Harbaugh 18-2 since CoVID. Who's got it better than us?
And another new Harbaughism from the game yesterday, that I've already used on my kid today when he was whining about a turf burn from his soccer game: "Pain is the best teacher."
God willing and the creek don't rise, Jim Harbaugh spends the next 10+ years of his life at UM. The guy's a great coach. Watching some games will make you need a stool softener and an antacid, but there is no coach better for UM. And he's building a tree of great assistants who are now part of the UM family, including his own son.
October 9th, 2022 at 2:54 PM ^
Nooobody
October 9th, 2022 at 2:57 PM ^
Yeah I definitely did not see a stretch like this coming and I have the posting history to prove it.
October 9th, 2022 at 2:59 PM ^
Yes Stephen you were very vocal during that period. The majority of us were quiet, but we mostly agreed with you. We all owe this man a great deal of thanks.
October 9th, 2022 at 2:59 PM ^
SRJK just keeps it real.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:09 PM ^
2020 was a tough year. I am sure last year made it all go away.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:21 PM ^
Stephen like many others could be forgiven for not seeing this coming…many had thought Harbaugh had just looked different after the 2016 robbery at the Shoe.
That said, Jim is “back” assuming he was ever gone to smiling and enjoying the game…winning and getting the OSU monkey off your back will do that. Also, assuming his flirtation with the NFL is now a thing of the past, he can focus on just UM and being a generational coach.
What many fail to realize is how good Jim has been (omit COVID year) since arriving. He had the highest win % of any program outside OSU Death Star, and that includes some absurdly bad luck and officiating against our rivals MSU and OSU.
October 9th, 2022 at 5:14 PM ^
Same SJK, as you know. But, I think the changes made after that season prove two things and that both the keep Harbaugh and the fire Harbaugh crowd were partially right:
1. Michigan can compete with OSU and the top teams in college football
2. Harbaugh could turn it around
October 9th, 2022 at 5:54 PM ^
Well then it's a good thing you don't have the sort of career in which you would encourage others to lead lives of hope and joy and faith. Like ministry 😇
October 9th, 2022 at 3:05 PM ^
I was so waiting for his Stanford moment to beat down the B1G bully convincingly. He finally did in a big way and completely demoralized them. All streaks have to end at some point and who better can end UM's skid against OSU on the road. I will not be surprised if that happens this year and I am sure a doubt has been planted in buckeye's coaches and fans mind.
He is the best for UM. Glad he is back and in a big way.
October 9th, 2022 at 6:00 PM ^
As cathartic as last year was, I’m still mad about the hose job in 2016. That would have eliminated that whole monkey on his back before it ever started, and a playoff bid that year might have given recruiting a bit more of a boost over the next few years.
October 9th, 2022 at 7:06 PM ^
I too cannot let that absolute abomination go. I hate that Satan in Papal clothing, anus-finger man Urban Meyer can say he was undefeated against UM, because he wasn't. However, I'm not really sure that that one game would have dramatically changed the course of the last 5 years, would have expedited recruiting or brought Jim in for less criticism. Not the way OSU proceeded to hand us our asses in the following years, which was much more on Don Brown's lack of DT recruiting, and thus on Jimmy. If there were one great piece of fate I could reverse, I'd make it so Ryan Day couldn't just dial up the portal and pluck Justin Fields out of nowhere for his first (and second) season. Really, under the existing rules, he shouldn't have been allowed to play in 2019, on the unsubstantiated basis of accusing the Georgia program of racist actions. That was some really bad luck that helped the narrative and helped UM look buried in wilderness. Just dumb luck, as going into 2019 OSU did not have a good QB situation. And of course the NCAA caved and didn't enforce its own transfer rules. Anyway, that made 2021 all the better.
October 9th, 2022 at 8:24 PM ^
I don't know if it would have dramatically changed things, but there never would have been a "He can't beat OSU" or "He always finishes 3rd" narrative, so Pete Finebaum would have had to find someone else to ridicule.
A playoff appearance in year 2 would have been a nice thing to sell recruits, too. Not that Harbaugh recruited poorly anyway, but maybe we'd have landed a couple of guys that we missed out on, which might have been worth a win here and there.
October 10th, 2022 at 8:30 AM ^
You're blaming everything on Don Brown. Did you forget that it was Don Brown's defense that played against OSU in 2016? Did you forget that it was Don Brown's defense that also played the 2017 game against OSU? FEI defense rankings: 2016 - #5; 2017 - #8; 2018 - #16; 2019 - #14; 2020 - #115 (pandemic). The main thing that held Michigan back in 2016 and 2017 is Harbaugh's offense (blatant QB deficiencies).
Yeah, the guy neglected to recruit DTs and didn't change his secondary enough - so his last two years were below average for him. This blog hates Don Brown with a passion, and I get that he partially earned it because OSU changed offensive systems to something that he wasn't able to stop. He was brought in to stop Meyer's offense, and he mostly did that. Day figured him out - and he was rightly fired. But he doesn't get nearly enough credit for what he did right with those defenses.
October 10th, 2022 at 10:42 AM ^
I don't blame everything on Don Brown at all. All blame starts with the HC. Brown's sins were that he didn't recruit good DT's (and incredible DT play was why we won the 2016 game despite an offense that essentially handed OSU 14 points.) The other of Brown's mortal sins was being unable to handle crossing routes, especially having no adjustments prepared.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:05 PM ^
Let's not forget the people who wanted Venables, Campbell, and Allen during the 2020 "season"...
October 10th, 2022 at 11:39 AM ^
The fact that people posted on twitter about how Tom Allen was a better coach than Harbaugh during 2020 seems laughable now but it was so infuriating and stupid at the time.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:10 PM ^
Not him
October 9th, 2022 at 4:18 PM ^
I like to think bucknuts come to this site and regularly and see this photo.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:10 PM ^
One of the best indicators of just how great he is for Michigan is that post (within the last week) with the spread of ranking versus recruiting ranking.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:11 PM ^
Coach Harbaugh has won everywhere he has been. Former AFC player of the year, he knows the game. Agree he is right where he belongs. Michigan is well coached and plays hard. Personally very happy he is at Michigan. We have some really great coaches on the staff too.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:17 PM ^
Yeah, count me among the people who have been pleasantly surprised in this stretch. I was willing to accept 2020 as a season played under highly unusual circumstances, even if I was still stewing about the way it turned out. I would not have guessed, at that time, that we would then be 18-2 in the next 20 games.
October 9th, 2022 at 4:53 PM ^
Agreed. Though I still can't explain 2020. I know, there was Covid, etc. etc., but ... other teams certainly faced the same challenges we did that year. It was really strange the way the entire team (except Haskins and McNamara) seemed to quit on that season.
But, happily, 2020 turned out to be a mystery rather than a harbinger, and thank God for that!
October 9th, 2022 at 3:19 PM ^
And two losses were against eventual national champ Georgia and a game we had no business losing at MSU. Not bad.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:32 PM ^
Dude finally won something of significance in year seven, and is rolling so far in year eight. If they go undefeated but then lose to OSU, don't make the Big Ten Championship game, and don't make the playoff he'll be back to the status quo of empty trophy cases and wanting to jump ship to the NFL right after the season ends.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:36 PM ^
Michigan fans are a set of grumpy and miserable people. Imagine being the QB that beat OSU, won a championship, got to the playoffs only to be boo'd at home.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:54 PM ^
You're assuming that guy is a Michigan fan.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:57 PM ^
I’m pretty sure he’s learned his lesson about going back to the NFL
October 9th, 2022 at 4:20 PM ^
Hopeful that they don’t want him anymore.
October 9th, 2022 at 6:18 PM ^
11-1 with a road loss to a Juggernaut Ohio State team is still a really great season. That'd put us in the Rose Bowl to play against USC/Oregon.
Not ideal obviously but I'm not going to dog him for it.
October 9th, 2022 at 6:18 PM ^
Why do you hate so much and still here? Go do something else fruitful.
October 9th, 2022 at 8:11 PM ^
Hey bud just checking in with you. You ok?
October 9th, 2022 at 3:34 PM ^
I'd like to claim I was pro-Harbaugh all along.
In one sense I was, as I didn't see better alternatives, so I disapproved of calls to get rid of him.
But in the the larger sense, I didn't expect what we've enjoyed. I too am happily surprised at what he's done.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:37 PM ^
Covid year was a complete mirage. I don’t care what happened that year, there are infinity *** attached to that year. Remember how Indiana was awesome, and Sirius XM pundits said that “Indiana had a better football program than Michigan”? And yes, that was a direct quote. That notion, and several others created that year, have not held up very well.
October 9th, 2022 at 6:58 PM ^
Indiana’s success that year - and our lack of success - had a lot to do with them keeping their football complex open in the summer while we kept ours closed for Covid reasons. After the year, they lost that practice advantage and surprise, they returned to sucking.
October 9th, 2022 at 8:17 PM ^
I'll one up you. You remember all the "best coaches in the country" lists after every year that Harbaugh had a rough season. But NOT ONE SINGLE list after last year. Not one!
No more of this trash...
4. Brian Kelly
6. Pat Fizgerald
11. Kirk ferentz
24. Jim Harbaugh
Like writers realize if you cant troll Michigan fans why even write the article. So strange.
October 9th, 2022 at 3:50 PM ^
19-1 in my book.
October 9th, 2022 at 7:11 PM ^
This brings up a good question for me, and I'd like to think I'm not a homer about this. But I've seen two huge games in which UM was systematically hosed by the refs. OSU 2016, and MSU 2021. However, I can't really think of any games in which we were systematically handed a game by the refs. I can think of a few games that turned on bad calls, like the VaTech bowl game, and the 2000-something Washington game with the faux fumble on 4th down. But those were not games in which persistent, horrible officiating just stole a game piece by piece. Have we ever benefitted from a terrible referee assassination?
October 9th, 2022 at 10:18 PM ^
The only game I can remember where the zebras helped win a game for UM was at Illinois 2000. This was pre-replay days. Anthony Thomas clearly fumbled on a long run that ended inside their 5. Then a fumbled pass, where an Illinois guy is on the ground clearly holding the ball after a fumble, lost it in a scrum, but it should have been given to Illinois earlier.
Other than that, USC Rose Bowl 1979 (Charles White fumble), two very poorly blown calls during the Harry Oliver miracle at ND in 1980, Desmond non-trip vs. MSU 1990, Many blown calls in 54-51 loss at NW 2000. Loss at ND 2002 when QB sneak guy is down with ball in hand on his knees well outside EZ but is given TD, horrific refereeing in 2005 loss to ND (at least that allowed Charlie Weis to get a Mel Tucker contract after he lost to USC in the Bush Push game), missed obvious PI on UM last play at Iowa in 2011 when we could have tied the game, 2016 OSU (Many bad calls, not just the spot). 2015 MSU roughs the snapper and no call allows insane play. Should have been 15 yard foul and game over. 2021 MSU game was full of game changing calls - even a close friend who is a MSU grad admitted every close call went against UM.
October 9th, 2022 at 4:01 PM ^
That's about as good as any other top team in the nation. The home game winning streak needs to continue as well. 'Bama has lost twice, so has the Buckeyes. Georgia has lost only once. We're near the top.
Go Blue!
October 9th, 2022 at 4:28 PM ^
Beat Penn State
October 9th, 2022 at 5:32 PM ^
Well Georgia and Alabama have it better since they’ve won national championships.
And pain is absolutely not the best teacher.
October 9th, 2022 at 6:04 PM ^
You must be a hoot at parties…
October 9th, 2022 at 6:32 PM ^
Twice in my life I've never happier to be absolutely dead wrong. The first time was in year 4ish of the John Beilein era when I said to a buddy I just didn't think he was the guy. He was an improvement but not a championship winning coach. A little while later, dead wrong, meet so so happy. And then, I did recognize Harbaugh was good. But the OSU losses and the blow out fashion of them in '18 and '19, coupled with losing to teams we shouldn't lose to had me wishing we could find a definite improvement. And then that unmitigated disaster, 2020, happened... On November 27 and December 4, 2021 dead wrong met total elation.
October 9th, 2022 at 10:22 PM ^
A lot of us were wrong on JB. The win at MSU in hoops in Jan 2011 when I was on a biz trip to Toronto and only had a computer app to follow the play by play was the breakthrough. Other than the one effed up year where we lost to NJ Tech, JB was golden.
JH exercised all demons on 11/27/2021. I was there with my college roommate - what a beautiful performance and then the OC goes to Miami FL where they can't run the ball (Hassan had 2X more yards on the final drive than Miami got all day vs. UNC). Glad we have the staff we have!
October 9th, 2022 at 10:38 PM ^
I am embarrassed to say that I was also completely wrong about Beilein. I also wanted him gone after year 4.
October 10th, 2022 at 7:14 AM ^
After year four? That was the year of the Aneurysm of Leadership when we had the massive midseason turnaround.
You must mean before year four.
October 9th, 2022 at 7:26 PM ^
Sometimes, when you're on, you are REALLY FUCKING on!
October 9th, 2022 at 7:57 PM ^
Is more accurate to say he is 18-2 after he decided to go away from Brown and take a few Ravens staffers.
October 9th, 2022 at 10:38 PM ^
DB was great vs. teams like MSU with a broken down Lewerke (2018, 2019). Also, vs. Rutgers (78-0). Problem was teams like PSU with Barkley, ANY OSU team, bowl teams (except 2015 Florida), Indiana teams running X patterns, etc. I gave up on him when 2019 Wisky went up 35-0 on us, without a whimper. 2020 was a cluster F - Rocky Lombardi torches us then gets destroyed and humiliated at Iowa. Chryst got 49 points vs us. An 0-4 PSU team comes in and schools us.
DB was to D like Mouse Davis (run and shoot master) was for O. Sooner or later, you figure out the weaknesses of the scheme and exploit it to death. For Mouse, it was zone blitzes and guys coming unblocked off the end that killed guys like Andre Ware. For DB, it was screens and crossing patterns. If you have mega draft picks like the 2016/17 teams did, you can get by on talent. But only decent talent starting in 2018 showed us the warts in his scheme. I was at the 2018 SMU game where we dominated until the 4th Q where they brought in a mobile QB, throwing crossing patterns and screens. We still won because of the margin we had built, but it was the opening IU and Ohio needed to kill us later. 2019 got worse (big plays by Wisky, PSU, and then finally OSU).
Ravens guys know speed in space and what will kill a D. Well-schooled. Make a team drive 12+ plays to score, like Ohio had to do 2nd half last year.