Tag: Jim Harbaugh

Jim Harbaugh reacts to questionable penalty called on Tarik Black vs. MSU

It was a weird moment in the Wolverines’ win over MSU on Saturday, and Jim Harbaugh was rather animated discussing it.

[jwplayer EZymdmas-XNcErKyb]

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It was a weird moment in the game on Saturday.

Michigan wideout Tarik Black got his sole reception, a 27-yard catch with MSU back Josh Butler draped all over him. As the play ended, a flag came out, and it assuredly looked to be a defensive pass interference call that would be declined by the Wolverines.

Instead, it was called a catch, with an assessed 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Black, with the note that he was taunting.

What did Black do to deserve the call? Well, he turned and flexed.

Wait, what?

On Monday, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was rather animated discussing the penalty, noting that it wasn’t really anything close to egregious.

“We have a question in on it right now,” Harbaugh said. “But it’s a good question. I think he just flexed one. It should probably be spelled out. I watch a lot of TV, watch a lot of football games, and I see a lot of gestures. I remember that (cutting your throat) being something you couldn’t do. Be a good thing to talk about.”

“Curious to know as well. Emphasis not made at a player. Tarik’s wasn’t at a player, an opposing player. Be good to get some clarity.”

For now, Michigan will move on with two games left — a road game against the 7-3 Indiana Hoosiers and the final contest against arch-rival Ohio State.

Watch the video above to see Harbaugh’s must-see animated discussion of the penalty.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1361]

Updates: Michigan Jim Harbaugh press conference (Week Thirteen – Indiana)

The Wolverines head coach is set to meet with the media to preview the final road contest of the season against the Hoosiers.

[jwplayer jdLosHRa-XNcErKyb]

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Fresh off a 44-10 drubbing of in-state rival MSU, the Wolverines have no time to rest, with a 7-3 Indiana game on the docket.

The Hoosiers always play Michigan tough, especially in Bloomington, with the last two contests going to overtime. But the maize and blue have to be very wary this time around, with arch rival Ohio State up the following week, leaving little room for error.

WolverinesWire’s Isaiah Hole is on the ground, and will bring you LIVE updates starting at 12PM EST.

[spotim-liveblog event-code=”PFnJjwSlHsUeYHnQNRge”]

Michigan’s 44-10 win biggest in Mark Dantonio era

Michigan football beat Michigan State 44-10 this week in the worst loss Mark Dantonio ever had against the Wolverines.

[jwplayer FB3igr7O-XNcErKyb]

Since arriving in East Lansing in 2007, Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio has had Michigan football struggling to take him down. Dantonio is 8-5 against the Wolverines with a four-game winning streak lasting from 2008-2011 and a three-game win streak from 2013-2015.

Since Michigan has hired Jim Harbaugh as their head coach though, Dantonio is 2-3 against Michigan and in their game yesterday, it was the worst performance Dantonio has ever had against the Wolverines. Michigan won the game 44-10, and the 34 point win was the biggest against MSU since Michigan won by 46 in 2002 when they won 49-3. The worst loss before yesterday’s under Dantonio? 2018 when Michigan won 21-7.

Michigan didn’t just score more points than they ever have against Dantonio, they set all types of records against Dantonio and his MSU teams. Since Dantonio was brought in as the head coach, Michigan hasn’t had an offensive explosion like they did this yesterday.

It was a complete domination by the Wolverines yesterday and one that they will never forget. It might even be the last game they ever play against Dantonio depending on what happens after the season as MSU is 4-6 this season with two games left to play. Their bowl chances look slim as they have to win out against Rutgers and Maryland to finish the season 6-6. In his past four seasons, Dantonio is 24-24 with his best season being in 2017 when MSU went 10-3 and won the Holiday Bowl.

If this is his last season at MSU, Dantonio is walking out with a huge loss to Michigan, never getting his revenge from the beatdown. If Dantonio does return for the 2020 season, he will be looking for his revenge but it won’t be easy as the Wolverines seem to have finally figured out their offense and another year under it could be dangerous for their opponents next season.

Contact/Follow @WolverinesWire/ @BKnappBlogs

Michigan’s native-sons ball out against rival Spartans

On Saturday against the Spartans, Michigan got its best performances of the day from the players native to the state.

[jwplayer FB3igr7O-XNcErKyb]

The ‘Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy’ may not have the historical significance of ‘The Game’ at the end of November, but Michigan’s in-state rivalry provides something the matchup with Ohio State does not.

On Saturday, the Wolverines fielded 44 players native to the state of Michigan, while the Spartans fielded an additional 48. Many of these players have competed with or against one another throughout their years playing football.

Saturday in Ann Arbor, the Michigan natives sporting maize and blue out-performed their brothers donning green and white, and many of the biggest plays of the game came from those Wolverines who grew up watching and living this rivalry.

It started with Michigan State’s first possession. After forcing a punt, the Spartans crossed midfield and faced a third-and-3 from the Wolverines’ 38-yard line. Michigan’s Michael Danna, from Detroit, sacked Spartan quarterback Brian Lewerke, ending the scoring threat.

Danna would finish the game with six tackles, including the sack and tackle for loss.

Michigan carried a 17-7 lead into halftime, but with the Spartans receiving the second-half kick, the outcome was still very much in doubt. That began to turn when Detroit-native Ambry Thomas picked off Lewerke to set the Wolverines up with great field position.

Michigan capitalized four plays later when Donovan Peoples-Jones – another Detroit native – scored from 18 yards out to extend the lead to 24-7.

“He’s got the ability to elude and also out-run people,” said head coach Jim Harbaugh. “Good to see him getting the ball and making those type of plays, and finishing in the endzone.”

Thomas would finish with six tackles and a tackle for loss to go along with his interception. Peoples-Jones had four catches for 48 yards.

Asked what it was like seeing players from Detroit making plays in this game, Peoples-Jones smiled.

“It means a lot. I can’t even describe it in words,” he said. “It’s a big game, big-time opportunities out there and we came out and…didn’t make the most out of our opportunities but made plays when they needed to be made.”

Later in the third quarter – after Michigan State closed to within 14 points – Wolverine kicker Quinn Nordin, from Rockford, connected on a 49-yard field goal attempt to extend Michigan’s lead back to three possessions, 27-10.

“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Quinn,” Harbaugh said. “He comes in, hits a 49-yarder from the right hash. He told me when I was recruiting him that someday he was going to kick a 49-yarder from the right hash to beat Michigan State. So, that was kind of a cool moment. After he kicked that one, I walked out there and reminded him of that. It was a big kick at that point in the game.”

The Detroit natives weren’t done, and next it was Lavert Hill’s turn. He intercepted Lewerke early in the fourth quarter, setting up a drive that would end with Nordin connecting on his third field goal of the game to make it 37-10.

“That was a big moment for us,” said defensive captain Khaleke Hudson. “Just being able to get the ball back for our offense and give us a chance to put even more points on the board.”

In addition to the interception, Hill broke up another pass attempt and made a tackle.

“It was great,” Josh Metellus said. “Ambry got the pick first, and he’s from Detroit and the Michigan [State] rivalry is really big to him. It’s also big to Vert, and when Vert got his pick, you could just feel the intensity. You could feel it through him, and the vibe that he had just went throughout the whole stadium. From the field, to the fans, to the top row – whatever you want to call it. You could just that this team knew what we did today.”

Rivalry games are the lifeblood of college football. Wins in these games can breathe life into a program, while simultaneously sucking it out of the program on the other side.

On Saturday, in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines who grew up calling this state home led the way against their hated rivals from East Lansing.

“We just came out here and played a physical game,” Peoples-Jones said. “It was obviously a rivalry game, the tension was up a little bit, and everybody wants to make a play. Everybody wants to make a play for the team. I feel that’s what everybody, individually, wanted to do for our team.”

Patterson shatters Tom Brady’s passing yard record vs. MSU

It was a prolific performance against a rival, and there are some things about it that fans might not have known.

[jwplayer A3qs8Nwq-XNcErKyb]

On Saturday afternoon, Shea Patterson played the best game of his Michigan career in one of his most important games as a Wolverine – with hated rival Michigan State in Ann Arbor.

The senior completed 24-of-33 passes for 384 yards, shattering Tom Brady’s prior record for most passing yards against the Spartans. Of those 24 completions, 14 went for at least 15 yards.

“We can start with Shea,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said when asked about players who impressed him in the win. “Getting the ball to nine different receivers. Somebody told me he broke a record for the most passing yards by a Michigan quarterback in a Michigan State game – 384, and the old record was 285 by Tom Brady. [He broke the record] by 99 yards. I’d call that a whale of a game. That’s a heck of a game by the kid.”

Patterson played the whole game for the Wolverines, including the final snap where he took a knee to conclude a 44-10 beatdown of Michigan State.

“I told him before he went out there to take that snap, ‘This year, after you take the kneel down, keep the ball and don’t throw it up into the air,’” Harbaugh said with a smile. “Because he had a heck of a game, and I thought he should have the game ball.

“Then he said, “I have another plan.’ And I said, ‘What?’ and he said, ‘You’ll see.’ He came over and gave me the ball, and that was neat. But, I went back into the locker room and it’s now in his book bag. I shoved it back in his backpack. He had a great game. That’s just a great game by a quarterback. It was a real gem.”

In addition to the passing yard record versus MSU, the 384 yards was the first time Patterson reached 300 passing yards in a Michigan uniform. The senior’s four touchdown passes against the Spartans were also a new high as a Wolverine.

“The O-line did a heck of a job of giving me time and the receivers just found the open space,” Patterson said. “We had a good gameplan all week. We had an extra bye week to prepare and really diagnose what they do on defense. I just thought we had a good gameplan. The plan wasn’t to pass the ball all game, but our guys were getting into open space and making plays.”

The quarterback’s play drew praise from his teammates in addition to his head coach. Junior wide receiver said Patterson brought something extra to practice this week ahead of the rivalry contest.

“He just brought a different type of passion today,” Peoples-Jones said. “He’s always passionate, but today, the whole team, it means a little bit more. All throughout the week, I could see it in practice, he was confident with his reads, confident with his throws and he trusted us. He trusted the gameplan, and we all trusted each other. We came out victorious and it feels really good.”

Following the game, as Patterson was conducting an on-field interview with Fox Sports’ Jenny Taft, defensive captain Khaleke Hudson brought the coveted Paul Bunyan trophy over to Patterson to celebrate.

“I was going towards the M, and I saw Shea doing an interview with Fox I believe,” Hudson said. “I just wanted to give him a chance to take it all in, give him a chance to see the Paul Bunyan trophy, and give him a chance to celebrate with us.”

Patterson appreciated the moment.

“Usually it’s kind of the other way around,” he said. “Usually the defense is the one being thanked and everything.”

But on Saturday, it was a total combined effort of offense, defense and special teams, and Hudson enjoyed watching Michigan’s offense more than hold up their end.

“Shea was throwing the ball, putting it in the right place,” Hudson said. “The receivers were blocking, they were catching the balls, and the offensive line was playing their tails off also with the running backs. So, I’m very proud of them guys today. I’m very proud of how they played, how they executed and I just want them guys to keep up this energy.”

Saturday’s showdown in Ann Arbor was Patterson’s final opportunity to play against the Spartans, and the senior put on a performance that he’ll remember for a long time.

“Just wish I had two more shots at them,” Patterson said. “I wish I could’ve started here and gotten four shots at them, but…it was a lot of fun today.

“This one’s special. I’m proud to just be a part of this team and part of a win like that, a dominant win like that. We knew how important this game was, and we prepared our tails off.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1361]

Michigan’s 44-10 win over MSU a glimpse into future of rivalry

Michigan football took down MSU 44-10 on Saturday. With how Michigan played and how MSU is right now, a trend could start in this series.

[jwplayer 6OhDOF2d-XNcErKyb]

Ann Arbor, MI —When Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh as their next head coach for the football program, he was brought in to help rebuild the Wolverines. One of the things that were expected out of him from fans was to start beating Michigan State and regain control of the rivalry.

The two previous Michigan football head coaches were 1-7 against MSU and suddenly it became a daunting task to try and upset the Spartans every season. It started out rough in 2015 as Michigan had the game won and all they had to do was punt the football away and possibly defend one more pass. We all know what happened then, a fumble that would be recovered by MSU and scored for a touchdown to win the game.

Harbaugh would get his first win against MSU in 2016 as Michigan won the game 32-23. 2017 a tsunami landed in Ann Arbor, as Michigan lost 14-10 in the rain-filled game that caused multiple turnovers for the team and Harbaugh was outcoached by MSU head coach Mark Dantonio. 2018 we saw a defensive battle where Michigan held MSU to just 94 yards of offense and won the game 21-7.

2019 was projected to be a Michigan win as the Spartans were on a downward trend, but the win was bigger than anyone expected, as Michigan won 44-10. The feeling after this game was different than the 2016 and 2018 victories.

The game wasn’t close like those two were, and MSU had a worse team in 2016 and a better team in 2018. MSU is having some issues on their side of the field, with multiple players transferring from the program, their winningest head coach in school history Dantonio being questioned as if he should be the head coach next year, and they have multiple seniors graduating.

MSU is going through its own rebuilding phase, and whether it is with Dantonio or not this team isn’t going to flip the script on this season and come out undefeated in 2020. If they are somehow able to, then kudos to Dantonio or whoever is the coach next season.

While MSU is in the mix of trying to rebuild its football program, Michigan is reloading at multiple positions despite seniors leaving after this year. Their head coach isn’t going anywhere, and players aren’t transferring out of Ann Arbor left and right.

Michigan’s victory today could be a glimpse of what the future holds of this rivalry between the two Michigan schools. Harbaugh is now 3-2 against MSU and he doesn’t plan on that slowing down anytime soon. Michigan has improved since the beginning of the year, and if they can keep the success they have this year into next and so on and so forth, this could be another long winning streak for the Wolverines.

While Harbaugh has his coaching staff and players, Dantonio is losing his players to other schools, and his coaching staff could be shaken up after this season and that includes Dantonio. How MSU is right now is how Michigan was in 2008.

This win wasn’t just a close win against a rival, it was a beatdown. A message was sent in this game. Harbaugh didn’t just show MSU that they weren’t winning this game, he was showing them to get used to this feeling because it’s going to last a long time as long as he’s around Ann Arbor.

Michigan has regained control of the rivalry between the two schools, and they don’t plan on giving the reigns back to MSU anytime soon. This two-game winning streak could extend for a while as long as Harbaugh is the head coach at Michigan.

Contact/Follow @WolverinesWire/ @BKnappBlogs

Updates: Jim Harbaugh MSU postgame press conference

What the Wolverines head coach had to say after Michigan’s game against in-state rival Michigan State.

[jwplayer UuzdrdJQ-XNcErKyb]

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan absolutely annihilated in-state rival MSU, 44-10, to win its second-straight in the series.

WolverinesWire’s Isaiah Hole is live at Crisler Center for Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s postgame press conference.

[spotim-liveblog event-code=”Paii5BXuzIzcd3SDDSrA”]

5 Takeaways from Michigan’s 44-10 win against Michigan State

Michigan football destroyed Michigan State today 44-10. What are the main five takeaways from the Wolverine’s big rivalry win over MSU?

[jwplayer WkW4wGK2-XNcErKyb]

Ann Arbor, MI — After a bye week Michigan came into this game against Michigan State refreshed and ready to go. They didn’t play like it though to start the game as within the first five minutes the Wolverines had three penalties called on them. Michigan soon figured out the MSU offense and calmed themselves down to dismantle MSU, winning 44-10.

The offense had themselves a good day against a top 25 defense in MSU as quarterback Shea Patterson seemed to be insulted that MSU took the lead at first 7-0. He looked really well today as the offense was executing on all cylinders and the defense was able to force MSU to air it out as the running game wasn’t working for them.

Check out my five takeaways from the big Michigan victory in the annual in-state rivalry game.

1. The offense has finally bought into Speed in Space

To begin the season we saw some different plays from the Wolverines offense, but nothing was notable as a big change. There was more RPO involved, but nothing that looked like this was a different style of offense. Then after some poor execution, it seemed like Michigan was reverting back to last year’s offense where it was run-heavy.

Ever since the second half against Penn State, Michigan has seemed to have adjusted their offense to the kind offensive coordinator Josh Gattis wanted to have when arriving in Ann Arbor. Today against MSU, we saw the offense look really different and knock out some solid plays against a top 25 defense in MSU, putting up 467 total offensive yards.

Patterson has been playing some good football lately and today was another solid performance by the senior, going 24/33 for 384 yards and four touchdowns. He has transformed as the season progressed as his fumbling issues are behind him, along with the nagging injuries. Patterson has finally been looking like his old self from last season. This was his first-ever 300+ yard passing game at Michigan, something people were expecting out of him this season.

2. The Kicker battle is over

The season-long battle at kicker between Quinn Nordin and Jake Moody seems to have finally finished. While the position started with a rotation between the two kickers, it would then move to Moody having the job for two games straight. After going 1-3 on field goals against Penn State, Notre Dame, and Maryland though, the job looked to be back open as Nordin finished the Maryland game as the kicker and was 2-2.

During the bye week, a big question would be if the rotation would return or if Nordin was able to pull ahead over Moody due to his recent struggles. That question was answered in the first half as Nordin was out for both extra-point attempts and he was the kicker for the 28-yard field goal attempt, which he made.

It seems like Nordin is now the Michigan kicker for the rest of the season unless he starts to struggle, then Moody could be put back in. Nordin finished the game going 3/3 on field goals, his longest from 49 yards out along with being 5/5 on extra-point attempts.

3. Ronnie Bell looks like the number one wide receiver

Despite receiving a lot of unneeded hate after dropping the game-tying touchdown against Penn State, wide receiver Ronnie Bell has exploded onto the scene as a clear number one receiver in this offense this season. All the talk before the season was about the trio of Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins, and Tarik Black at wide receiver. There was the chatter of Bell having an impact, but nobody expected this kind of result.

Today against MSU, Bell led the team in catches and receiving yards, finishing with nine for 150 yards. So far this season, Bell has 35 catches for 610 yards and while those numbers aren’t earth-shattering they are still impressive for a player who was looked at like the number four option heading into the season.

This offense uses the speed of the wide receivers effectively and Bell is possibly the fastest wide receiver on the team. Collins is a big man, and Black and Peoples-Jones are quick but don’t have the type of separation that Bell can have. 2020 with these four wide receivers could be really special as the team seems to have grasped the offense Gattis has tried to implement.

4. Jim Harbaugh finally gets back-to-back wins over Michigan State

For the first time since 2006-2007, Michigan has won back-to-back games against MSU. From 2008-2011 MSU went on a four-game winning streak. Michigan got a win in 2012, but then MSU went on a three-game win streak from 2013-2015. Since 2015 when Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh arrived in Ann Arbor, the away team has won each game and neither team won back-to-back games.

That changes this year and now Harbaugh has a winning record over the Spartans as he is 3-2 in this rivalry game. Fans were tired of being beaten by MSU and Harbaugh was brought in to regain control of the rivalry, along with the Ohio State one but that hasn’t been done yet.

MSU is in rough shape for their future, with multiple players transferring, multiple seniors graduating and with their head coach Mark Dantonio on the hot seat possibly, Michigan might be in the driver seat with this rivalry for the next few years. This two-game winning streak could be the beginning of another long one for the Wolverines.

5. While it wasn’t 94 yards, Michigan’s defense contained MSU’s offense

Last year, the big talk after the game besides the pre-game antics by both teams, was how the Michigan defense held MSU to just 94 yards of offense. MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke didn’t play well at all and seemed to be playing injured. This year Lewerke was healthy and despite him playing better, MSU wasn’t able to move the chains besides on two drives against the Wolverines.

Lewerke finished the game going 17/30 for 166 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, along with 13 carries for 12 yards. The rushing attack for MSU couldn’t get the ball moving either, as the team finished with 54 rushing yards on 30 carries. The defense also blocked a punt in the fourth quarter from linebacker Khaleke Hudson to help set up a touchdown from Patterson to Collins to put Michigan up 34-10.

Michigan overall held MSU to 220 yards of offense and while that isn’t overly impressive, the two interceptions and the blocked punt were huge as they gave Michigan more time with the football. The defense did allow two solid drives by the Spartans, but on the second one, the Wolverines didn’t break as they held MSU to a field goal. After Michigan figured out the MSU offense after the touchdown, they were able to contain it for a majority of the game.

Contact/Follow @WolverinesWire/ @BKnappBlogs

What Michigan State is saying about Michigan before their matchup

Michigan football takes on Michigan State this week, check out what the Spartan’s have been saying about the Wolverines before Saturday.

[jwplayer UuzdrdJQ-XNcErKyb]

Last year before the Michigan vs. Michigan State game, MSU had its players walk together with their arms locked down the field, and an altercation happened between them and former Michigan linebacker Devin Bush, and current linebacker Josh Uche as MSU head coach Mark Dantonio was seen smiling as it happened.

There was lots of talk after the game about the incident and both sides took jabs at one another. This year though, the talk has been quiet and quite respectful from both ends. Dantonio even said Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was a Hall of Fame football coach. While Harbaugh praised Dantonio with his way of motivating players.

Besides saying Harbaugh is a Hall of Fame head coach, Dantonio had more to say about him and the Michigan football team.

“I think he does a great job,” Dantonio said. “I think he’s truly committed to every single play on the football field. He’s going to think outside the box. … You have seen him do different things in the past that create adjustments for you, and then you’re going to have to adjust within that football game. Is extremely competitive, intense. But you know, I think most coaches are.”

There hasn’t been much trash talk between the two schools this year, as both schools seem to want to move on from last year’s antics.

“I’ve chosen just to try and be respectful towards the rivalry and I sort of take the high road,” Dantonio said. “And, I think our players have tried to do that, as well. I’m sure there’s something going on always, but that’s the nature of this game a little bit too.”

Dantonio knows how intense the rivalry is between the two schools and how much the Spartans build it up in East Lansing.

“You’re going to compete against them in everything that we do, whether it’s recruits in the state or everything on the field, or on the basketball court or whatever it is, the hockey rink,” Dantonio said. “It’s the way this is built here.”

The players even know it as safety David Dowell added to what Dantonio had to say about the Wolverines.

“The one thing we talk about, even in the offseason, is do something every day to beat Michigan,” Dowell said.

Quarterback Brian Lewerke also spoke about the Wolverines as he’s played them three times already, and has been on both sides of the spectrum.

“Every game has had its ups and downs,” Lewerke said. “We’ve had games where we played well and games where we played bad and you kind of take what each gives you, I guess, and try and play well every time you go into the game.”

“It probably wasn’t until the first time I played back in ’16,” Lewerke said. “In ’15 I wasn’t part of that crazy game. I didn’t travel and didn’t really play in it, so I wasn’t really quite sure yet. But the first time you get game experience, that’s when it really hits you.”

Lewerke wants to finish his career with a winning record against Michigan, as he is 2-2 during his time in East Lansing.

“Obviously, a win would be incredible,” Lewerke said. “I’m sure that’s what everyone in our senior class would say coming into the last one. So that’s what we want to be able to do is get a win.”

Michigan takes on Michigan State at noon on Saturday in Ann Arbor and the game will be broadcasted on FOX.

Contact/Follow @WolverinesWire/ @BKnappBlogs