Penn State 27, Michigan 17
I've reached the point where I'm running out of things to say that haven't been covered here ad nauseam already. Oh, look, another disaster so holistic in nature that it's difficult to tell which macro-level issue is causing each of the myriad micro-level problems. It's time to yell, or feel too resigned to yell, whatever makes you feel something.
Here are some stats from today's loss to a previously winless Penn State team.
- PSU, down to their fourth- and fifth-string running backs, rushed for 272 yards on 5.9 per carry before three late kneeldowns out of the shotgun made the numbers look slightly less catastrophic.
- The Nittany Lions scored on their opening drive for the first time all season. They covered 75 yards in ten plays.
- They also recorded a stop on their opening defensive drive for the first time all season.
- As far into the game as the third quarter, PSU QB Sean Clifford had more total yardage than Michigan's entire team.
- Quarterback Cade McNamara threw for 91 yards on 25 attempts, but at least there was some explanation: he hurt his throwing shoulder late in the first quarter, had to come off for two drives, and then played the better part of two quarters despite being clearly limited in his ability to pass downfield. He pulled himself after nearly throwing an interception on M's final, desperation drive.
- The Wolverines rushed for 6.4 yards per carry and still held the ball for under 24 minutes.
- PSU defensive end Jayson Oweh, who committed two offsides penalties that gained ten yards for Michigan, would've been the seventh-most productive non-quarterback for the Wolverines.
- James Franklin botched the end of the first half with an unnecessary spike on first-and-goal, leading to a field goal instead of a touchdown. This easily could've been worse.
- Then again, Jim Harbaugh called for a first-half punt on fourth-and-three from PSU's 43-yard line.
- The offense finally ran an under-center QB sneak. It didn't work.
- From The Athletic's Jason Starrett: this is the first time in 1,350 games of Michigan football that the Wolverines lost to an opponent with an 0-5 or worse record.
The state's professional football team of sorts, the Detroit Lions, cleaned house during the game, firing head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn. As Jim Harbaugh reacted in dismay to Joe Milton's sneak being ruled short of a first down, effectively ending the game, ABC showed the news on the ticker below him.
In Detroit's case, the fans knew it was time to move on before the franchise did, leading to a wasted 2020 season. May Michigan's leadership not make the same mistake.
[Hit THE JUMP for the box score.]
November 28th, 2020 at 4:00 PM ^
It’s Harbaugh.
It’s his roster. These are all guys he has brought in. The holes? He’s the one that recruited and managed the guys who left. Either he scouted poorly or, more likely, he’s not great at retaining players. I have a theory that Harbaugh is a nice enough guy but has a real blind spot in understanding how people perceive his manner of interacting with others. He doesn’t have a good empathetic sense of how to deal with people. He can’t read them, and he says things that many people easily realize aren’t wise things to say. It’s not bad in itself, but it would explain the way he has carried himself of the 30+ years I have known about him and would explain how he rubs people the wrong way despite being earnest and hard-working. It’s a theory that fits the facts; even if it’s wrong, Harbaugh has managed the roster abominably, failing to recruit properly to fill holes and losing dozens of 4-star level prospects before they ever meaningfully contribute. His roster.
It’s his QB room. DCaff left? Of course. The next QB that improves under Harbaugh will be, generously, the second after Jake Rudock. Nobody else has. McNamara was hurt, of course, and allegedly so is Milton. So was Shea last year, and Wilton a few years ago. You know what? Other teams still win games with QBs getting banged up. OSU beats us with backups, wins titles with backups. You really think that DCaff would be slinging the football like Kyler Murray if we had just hung on to him? Of course not: his QB coach is Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh’s a guy who isn’t ignorant, he played the position. He knows just enough to think he knows more than he does, and whatever it is that he does hurts the development of his QBs. His QB room.
It’s even his defense. We’re playing walk-ons on the DL. Yeah, that’s not going to go well. It’s Harbaugh’s roster. And whatever has happened to cause Don Brown to collapse as a DC after a statistically excellent four year stretch, Harbaugh is the one that is ultimately responsible for the players. When Brown leaves after this year, he’ll get picked up by a mid-range P5 team and instantly make them better. Harbaugh is less responsible here, but it’s still his team.
It’s also, in the end, Harbaugh’s running game. I don’t know how to explain how bad Michigan is at running the ball, but they are always underwhelming. We were underwhelming in 2016, when the ability to run for a first down in the fourth quarter of either Iowa or OSU wins those games on the road. We were decent last year, averaging 150 yards per game and 4.0 yards per carry. Nice, right? But I’d expect more from a team that had four OL drafted the following spring. Yeah, we’re missing key guys this year. We also can’t run for short yardage to save our lives. His running game.
It’s Harbaugh. It’s all Harbaugh. None of the problems we see this year, or last year, are new. They are problems that have been with us for the entire Harbaugh tenure. The reason I don’t get too upset at Pep or Gattis is that these problems existed before Pep and Gattis and, as long as Harbaugh’s here, will last beyond them as well. He should go. Now, I’m not going to be furious when he isn’t fired during the season (I do think the optimal situation would be for him to step aside now and let Gattis take over. Not because I believe Gattis is a genius, but given my opinion of Harbaugh’s effect on the offense, give it a shot to at least try out that 5% possibility that Gattis could be quite good without Harbaugh influencing the calls, even though it’s unlikely—but Michigan will not fire Harbaugh before the end of the season). Michigan doesn’t do that, and that’s fine. But he should step aside graciously after we get demolished by OSU. If he doesn’t, Warde should graciously show him the door.
It’s sad. I’ve always liked him. I wrote a significant defense of him on this site when he made the SB with the Niners. I was, like everybody else, thrilled when he came. It could have gone so differently.
But it’s over.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:04 PM ^
Well said. As I've written before, the silver lining of these terrible games is that the team is so terrible that I literally forget about the Covid-19 pandemic while watching them.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:08 PM ^
Well put. I was thrilled when he came. I went to OSU to watch the one game where we had a chance. I ignored the strange/predictable way we used peppers on O, and all the other head scratchers.
I used to joke #fireharbaugh as a sarcastic attack on the haters. But no longer. He can stay thru the end of the season, bc this is college and not the pros. But then, he has to go.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:05 PM ^
Michigan Football = Fucking Pathetic
November 28th, 2020 at 10:22 PM ^
What, you again? Go back to punching horses.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:08 PM ^
Did you have this pre typed and ready to go? Impressive honestly
November 28th, 2020 at 4:09 PM ^
I popped the computer on after the game ended, but yes.
November 28th, 2020 at 5:05 PM ^
You could rightly argue that this thesis was pretty much four years in the writing, after all.
November 29th, 2020 at 2:26 PM ^
I would agree, only in my hindsight however. I had my maize and blue blinders strapped on tightly... ignorance was not bliss
November 28th, 2020 at 4:18 PM ^
Very well said. It’s bonkers to simply assume McCaffrey would have been better. Most likely he’d struggle too, as has been the rule for Michigan quarterbacks under Harbaugh
November 28th, 2020 at 4:24 PM ^
That was a lot of words king, and the only debate I'd make to any of them is way back in 2016, when the program was still ascending, JH definitely made a better QB of Wilton Speight.
Otherwise, spot on. Kind even, despite the frankness. This show has run its course, drop the curtain.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:25 PM ^
Jedd Fisch made Speight a better QB.
November 30th, 2020 at 12:29 AM ^
Andrew Luck too I suppose?
Good shit Jedd!
November 28th, 2020 at 4:34 PM ^
I don't know about your theory of him being blind to how he rubs others the wrong way, but it doesn't really matter because it IS over. No denying it now, no excuses, he owns all of it, and regardless of why he didn't sign an extension before the season he won't be offered one now. I think it's obvious that he's changed. The guy at that introductory press conference 6 years ago was ebullient. Mature. Wise. Didn't want to be a savior or even the highest paid coach in the Big 10. But he was genuinely happy to be home and wanted to stay a while. That guy is gone now and replaced by somebody we no longer recognize. He doesn't say anything meaningful anymore. It's beyond coach speak and sometimes resembles gibberish. The wide smile, cool confidence, mature perspective, they are all gone. Either something happened to him medically and now he's medicated or he's rich and bored or having a midlife crisis or g-d knows what. I feel for him, wish it had worked differently. I shed more than a tear while watching that introductory press conference 6 years ago, so happy to have Jim home. It didn't work and now it's all over. Onward and Go Blue.
November 28th, 2020 at 5:24 PM ^
Well put, just logged in to say that I also had those same thoughts: mature, ebullient, wise, even humble despite the craziness. Now all the color is gone and as Raj said a few weeks ago some agglomeration atoms that resembles the form of Jim Harbaugh has now taken his place. All very sad. I just hope his exit is as gracious as his entrance was jubilant.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:22 AM ^
I don’t buy it. I don’t think there was any sort of sea change with Harbaugh.
I think the guy just got lucky with Andrew Luck and caught the 49ers at the right time. He is an idiot without the savant and always was.
November 28th, 2020 at 10:00 PM ^
I’ve always felt it a bit silly to criticize what he says in a press conference. That has zero to do with anything related to coaching football. Jim is clearly a good man, who wants to do nothing to draw attention to himself, and I think it should be clear to all of us that he says so little to the press intentionally. It should be something we all admire, rather than admonish him for.
All of that said, the program’s a catastrophic disaster of epic proportions. He must be gone.
November 28th, 2020 at 10:25 PM ^
You could just as easily been talking about Brady Hoke.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:39 PM ^
Agree, Captain Comeback is gone. This isn't the Jim Harbaugh that was hired. Its crazy to think that everyone thought that QB would be the least of our worries now that the "QB Whisperer" was finally here and we wouldn't have to deal with terrible QB play anymore. It has somehow gone from that to now it is apparently clear that this staff makes QBs worse once they get their hands on them for any period of time.
His jersey is hanging in my basement, and I'll prob leave it up, but I want a house cleaning.
November 29th, 2020 at 2:31 PM ^
Gotta leave his jersey up. He was one hell of a qb here, and deserves credit for that at least. It’s sad to see it didn’t work out for him as the coach here, it doesn’t take away his accomplishments as a player.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:41 PM ^
My thoughts exactly. We can just close all of the snowflake threads and this comment section now.
Let's do that hockey tonight.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:48 PM ^
Extremely well put. His inability to hang on to a coaching staff exacerbates these issues.
I, for one, would love to hear the inside story of how/why this season has crashed so hard. Maybe John U Bacon still has access to the program?
November 28th, 2020 at 5:03 PM ^
Well said, but I am not upvoting this because at the time of reading it's at 49 upvotes, which says something about something/
edit nevermind, take your well-deserved upvote
November 28th, 2020 at 5:06 PM ^
Hurts my heart. But it’s true.
November 28th, 2020 at 5:43 PM ^
too many words...this is reality
Michigan Football = Fucking Pathetic
November 28th, 2020 at 7:18 PM ^
you post a comment that is ignored, so you post it again--it wasn't worthy of upvotes
November 28th, 2020 at 5:48 PM ^
I still think Doodoo Brown sucks, hated him for years. His D has been figured out. But agree with the rest.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:39 PM ^
Some (legit) questions from a casual football fan:
1. If JH can't win @ UM, who can?
2. Seeing Harbaugh's struggles, who would come to try to fix it? Who is better that would actually come to UM?
3. Is Warde so stuck in the "Mich Man" ethos that he wouldn't make the best hire, but would only make a family hire?
4. Is there such a thing as strictly a "Pro Coach"? Like Saban and Spurrier failed in the NFL but excelled in college, is Harbs the converse of that?
November 28th, 2020 at 6:55 PM ^
1) Anyone with better organization, better management ability, and that can hire good people and stay out of their way. Just because it hasn't worked out here for Harbaugh doesn't mean it can't ever work out for anyone.
2) Someone that wants a high profile job at a still prestigious school/program. And it also pays well...
3) Well, we hope not... He has a good track record of hiring good coaches, lets hope he sticks with it.
4) The NFL and CFB are very different, so yeah, I think some coaches will excel in one but not the other.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:15 PM ^
I don't understand this notion that you can't win at Michigan. Harbaugh was getting top 10 recruiting classes (or close to it) despite his disintegrating personality. This isn't the freaking Ivy League or Louisiana Monroe or something. We have maybe the worst coaching staff in college football. That's why we suck, period. This isn't hyperbole - watch any college football game this week and the two teams playing will be better coached than Michigan. They'll understand the scheme better, look more decisive, run two minute drills better, show more signs of develop underclassmen and commit fewer stupid penalties and turnovers. So hire Matt Campbell, or Luke Fickell or any other P5 coach, just get rid of these guys, and quickly.
November 29th, 2020 at 7:12 AM ^
Warde needs to check out Tony Elliot, an up and coming young coach.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:47 PM ^
If JH can't win @ UM, who can?
From the perspective of six years ago, JH is the obvious choice. No one looks better on paper as a fit for the UM HC position. Let's say that he looks 90% likely to succeed, while no other candidate looked better than 70%.
But once given the opportunity, the wavefunction collapses -- Schrödinger's Coach. Instead of 90%, you end up at either 100% or 0%. If you get the 100% outcome, nobody's complaining. But if you get the 0% outcome, then you're looking up at 70%, not down.
November 28th, 2020 at 7:10 PM ^
You're describing a person on the autism spectrum but I think that's your suspicion with respect to Harbaugh's tunnel vision (particularly with people)....quite a few people have commented on the same thing.
I agree with this posit by the way. autism can be a hinderance depending on how it affects people but it can also be a blessing giving a person near super powers in the areas of focus, energy, problem solving and other gifts (think math & music savants).
November 28th, 2020 at 10:35 PM ^
Jokes aside for a moment. I've had the same thought regarding Harbaugh and ASD.
November 28th, 2020 at 9:16 PM ^
All you need to do is put aside the guy's name and look at the product that has been put out onto the field during his tenure.
Look at the level of talent recruited and look at the results. The results are unacceptable at a program with UM's assets.
November 28th, 2020 at 9:17 PM ^
I still want to know what happened to the Jim harbaugh circa 2015 vs today. SOMETHING happened to him and I’ll bet more than a few NFL teams have noticed as well. All except the lions...
November 29th, 2020 at 9:33 AM ^
The 4th down spot at OSU in 2016. He was never the same after that game.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:30 AM ^
This is the most absurd theory out there. Either because:
1) No coach would be so fundamentally altered by one play that it could not possibly be true, or because
2) Harbaugh is so fragile mentally that one play totally snapped his brain.
November 28th, 2020 at 10:06 PM ^
Can I throw an idea out there? Michigan should call the Fords, negotiate an exit package and have BAUGH become the next coach of the Detroit Lions. I think he’s still a talented head coach but this program has been an unmitigated disaster since Lloyd has been pushed out and BAUGH doesn’t have it. Not on the recruiting trail. Not in the locker room. And certainly not on the sidelines. That said, I don’t think he forgot how to be an NFL coach and if you ask him in an honest moment he would leap at the chance to go back. I firmly believe this would solve both teams problems. Michigan would be rid of BAUGH without antagonizing the guy and the Lions would have a legitimate coach for the first time in their history. Who’s not doing this?
November 29th, 2020 at 9:34 AM ^
Learn history before you post. Lloyd was not "pushed out". That's what OSU would have done after he began to lose consistently to Tressel.
Instead, he was retained two years longer by Bill Martin, and it crushed recruiting. And the wrong RR hire was made.
November 29th, 2020 at 10:49 AM ^
Spot on; agree with most of your points. Very well done summary. Better times ahead IF we make the right hire after the season!
November 29th, 2020 at 10:55 AM ^
This is thoughtful and I feel much the same. The year-over-year success of the program depends mostly upon the head coach. It is rational to expect growing pains while that coach gets his staff, players, and system online. It is rational to excuse occasional incidents of failure that result from the poor decision making of very young adults. But, in the end, when there is a repeating pattern of failure that goes unaddressed, nothing is left but to fire and replace the head coach.
May JH live a long and pleasant life. May the next HC find the success we have all been seeking.
November 29th, 2020 at 2:23 PM ^
As usual, very well said. Who thought when he was brought in to bring Michigan Football back to the level we expect, that we would be here in 2020 wishing he would walk away so we can start over?
November 28th, 2020 at 4:01 PM ^
What is this "Michigan Football" you speak of? Isn't it basketball and hockey season?
November 28th, 2020 at 4:26 PM ^
Game starts at 7.
November 29th, 2020 at 9:34 AM ^
Well, as of 10 pm last night, it's now only basketball season.
November 28th, 2020 at 4:02 PM ^
We need to Fire Harbaugh immediately
November 28th, 2020 at 4:26 PM ^
If only so the Lions can hire him immediately.
November 28th, 2020 at 6:57 PM ^
The coach we have today is not the same coach that San Fran had 7 years ago. I doubt he'd make the Lions more of a winner than Michigan is right now.
November 28th, 2020 at 10:37 PM ^
But you don't need that craziness that a lot of college coaches have. They're professionals. You don't need that inspirational pregame speech Brohm had slamming some chair on the floor. The NFL has changed some but it's still not the same as college. Harbaugh can go coach a complex mostly WCO the way he wants to in the NFL. I'd be very happy with the Lions hiring Harbaugh. It may even benefit him there that he's calmed down.
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