michigan’s expected defensive strengths to continue into next season.