Outback Bowl Postgame Presser: Jim Harbaugh
[Upchurch]
“I'd like to thank the Outback Bowl. [Ed. A—And I’d like to thank David Nasternak for being our guy on the ground in Tampa and getting audio of the presser] Great experience. Congratulations to South Carolina on their victory.”
Did you feel it slipping away at any time, or did they get better as the game went along?
“I think they did get better. I think probably a little bit of both those things. They got better as the game went on, no doubt, and made plays to win the football game, and we didn't get the knockout punch when we needed it. We didn't take advantage of the opportunities that were there.”
Can you put your finger on why the defense was having a dominant performance and then it all changed? What did you see in terms of why it changed?
“Yeah, they made a really good throw, really good catch on the touchdown. Made another spectacular throw and catch on the second touchdown pass. Yeah, they executed well, really well, and then our errors, starting with the—really starting with the fumble by Sean McKeon, which was not Sean McKeon’s fault, that was our fault. That was a coaching error. We had the wrong personnel in there, and I should have called time out. And then the other miscues we had.”
Pat Kugler, was he banged up a little bit? Is that why you took him out of the game?
“Yeah, Pat had gotten rolled up on his ankle and gave it a go and was doing fine, but just felt like it was too much to overcome.”
When did you know about that Ben [Bredeson] wasn’t going to be able to play?
“About three weeks ago.”
[After THE JUMP: sifting through what went wrong in search of answers, shooting down NFL rumors (again), evaluating QB play and what it means for 2018]
What kind of adjustments did South Carolina's offense make in the second half that gave you guys trouble?
“I don’t know, I think that might be a better question for Will [Muschamp]. But they hit the inside seam fade. The quarterback threw a really nice ball in the red zone. Were able to create some big plays.”
You mentioned the coaching error on the McKeon play. Were there others that you wish you—were you happy with the playcalling today or was it execution or a little of both?
“Always think that just making the play when you've got the other team down, a chance to grow your lead, take advantage of those things, but we weren't able to do that. Kind of let them hang around and they took advantage of it.”
At the beginning of the year you talked about the guys getting experience. Do you feel like that’s what they got this season through a game like this that they can build on for next year?
“Yeah, there will be things to build on. I thought our guys played extremely hard. I thought they really played their guts out, and so did South Carolina. But yeah, we'll—another year of the pursuit of excellence. That's the way we'll be looking at it.”
Coach, you've had a quarterback competition going into every season so far. How heavily do bowl performances weigh into those at the beginning of next year?
“I don't know. I really I don't know how much that would weigh into it.”
How would you evaluate Brandon’s [Peters] performance today?
“You know, there's some really good, and there's a few I know he'd like to have back. But he was battling just like the rest of the guys. There was some error there, a little too much at the wrong time.”
Was Khalid [Hill] unable to play? He was in early but he was on the sideline for most of the game.
“Yeah, Khalid, he had an injury during bowl prep.”
You guys have lost three straight. Can you put a finger just on one thing or what do you think has been the reason why overall?
“Hasn’t been one thing, it's being able to just kind of sustain the momentum, keep the momentum, and then get the knockout punch. That would be what my thought would be right now.”
You talked about your message after the regular season and you talked about wins; what has to change overall for the program to get over this and [inaudible]?
“We’ll look at every aspect of it and make improvements.”
With the opportunities that have opened up today in the NFL, is there any possibility that this is the last game you would coach for Michigan?
“No.”
Did South Carolina do anything on either side of the ball that you didn't expect today?
“No, I can't think of something different.”
January 2nd, 2018 at 12:48 PM ^
Wow, just wow. The McKeon non-handoff - put that down in Michigan Bowl annals.
January 2nd, 2018 at 2:30 PM ^
So Peters is not far enough along to be allowed to call his own TO in that case?
Speaks volumes.
January 2nd, 2018 at 9:35 AM ^
really would like to hear some real comments from jim instead of the p.c. blah blah blah
January 2nd, 2018 at 12:23 PM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 9:42 AM ^
blah blah blah blah blah..not impressed
Im done wth this football program Im going to focus on a Michigan program that actually
has produced RESULTS.. Basketball. .NC game, Final Four, 2 elite 8s 3 sweet 16s Conference and Tournaments TROPHYS!....Results!!! unlkike Football and the eternal "Next Year" and finding new ways every year to just HAND games to opponents
January 2nd, 2018 at 9:44 AM ^
I want the testy, pissed off Harbaugh back. I know his sideline antics were over the top at times, but at least the players reflected some of that fire on the field. I don't see it now from him - in pressers, on the sidelines, etc. - or the players. I hope he can find that fire again and that it transferrs to the players, who look flat, especially in key moments. (with the regrettable exception of Nordin grabbing his junk)
Harbaugh deserves to keep this job as long as he wants it, I just want that passion to bleed into every area of the program like it did during his first year. I don't see it in this press conference.
January 2nd, 2018 at 9:48 AM ^
Hell, Harbaugh doesn't even appear to get angry at his own players and coaches after a particularly egregious fuckup. It's like he's on medication. Or become a Buddhist.
Om.
January 2nd, 2018 at 2:38 PM ^
Is he self conscious about Amazon cameras being around?
For two years and a Spring Practice we got firey Jim Harbaugh. Then this season starts and we get catatonic-Peters Jim Harbaugh.
The only variable that I can discern is Amazon cameras.
Whatever it is, the man is not himself.
I'd rather get a few bizarre basketball technical fouls and reprimands from the B1G office than this.
January 2nd, 2018 at 12:01 PM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 1:31 PM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 2:10 PM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 3:09 PM ^
...is that he is far and away the best coach we could get right now, especially since he has not won to the degree he was expoected. If he was fired tomorrow as some would hope, who do you think the next guy would be? Most big names wouldn't touch this job with a 20 foot cattle prod, because the perception would be if Harbaugh couldn't do it no one can.
January 2nd, 2018 at 9:48 AM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:13 AM ^
I think that over the last couple of years he developed a kind of hubris and stopped preparing like he once did. Add to that a pretty substantial dose of bad luck in a number of facets of the game, and then a newborn baby this year, I just think that things are not currently in focus. I think it is entirely possible that yesterday will act as a wake up call. Not only that he needs to get this team and program back on the same page but that he needs to go back to working at perfecting his craft.
Jim Harbaugh's stock went down yesterday, possibly for the first time. I expect we will see him get back to business over this off-season and into next year. If not, I am not exactly sure what we have here.
January 2nd, 2018 at 11:32 AM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:11 AM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 9:50 AM ^
having the "wrong personnel" on the field is just gobsmacking. I don't get it at all
January 2nd, 2018 at 9:50 AM ^
There was a glaring lack of orange dye on offense. It had to be the orange dye.....
January 2nd, 2018 at 9:55 AM ^
and spend spring break in a Vietnamese sweatshop.
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:11 AM ^
I spent a month in Vietnam last year...fascinating. There are some very interesting lessons to be learned there.
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:01 AM ^
I was in the Peters camp all year and yesterday was really depressing. I think the wideouts were just lost yesterday, and most of the year. Tarik Black appeared to be the only player ready for 2017, everyone else was just overmatched on the field. There should be concern that our receivers also don't seem to be coached to go past the line to gain on their routes and it seems that no one knew what to do when Peters was forced out of the pocket and where was Grant Perry ? The OL produced next to nothing for the running game ... but play calling has to be a contributing factor to that. I guess having 8 months off will help at this point ... ugh.
Go Blue!
January 2nd, 2018 at 11:44 AM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 1:17 PM ^
You've already given up on true freshman?
January 2nd, 2018 at 1:53 PM ^
DPJ will improve but from what we've seen this season I dont think he'll ever play up to his recruiting ranking.
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:20 PM ^
Offensive personnel has not improved this season, and in fact many players have appeared to get worse. That's coaching. 3 OCs and 2 OL coaches leaves no room for skilled WR, QB and RB coaches.
Drevno clearly blows, and has blown since he's been here. But, you know, Jim's buddy. Pep is a tire fire (who thinks hiring someone who failed with the fucking Browns was a good idea??), but you know, NFL. Jay isn't a good RB coach, but, you know, nepotism.
And, yeah, Jim really doesn't seem to care as much. Dream job? He looked like a zombie in his presser.
Being a fan of this team is an exercise in enduring pain.
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:42 PM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:05 AM ^
Players have to make plays but the role of coaches, at all levels, is (the) most critical factor in this regard. That every one of the last 8 loses were winnable contests would indicate that yesterday's debacle was not a chance happening. There are coaches that need to be replaced...because the physical talent appears to be adequate to compete (successfully) at the highest level...and there needs to be a significant "re-set" for this team.
What is interesting, even stunning, is the breadth of the problem here. Because, truthfully, defensive players been very much at fault as well...where routine, game-changing plays were not made. Hmmm...I'll just leave this at "Hmmm..." because this makes everything/everyone open for review.
I'm not a "Winning is everything" person. But I do believe that playing these games is all about the kids...and, here, they deserve better.
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:07 AM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:10 AM ^
were two things, the failure of Michigan to take command of the game offensively after South Carolina special teams miscues in the first half and second half quarterback play by the Gamecocks. The Higdon fumble turned the game around even though it appeared to me at the time it occurred just something to overcome and the Wolverines did, hitting a field goal a few minutes later to widen the lead.
The biggest play of the game, which, again, didn't feel consequential just annoying at the moment, was a third down rollout completion that extended a South Carolina drive and then led to a TD.
It just seemed to me that we were playing with a half full deck of cards on offense most of the game either because of injury or other factors and that there was never an offensive flow to Michigan's game, nothing that it did well enough in the course of the contest it could rely on or go back to, which explains to me, at least, the widespread complaints about the play-calling.
The playcallers, whether they were Harbaugh, Drevno or others, just couldn't find anything that worked consistently, so that inconsistency resulted in the limited playbook that was called. Without any other evidence that's just the way I saw it. And the coach didn't offer anything of substance to change that view. They all had a bad game and tried to play to the strength of the team, the defense, which has certain flaws, safety coverage deep on slants and deep fades.
How many teams have explotited that weakness in the last three games? Wisconsin, OSU and yesterday, South Carolina all managed to beat man coverage with their tight ends or slot receivers when the rush just couldn't get to the qb in time. That's the flaw of Don Brown's system and generally what it takes to beat it in close games.
January 3rd, 2018 at 8:01 AM ^
After watching the other bowl games yesterday...not only the playoff games it was pretty clear other teams appear to be much faster at key positions. I know they were talking about the field being in kind of poor condition but we looked slow as a team. Peters looked slow to me, in his drops, when he scrambeled, and with his decision making. Any play we tried to run to the edge with the RBs took way too long to develop...and our WR don't have the quickness to get seperation like other teams I watched this bowl season. I really can't figure out DPJ...he is a great athlete..but to me he looked slow all year. Maybe he is the type of runner that once he gets going has great straight line speed, but comparing how Jabrill was shot out of a cannon to whatever we saw DPJ do all year catching punts was pretty poor.
One other thing that stands out to me is we have lacked a true leader...Look at Baker Mayfield...sure you can do without his antics, but that guys fire and passion rubs off on his teammates, and you can see it when they play. They get into the play quickly, when he makes a decision with the ball it happens quickly. If they make a bad play, they have that were coming right back at you attitude.
We need our leadership to develop some mental toughness with this team, and that starts with Harbaugh. Although I shot down the idea of him losing his fieriness earlier in the season...I have changed my tune. His last 2 seasons you could see how his fire and competitiveness rubbed off on the team..even in losses they did not back down, and didn't have anywhere near the amount mental lapses.
We need to get back to the bunker mentality, the submarine mentality, the blue collar/throw on your work shirt mindset, and a true meritocracy..including the coaches.
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:21 AM ^
There were several times during the game that showed SC Coach railing at the refs. I miss the days when they showed Harbaugh doing the same thing. The only time I remember seeing our coach depicted was his reaction after Peters threw the last interception. Even his reaction there was subdued, IMO.
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:21 AM ^
I don't see the fire in this team anymore. No one gets upset when they make disastrous mistakes (even from the top). Defense may be ok on the leadership end, but this offense is a trainwreck.
It reminds me of the 3-9 MSU team that had widespread rumors of fracturing among the team and no leader to circle the wagons. It's very often the QB, but sometimes you have a guy that throws the team on his shoulders. I don't see that player in this offense. I hope Black or Patterson, or even Gary/Bush brings some passion with them to get this team to play up.
Less/no more melancholy hung heads out there. Perform. Be accountable. Win football games.
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:21 AM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:33 AM ^
That slide, a yard short on 3rd down, disgusted me. JOK put his shoulder down and went through the tackler a few times in that situation for a first down. Where was that fight from Peters?
January 2nd, 2018 at 11:12 AM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 11:14 AM ^
Why not?
January 2nd, 2018 at 11:18 AM ^
January 2nd, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
I am PRAYING that Shea Patterson gets immediate eligibility (which I think he will).
We need a QB that is decisive and can turn a broken play/missed assignment into a gain. Shea, Dylan McCaffrey, Milton, etc., all having some type of scrambling ability to make something happen when things go wrong. I don't see how the OL next season will be a massive improvement, if much at all, so we need a more mobile QB that has great pocket awareness.
Hoping new offensive staff changes can mold Shea into the star we need at the position. The running backs, receivers and tight ends all return, which will really help as well.
January 2nd, 2018 at 8:08 PM ^
In a situation where Patterson may not get eligibility could you give us any hints on the likely outcome of a McCaffrey vs Peters battle?
January 2nd, 2018 at 1:36 PM ^
It's pocket presence and nerves under fire. Both of which are hard to teach. A QB either has it or they don't.
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:22 AM ^
Where the hell did that go? Generic answers every pc. No anger for shit performances. No accountability. No rage on the sidelines (such as the metellus penalty where he was able to just walk to the bench without one person confronting him). No fire towards refs for shit calls. I don’t know what happened but that team yesterday was brady hoke all over again.
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:22 AM ^
This offense if not bad, it is a compete mess, a boondogle. This is the Jeff Fisher offense from the 70s. It just does not work any more. Fisher stuck to his heavy offense and it was the worste in the league year after year. Look at what happened when a creative coach took over. In one year, the team went from the worst offense in the league to the best.
Look at all the west coast teams with pro prospect QBs. They are 3-6 loss teams. The offenses just do not work well in college. It takes too long for the players to get on the same page. College QBs and receivers just are not going to learn how to read and react to defenses quickly enough to be consistently good. A college QB must be able to run and create. They must be a great athlete.
Harbaugh must change. He must fire Drevno and Pep. The passing game was too much of a mess to justify either coming back. What kid is going to want to play for them? All three QBs looked the same - confused, indecisive, poor decision making, etc. There were three QBs and one constant - the coaches. They must go.
And Harbaugh must recruit differently. Don't waste a recruiting spot on tall kids who look like they can throw but aren't great athletes. It does not work in college, or does not work consistently enough.
Jim Harbaugh is becoming Jeff Fisher and that is not a good thing.
January 2nd, 2018 at 11:53 AM ^
I strongly suggest you don't hold your breath until this occurs. Harbaugh has a vision for this program and it's pretty clear that it's not what you're asking for. In 2015, we watched Jake progress through the season and evolve into a pretty damn good QB. Speight made good progress last season before he was hurt. He didn't look good in his first four games, but he was surrounded by youth and his Oline left a bit to be desired. Who knows how far he might have come as the line and his receivers improved, but you're not going see progress when forced to play three QBs in a season.
I'm at least as tired as anyone here of waiting for the program to get its shit back together, but Rome wasn't built in a day. Before the start of the season, I figured the regular season would most likely produce ten wins with a bowl win dependent on to many variables to predict. When Speight went down for the season I reset to maybe eight wins, nine if luck was good. When Peters went down I quit hoping for good luck.
If Peters had been ready to go in when Speight went down and was sitting number 2, maybe he'd have made enough progress during the season to garner a couple more wins. For whatever reasons, and we've all read the speculations, he wasn't ready. It takes more than 2 & 1/2 seasons of recruiting to build enough depth and experience at QB to lose two QBs and maintain the quality of the offense. Sometimes shit happens and all you can do is wait for the next season.
Harbaugh isn't going anywhere. He's certainly not gong to change his vision for Michigan football as long as he believes it's achievable. Name me a coach today who's a better for for the Michigan football program.
January 2nd, 2018 at 2:27 PM ^
This all stems back to 2008. Bill Martin put this program where it is trying to take a short cut to National Championships. Blew it all up, 3-9, 5-7, whatever. Does Michigan Football suck? I definitely think their trajectory is higher than what most fans vocalize. Let’s see how 2018 goes... with a tough [road] schedule, this team can still do damage. Peters didn’t look good yesterday, but he had no one on his heels to take the job. Patterson will make him better or push him aside. I’m willing to bet come 9/1/2018, this team looks a lot bigger and gives ND a hard game. Win or lose, I expect us to be HIGHLY thought of as a threat to every team. If it was in Ann Arbor, it’d be a win, in South Bend... who knows.
January 2nd, 2018 at 3:35 PM ^
Who has not let him do his job? He has done his job and the results are poor. It is not losing, it is looking like a mess. It is watching every other good college program run their offense differently. It is not relying on a kid QB to make checks at the line when you could be calling it down from above and signaling it from the side. Check out the OU offense. It is realizing that a running QB in college sure helps especially if you do not have a dominant tailback. It is realizing that when you can't complete a pass to a wide receiver ALL YEAR that there is a problem with coaching and structure. It is understanding that you will not have Tom Brady for 10 - 15 years as you do in the pros. You have to recruit and adjust your scheme. Frankly, it is also evaluating talent. Our best QB athletically was playing at CMU this year.
He is paid multi millions and should be held accountable. He should hold his coaches accountable. What does it say to the team if Drevno and Pep are back, "Great job on the passing game guys". Sorry, when you are this bad, you must go. Frankly, Harbaugh should not even have to ask.
Some coaches will adjust and others don't. Don't is named Jeff Fisher and John Fox.
For the sake of the sport, the Fishers of the world need to be kept out and the Sean McVays of the world—smart, creative, adaptive—need to be let in. When the Rams hired him this past spring, McVay was seen as a wild card because of his lack of experience. Instead, he essentially fixed Jared Goff and created a really cool offense that controls defenses by going uptempo despite not being a prototypical “spread” offense and that finds ways to get playmakers the ball in space. This is not to say that all new coaches need to be in their early 30s, as McVay is, but they do need to have a sense of what the sport has become: fast, efficient, and quarterback-driven. Kevin Clark, The Ringer.
January 2nd, 2018 at 3:39 PM ^
No. It takes 1 year to have a QB. Not three. That is why the system is failing. If it takes 3 years to get a QB ready, then you have a system that waste the majority of a college career. Take a look at the Buckeyes. Three years to prepare. No, three years to start.
If Harbaugh doesn't change than he is doomed to failure. How many red zone f ups are you willing to accept. Nothing got better this year.
January 2nd, 2018 at 10:46 AM ^
has tweeted to Dantonio again? I mean, why not keep talking shit to guys kicking your ass?
January 2nd, 2018 at 11:16 AM ^
Time to move on.....saw some good things this year and obviously a lot of the bad. Being the eternal optimist that I am my opinion is that it is all fixable and can be done relatively fast.
Two things I am way done with are the Bloomin Onion dude and commercial) and the Harbs to the NFL crap........surely the media has stuff to talk/write about.
January 2nd, 2018 at 1:56 PM ^
Couldn't agree with you more here
January 2nd, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^
A debacle. One of the two worst Michigan offenses I've seen during my 30+ years of following the program. The other being the Nick Sheridan / Stephen Threat led squad. The numbers support the fact that this was a historic failure of a campaign.
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverin…
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