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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Steady as she goes is a good message when things are going well. When they’re not? Well, that’s a different concern, altogether.
After Saturday’s brutal loss to Wisconsin, Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh said that he would put the program under a full re-evaluation, given not only how lopsided the game was, but that the Wolverines are on a three-game losing streak.
On Monday, he had no specifics as to what he found some 36 hours later, but he shared he’s been hard at work trying to right the ship.
“Been doing a lot,” Harbaugh said. “Working on football, some sleep, but just working on our team. Players come back today and ready to get after it.”
One of the primary insistences from fans in these past three weeks is that something doesn’t look right, the energy seems to be down on the team. Though it’s shown to pick back up from time to time, many have criticized what sometimes appears to be a lackluster effort.
That’s not how Harbaugh sees it, as he believes that the effort was there, but the execution is not.
“I think our guys were really engaged, really played hard,” Harbaugh said. “And weren’t successful. I can’t say that (the energy) was missing. Of course, can’t argue that anything that we did was good either. Can’t make that argument either. But that’s the approach, you’re asking what the approach is, that’s the approach.”
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For the bulk of his near-20 minutes with the media, however, Harbaugh reestablished over and over again how engaged he is, how excited he is to get back to work. He remained not just positive, but strongly upbeat, especially compared to the somber, morose attitude that followed the loss on Saturday.
Somewhat echoing a parable from former Michigan offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Tim Drevno when the offense and OL was struggling, Harbaugh remains focused on staying the course more so than committing to wholesale changes.
“It’s a faith in each individual player, each individual coach and collectively as a team, keep pushing, you’re gonna find a way,” Harbaugh said. “You’re gonna find what works, you’re gonna break through. I think there’s so many athletes have realized that greatness in athletic performance, in sports, a lot of areas in life isn’t perfection, it’s overcoming adversity, obstacles. That’s what we’re striving for.”
He continued, speaking of evaluating the coaching: “I feel what we got in place is good. I’m always looking at all aspects.”
It’s imperative to note he’s not denying Michigan’s struggles — he’s admitting them. But as far as answers he has towards returning the Wolverines to their winning ways, he’s short — at least when it comes to divulging his findings or insight.
Ultimately, Harbaugh wants to go back, find what Michigan is actually doing well to focus on that. Part of doing that starts with finding what Michigan isn’t doing so well and eliminating those issues.
“As I said on Saturday, I think I named a lot of things we didn’t do well,” Harbaugh said. “You go forward and you assess what things to address. maybe what to add, what to really start back to basics. All those different ways. It’s not one, it’s what and where. Those are things we’ve been doing in all areas. Offense and defense and — our special teams are performing well. Build on the positives of each of those units. Extremely good play by individuals and units at times, so build on those things and believe in ourselves that we’ll find a way.”
The Wolverines next opportunity to turn things around comes on the road at Rutgers, which will kick off at 7:30 p.m. EST in Piscataway. The game will be broadcast on BTN.