How Michigan football plans to slow Minnesota's All-American Rashod Bateman

Minnesota's Rashod Bateman made headlines this offseason when he opted out of college football.

Then the All-American receiver made headlines again when he opted back into the season.

And make no mistake: Michigan football is well aware of Bateman entering this Saturday's season opener against the Golden Gophers (7:30 p.m., ABC).

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Bateman, who caught 60 passes for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019, could be the top receiver the Wolverines face all season. And that's a tall task for a secondary that had to replace three starters this offseason including cornerback Ambry Thomas, who opted out of the season.

“Really good football team," said Jim Harbaugh on Monday. "So many good players that are well coached. Rashod Bateman jumps out immediately. He’s so strong, he’s made so many strong, contested catches. Think he averaged over 20 yards per catch in 2019. He’s terrific.

"A real alpha type of guy and football player. Got a great challenge for us in the secondary."

Last fall, Minnesota was seventh in the nation in offensive efficiency while averaging 34.1 points and gaining 3,293 passing yards (both school records). The architect of that attack, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, left for Penn State this offseason. Top receiver Tyler Johnson and leading rusher Rodney Smith both exhausted their eligibility.

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But Bateman returned, as did quarterback Tanner Morgan, who had the second-highest passer efficiency rating (178.7) in the Big Ten last fall while completing 66% of his passes for 3,253 yards and 30 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.

"Really like their quarterback," Harbaugh said. "Tanner Morgan is very gifted, very savvy quarterback."

From watching film, the Wolverines understand how Minnesota uses Bateman.

“Sometimes, with us playing man, they like to throw a lot of fades to him, one on one, backside by himself," said safety Brad Hawkins on Tuesday. "We try to prepare for things like that. Ways that teams are going to attack us. The way that we play our style of defense."

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Stopping Morgan will be a key objective for Michigan's defense. But that's easier said than done. The Wolverines must replace both starting cornerbacks from last season. Veteran safety Josh Metellus, a three-year starter, also exhausted his eligibility.

The burden of defending Bateman will fall upon a relatively inexperienced secondary — and, according to Hawkins, one player in particular.

“That’s definitely Vincent Gray’s task," Hawkins said. "I believe and I know that he will go out there and compete and come out on top. I believe in him and I believe in our guys. Just going in there and I know that he’s ready. He’s ready for the battle.

"He’s going to go out there and prove it to everybody, and we’re just ready to go.”

Gray, a redshirt sophomore who appeared in every game in 2019, is now the team's No. 1 cornerback after rotating as the No. 3 corner last fall. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed a 32.4% completion percentage when thrown at — the fifth-lowest mark from a Big Ten defensive back since 2014.

Michigan's defenders understood the questions facing the secondary entering this fall. But they believe the new players have acquitted themselves well — especially Gray. According to Hawkins, Gray has consistently made "big third-down stops" during practices and has been a leader in the secondary.

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"He's definitely shown a lot of poise," Hawkins said. "Everything is coming together for him as well, he's going to be a great player. I’d definitely look out for him on Saturday.”

"One guy that’s standing out to me, it’s a big year ahead of him, it’s gonna be a big year, is Vince Gray," linebacker Josh Ross said Monday. "He’s been doing everything the right way. He’s covering so well. I’m just excited to see him take on this challenge against Minnesota and the great receiver that they have. It’s going to be a big deal.”

Gray will likely man up against Bateman on the outside. But if the Gophers move the receiver around the formation, other players could get a chance to line up against him. in the past, the Wolverines have used safeties to cover slot receivers; both Hawkins and Daxton Hill played that role in 2019. And Harbaugh says Hill could draw the assignment from time to time, too.

“We’ve talked about playing him at corner because he’s that good of a cover player," Harbaugh said. "He does a lot of that from the safety position and also is the nickel. I think he wants the challenge. I think he’s excited about the challenge that’s in front of him this week. That competitive side, all those things make him special.”

Michigan's secondary has been victim to explosive passing plays in big games over the past couple years, including against Penn State, Ohio State and Alabama in 2019. Covering Bateman projects to be a similarly difficult task.

“They’re really good," Harbaugh said. "There’s no question. Great receiving group. Really savvy quarterback. That’s a challenge, right? Our guys know it. We’re going to have to play good. Just to contain those guys. Our guys are talented, too.

"... That’ll be somewhat of a game within the game like it is at every position. Great to watch it go down. To watch our guys compete in a really challenging matchup.”

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. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here's how you can gain access to our most exclusive Michigan Wolverines content.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How Michigan football plans to slow Minnesota star WR Rashod Bateman