Penn State Postgame Presser: Jim Harbaugh
[Upchurch]
You’ve been around a while. Have you seen a more diverse offense than that in your experience that gave you more challenges and little quirks and had to worry about more aspects of it?
“Yeah, thought their offense played extremely well. Understatement. They were hitting on all cylinders. The back is really good, as advertised, and the quarterback, McSorley, played extremely well. Yeah, they were hitting on all cylinders. Quarterback was hot and receivers made plays downfield and it was impressive.”
The way Penn State jumped out like that, did they hit you guys with some things—the Barkley direct snap, stuff like that where they popped you—that you guys didn’t expect?
“Yeah, I mean, they hit us on quite a few plays that we’ve defensed well this year and I thought their execution was really good tonight right from the beginning. Then we got it a little bit under control and then they came back and hit the quarterback sucker play, hit the inside fade, downfield balls, really good throws, well played by the receivers, et cetera. As I said, it was a good performance.”
After the first five minutes it was like an avalanche but your team was able to answer and get one point away from them and then it went away from them. Explain how you saw the flow of the game and why that was.
“Eh, it’s just—the flow of the game, I think everybody saw the flow of the game. Thought they were really executing well and we had our difficulties scoring, moving the ball, and getting them stopped.”
Fans will want to extrapolate more than just this game to the importance of this game but I’m assuming you don’t buy into that for recruiting and all the other reasons but I don’t know. Does a game like this have impact more than one game or is it just a game?
“I don’t know either. We’re going to regroup, we’re gonna refit, retool, and get back to work. More opportunities ahead of us.”
Seven sacks Penn State had defensively. Did they do anything systematically to surprise you?
“No. They did a nice job on the edge. They beat us on the edge multiple times.”
With two losses in the Big Ten it certainly seems to be problematic whether or not you can—what do you lean on going forward because the defense has been something you’ve leaned on and it got picked apart by a good team today, the offense still seems to be—what do you lean on with your team going forward? What do you hope is the strength of this team going forward?
“We endure and be better. We’re gonna regroup and come back.”
John said something about how after the game they got told there’s no more bandwagon, fake love’s gone, it’s just on you guys now. What does that mean when you say something like that? How do you solve this, I suppose?
“I mean, they’re our team. We solve it with our team. Nobody else can help us but us. We put our best people on it, our players and our coaches.”
Can it be solvable this season? You’re seven games into the season; can it be solvable this season?
“Yes.”
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:38 PM ^
Chill out man. It's a bit tongue in cheek. It's not like Sparty literally does that either and of course we won't either. I expect we'll win the next three games, but the only thing that is going to salvage this season is beating OSU
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:58 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^
Bo took out time every week to do something to prepare for Ohio State. It was that important.
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:37 PM ^
You think Bo would say let’s hold anything back for one game?Huh? Bo held stuff back for OSU every year.
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:33 PM ^
7 - 5 (or 7 - 6 with a bowl loss) would anyone be happy!
Coaching performance this year over-all has been less than good
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:27 PM ^
If we beat Ohio State - yes.
If we lose to Ohio State - no.
That's what it comes down to.
The specific record is immaterial at this point.
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:58 PM ^
you are putting all your happiness chips on the outcome of that OSU game- I wouldn't
October 22nd, 2017 at 3:11 PM ^
If we beat Ohio State I will be happy. If we don't, I won't care what else happens.
It really is all or nothing.
If we lose to Ohio State but win all the rest of our games and win our bowl game, it will just be another year.
I won't be suicidal - it legitimately is a rebuilding year - but I won't be happy.
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:01 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:46 PM ^
Yeah, I'm disappointed as hell about last night, too, but how do we know what kind of coaching job has been done this year? We're always wearing our rose (or maize and blue) tinted glasses when it comes to our team, but it's also possible they've aqueezed more out of this clearly limited offense than they might have. Every day they get to see the same holes and weaknesses in our offense and I suspect they do all they can to maximize what they are able to do with what they have. It's their jobs, 24-7. Just like the players, they give it all they have every day. I think JH's frustration has peeked through more than once this year.
All we heard before the start of the season was what a young team we had, but once the season began, a large portion of our fans forget that and assume all is well because we held our own with AF, Cincinnati, Purdue, etc. Offense has a lot to do with talent and solid play from the skill positions, to be sure, but with only one solid lineman (Cole) this late in the season, this OL is probably near their ceiling.
Also, unlike the more experienced teams we had in the last two years, the playbook has obviously been pared down for this group (more particularly our inexperienced OL,QB, and WRs). Even if we had Morehead for our Offensive Coordinator, does anyone think we could have looked remotely like PSU did last night? Our ceiling for this season was never more than 9-3.
As for the X's and O's, I believe Harbaugh will get it sorted out, but he may very well wind up rethinking/rearranging his coaching staff before next year.
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:47 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:00 PM ^
we paid a lot of $$$$$$$$$$$ for these coaches so expectations are high
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:07 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 3:12 PM ^
He was on the team in 1984 when they went 6-6. It's nothing new under the sun.
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:56 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:58 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:00 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:12 PM ^
"Fuck Okorn saying that everyone is jumping off the bandwagon."
"...they are playing like hot garbage."
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:13 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:01 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:23 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 3:31 PM ^
winning games is still important, so our strategy of attempting to win games should still pay off in hte modern era.
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:05 PM ^
We went 46-42 over 7 years under RR + Hoke.
We're 25-8 so far in the new era. Not as good as most of us want (given the rivals losses) but too early to totally freak out.
When will we know if Jim is the right guy to win here - I think after this season is over - what happens under scrutiny and adversity during the months from January till the opener at ND.
Look how bad ND was last year with the hollering coach - look at them now (blowout wins vs. MSU and USC). One year!
Harbaugh personally experienced this as a player in '84-'85. Let's hope people DO write us off a bit going into next year. Then let's see what kind of coach we really have.
October 22nd, 2017 at 3:29 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 3:35 PM ^
After 27 games, Nick Saban was 19-8 at Alabama. At least Jim isn't as bad as that guy.
October 22nd, 2017 at 6:26 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:04 PM ^
that college football is this way. ND wn 4 games last year. Kelly made some changes in the organization of coaching responsibilities. They found a good QB. And now they have an inside track for the playoffs.
In 2015 Penn State was in far worse condition than Michigan is in 2017. Franklin made some changes (new OC and DC). They looked better but still shakey for the first half of 2016. SInce then they have been excellent, especially on offense.
Things can change in 1 season. But the HC needs to figure out the sources of dysfunction (youth, problems in certain position groups, coaching staff deficiencies, at the top of the list for M on 2017) and then fix them.
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:52 PM ^
and neither is our coaching. Neither are close to being bad, but neither are truly elite, either.
In any event, the era of sycophantic, khaki- and whole milk-obsessed Harbaugh idolatry is over, and now the era of brainless anti-Harbaugh derangement begins. Prepare for the whiplash.
Up until this season, and to a lesser extent right up to the MSU game, for many UM fans Harbaugh was an insane football genius turning unheralded players into an unstoppably innovative manball machine riding roughshod over everybody.
Now he's an all-hat, no-cattle, all-sizzle-but-no-steak fraud who's not qualified to hold Urban Meyer's jockstrap.
The truth is somewhere in the middle of those two opposite poles.
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:02 PM ^
losing to a mediocre MSU team at home is not what anyone expected starting this season
October 22nd, 2017 at 3:35 PM ^
At the start of the season we still had our starting QB. If Speight had been injured the last day of fall camp our expectations at the start of the season would have been quite different.
October 22nd, 2017 at 3:32 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:21 PM ^
This game is on the defense. The game I watched saw our defense give up two touchdowns in five minutes. The offense played the best I've seen so far this year, with zereo picks or fumbles, sustained drives that scored touchdowns, passing and running together. Multiple receivers making big catches. First downs made. Then if fell apart of course. But seriously folks, we all knew this was a transition year--and it turns out we were right. So get a grip on your emotions. Penn State, btw, is the real deal man. I'd love to see them flatten Ohio State.
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:31 PM ^
Agreed about the defense, but lets not get carried away about the offense.
They played better. They didin't play well.
13 points is not going to win any college football game against a top 10 opponent.
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:59 PM ^
^^^ That.
Doesn't matter how the defense plays when the offense wobbles to 13 points or less.
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:19 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:47 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:26 PM ^
I like that this thread includes offense nihilists, defense nihilists, and special teams nihilists.
October 22nd, 2017 at 3:38 PM ^
2011 Alabama v LSU pt 1 would like a word with you.
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:08 PM ^
It is true that the o-line and QB play still is not very good.
But I am still in the camp that thinks these problems are made far worse by game plans and situational play calling that is making problem areas worse.
October 22nd, 2017 at 5:46 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:36 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:50 PM ^
PSU hasn't had scholarship reductions for a few years now. They've had the full 85 since Franklin's first or second year. This year they've got the most experienced team Franklin has coached, with lots of upperclass starters.
As for us, there should be no mystery here. We lost most of our starters from last year, and don't have that many upperclassmen on the team. It's one thing to have a small recruiting class one year, but to have two of them in a row is problematic. This is the year those two classes are juniors and seniors.
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:52 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:05 PM ^
Rational. Statement.
October 23rd, 2017 at 1:01 AM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 12:45 PM ^
Harbaugh will be in his 4th year next year....do you think we will look like PSU next year?
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:57 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:05 PM ^
the ability to ID true QB talent from prospects is a coaches greatest ability
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:58 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 10:27 PM ^
I disagree. Look at just about any national champion in the past 30 years. I guarantee every one of them had a defense ranked in the top 30 nationally at season's end. You absolutely need an above average defense to be elite. They do go hand in hand though. You also need an offense that can score when necessary. But defense is what carries a team most of the way to the "promised land".
Comments