Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said he was excited to see his team compete in Columbus Saturday against Ohio State.
He didn’t say much more — and that was expected.
Fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich and grad senior running back Berkley Edwards had the ‘best possible outcomes’ after x-rays and cat scans were taken following injuries last Saturday. Harbaugh wouldn’t say if Winovich would play against the Buckeyes, only that he’d continue to be evaluated every day, but Winovich has been tweeting as though he’d play.
“It’s been at a most valuable player level,” Harbaugh said of Winovich’s contribution this year. “He’s had a great year.”
They need him on the field to help combat OSU’s explosive passing game, led by quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
“It’s really good,” Harbaugh said. “They have a very good quarterback, get the ball to all parts of the field, have playmakers at all the eligible positions. They do a great job protecting. The quarterback does a great job getting the ball to multiple people in the passing game.
“They do a great job scoring points. Along with the passing game, they’ve got a really effective running game, as well … talented players and good schemes. Really good execution.”
He wouldn’t talk about his guarantee before the 1986 game in Columbus when he quarterbacked the Wolverines to a 26-24 victory. He didn't bite when asked if everything they’d accomplished this year (nine straight wins after a loss at Notre Dame, a No. 4 ranking) would be undone by a loss at OSU, and only said “of course not!” when asked if this was just another game on the schedule.
"It’s what it always has meant, does mean now and always will,” he said. “A big game. It’s the big game. They’ve even got a name for it. The Game.”
He told a Columbus reporter trying to bait him (there’s always one) in response to a “revenge tour” question that players do plenty to motivate themselves and that anger is a powerful motivator.
And asked whether they were more motivated than ever given what’s at stake and given how long it’s been since they’ve won this game, he chose to focus on what has made this group so good.
“Just a good ball team,” he said. “I think of it like any good ball team you’ve ever been on, whether it was little league, college or a pro team. Guys from the neighborhood playing together, enjoying each other’s company.
“Probably the most profound thing is how they talk about each other. If you are complimenting one of our players, they are very quick to move the spotlight off them and on to another position group or another player. I think that speaks volumes. It’s a close-knit team.”
As for pressure … there’s always pressure to win every game at Michigan. This one will be no different.
“I always look at pressure as life giving energy. So yeah, sure [there’s more for this game],” he said. “I’m fired up about it. I can’t wait to watch our guys compete.”
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine, @DrewCHallett and @Qb9Adam.
• Like us on Facebook
