Jim Harbaugh on approach to Rose Bowl one day out: 'The hay is never in the barn for us'
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Michigan Wolverines and Alabama Crimson Tide head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Nick Saban had a joint press conference on Sunday morning from the Sheraton Grand hotel in Downtown Los Angeles a little more than one day out from the Rose Bowl. Preparation has reached its clean-up stages, and both programs are just about ready to hit the field in Pasadena.
Harbaugh and Michigan enter the game as 1.5-point favorites, and he revealed Sunday morning what the College Football Playoff’s No. 1 seed has planned for the 24 hours leading up to kickoff.
“The hay is never in the barn for us,” Harbaugh said. “We never think of it that way. Things to clean
up, polishing the diamond as we like to say, make the most of this day. Tonight we’ll get together, watch a movie, talk to the team, different things like that. Kind of get the red blood pumping a little bit so you can visualize it. Then go to sleep and see how good of a night’s sleep you can get. Sometimes you do; sometimes you don’t. We really stressed a good night’s sleep last night. Kind of feel like that’s the sleep you play on. Got a darned good one last night. Anything tonight will just be a bonus.
“Wake up tomorrow, and everybody has their own approach to game day. JJ has one. Other guys have a different approach. Just going to have to go through our routine and then get to the stadium, and then it’s like new. You’re in a new setting, and it takes five or ten minutes to adjust. But at some point you’ve got to lock in and you’ve got to get the rhythm. Rhythm, get the rhythm, get the freaking rhythm, and then toe meets leather and it’s on. I never worry about our guys once the game starts because I know that they’re going to react and do what they do and do it really well. Yeah, can’t wait for that moment. Can’t wait to watch our guys compete in this game.”
Saban and the Crimson Tide have made a habit of making the College Football Playoff with its eighth appearance this year. Its experience and championship pedigree give it a bit of a leg up on Michigan, and Saban explained how he approaches things this close to game time.
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“I think one of the things I try and emphasize with our players is not only leading up to the game but the
whole bowl experience and the opportunities they have to do other things, is how important it is to stay committed to the task at hand,” Saban said. “Not that you can’t enjoy yourself when you do other things, other activities, but we really need to stay focused on what we came here for, especially each day in meetings, each day in practice. I think trying to create the right mindset in the last 48 hours leading up to the game, to really focus on execution, because we have a plan.
“Everybody has got accountability and a responsibility to do a job. Being able to focus on that, whether it’s in one reel when we watch a film or when we’re in a meeting, and what they think about when they’re on their own leading up to the game based on their ability to focus on what they need to do to execute and have good emotional discipline in how they approach doing their job. I think that’s one of the most important things. If we have to motivate guys to play in this game, it’s probably not a good thing. They should be pretty motivated. I think channeling the energy in the right direction is really, really important in games like this.”
Michigan and Alabama’s showdown in Pasadena kicks off at 5:10 p.m. ET on Jan. 1 from the Rose Bowl. The Wolverines are a 1.5-point favorite over the Crimson Tide. The winner heads to Houston on Jan. 8 for the national title game against either Texas or Washington.
