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Wolverine TV: Jim Harbaugh talks 'phenomenal' Michigan defense, J.J. McCarthy, Rutgers, more

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•09/18/23•

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Jim Harbaugh
(Photo by Clayton Sayfie / TheWolverine.com)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines football head coach Jim Harbaugh met with the media Monday afternoon for his weekly press conference ahead of his team’s game against Rutgers to open the Big Ten season. Watch video of Harbaugh in the player at the top of the screen.

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Harbaugh said that if someone sees him today and asks why he looks busy or out of breath, that it’s because of how much he has on his plate — “and it’s all positive,” the Michigan head coach added. He’s implementing some ideas from what he saw watching on television the first three games now that he’s back on the sideline against the Scarlet Knights this weekend.

“You watch the game, and so many feelings of, ‘Hey, just win. Just win the game,'” Harbaugh said. “As I’m watching that, like, by one point — by one point! — is what we’re really after. And, don’t know if — watching it from the perspective I had, maybe there’s been too much put on the players in terms of, they’ve gotta win by 40 points or 30 points. Twenty five points — that’s a lot. And make sure our team knows that, that our goal is to win the game.”

Added the Michigan coach: “The next is that — and you pray for this and you hope for this — that you come out of the game with no injuries. And then it’s where you start to get greedy. I want the defense to be the best, I want the offense to be the best, I want the special teams to be the best. Then I get even more greedy. I want each position group to be the best and each individual player to be the best. That’s what we want. That’s where we want to be. That’s what we want to be about. So we’re going to chase that, we’re going to keep chasing that perfection.”

Michigan is a perfect 3-0 so far this season, with wins over East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green. The Wolverines are now set to enter the meet of their schedule with Big Ten play now here. The Scarlet Knights and Wolverines will kick off at noon ET Saturday at The Big House for Michigan’s homecoming. Then the Maize and Blue will be on the road two straight weeks — at Nebraska Sept. 30 and Minnesota Oct. 7.

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