Jim Harbaugh shares message to ‘locker room of heroes’ after Fiesta Bowl loss

For the second straight season, the Michigan Wolverines were defeated in their semifinal matchup of the College Football Playoffs, falling to No. 3 TCU 51-45 on Saturday. Following the game, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was asked about his message to his team in the locker room following their heartbreaking, upset loss.

“Really proud of them, really proud of the fight,” Harbaugh said. “They’ve been a locker room of heroes all season, and standing there in front of them that’s who they are, that’s what they are.”

There’s no question that the Wolverines fought all season, putting together 13 straight wins and remaining unbeaten until their Fiesta Bowl loss to the Horned Frogs. On both sides of the ball Michigan had been dominant all year, ending the season with the No. 6 scoring offense and No. 5 scoring defense in the entire country, but that wasn’t enough on Saturday.

“I was super proud of them, that’s why don’t, you never give up, you never give in, never let up, you just keep playing the game one play at a time. I’m sure there’s a lot of analogies to life with that, they’re real, and our team continue’s to do that, done it all year and did it right up until the end, great season that ends one week early,” Harbaugh said.

The Wolverines got off to a slow start in the Fiesta Bowl, being held scoreless in the first quarter despite a 54-yard run on the first play of the game by running back Donovan Edwards that put Michigan on TCU’s 21-yard line. They went on to score just six points in the first half, but rallied in the third quarter with a 24-point scoring outburst.

Despite their impressive 39-point second half, the Wolverines dug themselves in too deep of the whole and could not recover and catch up to the Horned Frogs. For the second straight season, Michigan’s three turnovers were crucial in their College Football Playoff semifinal loss, magnified this season by two interceptions returned for touchdowns. The Wolverines’ defense, which was holding opponents to just 13.4 points per game, also struggled as they gave up the most points in a game since their 2019 loss to Ohio State.

It was a tough night to be a Wolverine, as Harbaugh and his locker room of heroes will now turn their attention to working towards making it back into the College Football Playoff next season.