Michigan’s Harbaugh happy how his team has handled win over Ohio State

INDIANAPOLIS -- A year ago, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh drew some snickers — and worse, sarcastic tweets — when he said the Wolverines were going to beat Ohio State and win the Big Ten for the first time in his tenure or die trying.

Back at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis on Tuesday, he was instead asked what Michigan is doing to beat down the Buckeyes again.

“We’re just going to continue to attack,” Harbaugh said. “That’s what I really love about this team. They really literally attack everything that’s put in front of them.”

Another theme of last year’s media days was multiple Michigan players openly discussing how they had started to focus more on Ohio State in their offseason work, a tactic the Buckeyes have used to their advantage for two decades to gain the upper hand against their ancient foe.

Harbaugh said to expect that to continue in Ann Arbor after the 42-27 Michigan victory last November produced proof of concept.

“It’s been a really good continuation from last year’s team,” Harbaugh said. “I think some of it, players that were on the team, they put in that work, they know what it was like — That good feeling of taking care of your business and having that success and being rewarded for it.

“They also saw other players on the team, guys like Aidan Hutchinson, Hassan Haskins, David Ojabo, who put in that work and how much it paid off for them.”

After having standout seasons, that trio all heard their names called in the NFL Draft in April.

The Wolverines will have to replace them as well as a handful of other starters, but Harbaugh hinted motivation shouldn’t be hard even though his team is now on top of the mountain instead of perpetually climbing it.

“Using your head, using your noodle, it’s pretty easy to think, ‘Yeah, I want to do it just like they did it. I want to be where they are now,’” Harbaugh said. “It’s been a continuation of that this entire offseason. Just been tremendous.”

About the Author