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Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh was brought in to help fix the Wolverines’ issues under former head coaches Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke. He was looked at as the savior of the program. A former starting quarterback taking over his alma mater, a Michigan man seemed like the perfect fit. After having success in the NFL with the San Fransisco 49ers, the door was open for him to take over the Michigan football team, and he took it.
People were expecting Big Ten championships, winning rivalry games against Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and, most importantly, Ohio State, along with College Football Playoff appearances and championships. While Harbaugh has been able to beat three of the four rivals, the championships haven’t come in.
Heading into the 2020 season, it was looked at as a rebuilding year for the program. A new starting quarterback in Joe Milton, four new offensive linemen, along with a defense that was trying to replace both of its starters at the cornerback position and with minor depth at the linebacker. The excuses were laid out, and it was understood that it could be a two to three-loss season.
That all disappeared after the big 49-24 win over Minnesota in the Big Ten Week One battle. Milton looked impressive, the offensive line seemed to be just as good as it was the year before, and the secondary was able to slow down the conference’s top wide receiver.
Today it was flipped upside down.
The 27-24 loss to Michigan State today is the biggest loss for Harbaugh at Michigan. Getting embarrassed in back-to-back seasons against Ohio State is a huge loss as well, but looking at his past, Harbaugh has lost to teams he should have lost too.
Today, there was no reason to lose to Michigan State.
Michigan was coming off a big win with almost everything clicking for them. Michigan State? A 38-27 loss to Rutgers, a team that has been known to be the worst in the Big Ten since joining in 2014, and they didn’t just lose to Rutgers; they turned the football over seven times.
Michigan came into the game as 22 point favorites, and with how they played the previous week, 22 points seemed to be too low. Michigan seemed to have the upper hand in almost every category. The quarterbacks were equal; Michigan had the better running game, receivers, and offensive line. The Wolverines had a better defensive line, linebackers but a worse secondary and worse special teams unit.
With all the signs pointing to a win, all Michigan had to do was go out and do it, but they couldn’t. Harbaugh didn’t lose this game due to a botched snap on a punt, and even with a younger roster, that can’t be the reason for the loss today. It was plain and simple; his team was outplayed in almost every category.
MSU was able to keep the pressure away from its quarterback in Rocky Lombardi. Its receivers were able to get separation and make big catches. The defensive line put pressure on Milton and slowed down the strong rushing attack that the Wolverines had the week before.
Harbaugh has no excuse for this loss. His team had better players at almost every position. His team had home-field advantage, though, with COVID-19, there isn’t much of one; still, it was a home game. His opponent in Michigan State was coming in off a huge loss and didn’t look like a formidable opponent.
The only way Harbaugh can redeem himself from this loss is if he and the Wolverines can take down Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State this season. That is a tall order after the loss today and something that most likely won’t happen at all. Winning games makes people forget about the losses, and being able to beat all three of those teams and finish 7-1 certainly makes everyone not in East Lansing forget what happened today.
How you lose games is important, but how you respond to losing games is something else. Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker was able to turn his team around completely after getting demolished the week before. Harbaugh needs to do the same, but at a higher level, if he wants to redeem himself from the loss he suffered today. If Harbaugh is the coach to take Michigan to the next level, this next game shows if he can do it or if he can’t.
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