ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Fans have been wondering aloud when they’ll finally see the promised ‘speed in space’ offense that Michigan had implemented this offseason.

The Wolverines did show a significant departure from the scheme it played last year in the first two games of 2019, but when Michigan went away from the pass against Army this past Saturday — a cognizant decision made to keep the Black Knights offense off the field — it confused many, as the inside runs reminded many of the attack they saw as archaic last year.

But Michigan did drastically change the scheme, even if the late-game strategy vs. Army had a similar look to last year’s ball-control offense.

Given the struggles last week, it makes sense to have concerns, especially given how much of the rest of the Big Ten has looked in the first two weeks. Wisconsin, Michigan’s next opponent, has outscored its opponents 110-0 to start the 2019 season, Maryland has topped 60 points twice, Ohio State is rolling as expected, and even Michigan State improved on offense from Week One to Week Two.

But just because the offense in Ann Arbor hasn’t fired on all cylinders or had the look of a powerhouse team, doesn’t mean it isn’t versatile, or it doesn’t have that in its repertoire. And there’s an internal expectation within Schembechler Hall that once the mistakes are limited, the promise of explosiveness will be made good.

“I think we can go way, way up from here,” third-year wide receiver Tarik Black said. “If you watch the film, there’s a lot of plays we definitely can make going forward. You guys will see – trust me, you’ll see – that this offense is gonna be crazy.”

There’s no way to describe Michigan’s offense start though than a mixed bag at this point.

The Wolverines have not been able to get into any sort of rhythm through two weeks, with turnovers and penalties hampering the offensive attack. Through two games, Michigan has lost more fumbles (5) than it did all of last year (3). It’s also above last year’s average in penalties, committing 8.5 per game, compared to 6.8 in 2018 — with the latter not being a great number, in and of itself. The Wolverines were 91st in penalties-per-game a year ago, and through two games in 2019, they’re 108th. With both in conjunction, it’s difficult to make much, if any, forward progress on a regular basis.

On Monday, U-M offensive coordinator Josh Gattis offered that his unit was ‘pressing,’ understanding the expectations of the program and trying too hard to deliver on said expectations.

While the no-huddle has shown an increase in plays run — Michigan is now averaging 77 plays-per-game (21st nationally), up from 69 (63rd nationally). And while the passing game hasn’t had the yardage many hoped for — up to 226 yards-per-game from 216 — the efficiency has been there. QB Shea Patterson has completed 62.1% of his passes thus far, but there have been a handful of overthrows and uncharacteristic receiver drops when there have been plays to be made.

So, what’s the antidote to all this?

Black says that while things have been humming along in practice, there is a difference between doing things in Al Glick Fieldhouse against another winged helmet and against an opponent in a different uniform at Michigan Stadium.

But now that the team is getting a feel for the game, Black is confident that this offense will soon look as it’s been long-advertised.

“I think just having more and more live reps of it, that’ll help,” Black said. “The difference between practice and the game is a different speed. You’re not used to going up against other players. I think more live reps will help and eventually I think we’ll reach our potential.”

Michigan now has 11 days to get its house in order on that front, as it’s on bye this week, before traveling to Madison to take on Wisconsin on Sept. 21.