Jim Harbaugh reacts to Ohio State win and returning to the field: 'I would say it's good to be back, but I never left'
The Michigan Wolverines are off to the Big Ten Championship game again with a date with the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday night in Indianapolis. It also marks the return of head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was suspended for the final three games of the regular season, which were victories over Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State.
Harbaugh watched Saturday’s 30-24 rivalry win over the Buckeyes at home and visited injured offensive lineman Zak Zinter, but returned to a very joyous facility on Sunday as preparations are made for this weekend’s title bout.
“There was quite a bit of enthusiasm today in Schembechler Hall,” Harbaugh said on a Big Ten teleconference Sunday afternoon. “I was able to meet with our coaches and tell them how proud I was of them. A few of the players stopped by and I can’t thank them all enough for the effort. Really have to praise them all. If you praise one, you really have to give praise and credit to all who contributed. So many players, so many coaches. especially Sherrone Moore, I do have to single him out.
“There’s not a thing I would have changed in the way he called that game and the decisions that he in that kind of environment and that kind of pressure, Huge shout out to Sherrone and all the coaches and all the players. It’s just ringing so loud and clear – ‘The team, the team, the team.’ Very proud of them.”
Moore’s playcalling throughout the year has been aggressive and has taken advantage of what defenses have given them. But Michigan’s offense had taken a bit of a conservative look over the last few weeks with Moore handling head coaching duties.
On Saturday, the spark and the creativity returned just in time for the Buckeyes.
“It’s one of Sherrone’s best and he’s had some really good ones in terms of calling the plays,” Harbaugh said. “The emphasis all week was that we wanted to be creative. We felt Ohio State was very good defensively. This is to me the best Ohio State team we’ve played against the run. They haven’t given up very many big plays at all.
“We were able to get some explosive plays, but we knew we were going to have to be creative to get them. Just about everyone, except for maybe two plays, he got all the creative plays off the call sheet and ran them. And then they were executed beautifully and timely.
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“Also very aggressive in the fourth down calls. The offense was physical, they were aggressive, But they weren’t going to be denied. I know that Sherrone believed in them and it reflected in the way he called the game.”
This week is about competing for another championship, and Harbaugh will be back manning the Michigan sidelines. However, it’s not like he ever way away from the program. He could not coach on Saturdays, but all of that is in the past now as Michigan gears back up for a national title run.
“My focus has been with the team the entire time,” Harbaugh said. “It’s been a tremendous season. We’re right in the exact position that we hoped for and that we worked so hard to be in and now it’s onward. We’ve accomplished many of our goals, but not all of them yet.
“Some still are out there. Beating Michigan State, beating Penn State, beating Ohio State, winning the Big Ten East. Now the next is winning the conference championship. And that’s where our focus is. I would say it’s good to be back, but I never left.”
