The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1444545
FEBRUARY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 19 But the Michigan coach wasn't hav- ing any of it. He was still thinking about the positives from a Big Ten title season, and he didn't want his team disparaged. "Our ballclub was in position to do it, and we weren't able to get it done," Harbaugh said. "But it's always building and attacking at the same time. "It was a great season. To me, it's one of the best seasons in Michigan football, and we were trying to make it greater tonight. It's still a beginning for this team. It's where it began last year, and it'll begin anew this year." And what a year it was. It started with an impressive win over Western Michigan, a team that would beat ACC champion Pitt a few weeks later. Experts billed a night game with Washington as one of the better non-conference games of the year, but it was a no contest. The Huskies weren't as good as ex- pected, and Michigan exerted its will on the ground — 343 yards rushing, in- cluding 171 from freshman Blake Co- rum and 155 from redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins — in establishing what would become the offense's identity. Gone was offensive coordinator Josh Gattis' "speed in space" approach. In- stead, Harbaugh got back to his identity, one he excelled with at Stanford and in San Francisco in the NFL. The coaches knew going into the sea- son the running backs and offensive line were a potential strength. They played to it, and it won them a Big Ten title. "I love this team," Harbaugh said after Michigan crushed Iowa, 42-3, in the con- ference championship game. "There's no team I love more than this team. "It's the same qualities — I think back to the [University of San Diego] team we had in 2005 and 2006; the Stanford teams in 2009, 2010; and the 49ers teams in '11, '12 and '13. It's just the way they approach it. They give it their best every day." They all had one simple thing in com- mon, the coach continued. "There are a thousand other little things that go into it, but when you're around a group of guys and you watch them making sure that they give it their best, their very best … every single day," he said. They just happened to run into a buzz saw in the playoff. Georgia, coming off a 41-27 loss to Alabama in the SEC cham- pionship game, earned the No. 3 seed to Michigan's No. 2 and entered as a 7.5-point favorite. The Bulldogs scored on their first five drives to open a 27-3 halftime lead and never looked back. The Wolverines turned the ball over three times, including two intercep- tions from usually dependable redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara, and never got the run game going. They managed only 91 yards rushing, led by Haskins' 39. "I think obviously it's very disap- pointing right now," McNamara said. "We gave everything we had, and we got beat tonight. "But I think once we give it a little time, we'll be able to appreciate a lot of the great things we were able to accom- plish this season, but after a loss you're obviously going to take it hard, and we're a competitive group. But that's not going to take away from the great things that we did this season, as well." TOO MUCH IN THE TRENCHES It got away quickly, too. Michigan didn't play its best game, while Georgia came out of the gate with something to prove. The Bulldogs were the better team in the trenches on both sides of the ball — by a long shot — and were on a mission for a rematch with Alabama, an easy winner over Cincinnati in the first semifinal game. Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns, 234 and two touchdowns in the first half alone. Georgia called off the dogs in the second and cruised to the 34-11 win. The Bulldogs finished 10 for 16 on third down and held the ball for 34:15 while dominating up front. Despite the loss, star Aidan Hutchin- son refused to look at it as SEC superior- ity winning out again, noting it had noth- ing to do with a conference but a team. Harbaugh agreed. The Wolverines didn't play their best game, but they simply got beat by a better squad. "They did a very good job early in the game, first half especially, of extending drives. They were able to bleed out yards on the perimeter with some of the bubbles and swing routes," Harbaugh lamented. "Then they hit the big play. They got the swing route early to [tight end] Brock Bowers — that was big — and we lost the ball in the lights on the deep throw. "They were able to bleed out the yards and pick up the first downs. I thought they were really effective, and … they must have had eight or nine third-and- Head coach Jim Harbaugh "It was a great season. To me, it's one of the best seasons in Michigan football. … It's still a beginning for this team."