The Most Interesting Things Jim Harbaugh Said: Oct. 4, 2021
When your team is 5-0 and ranked No. 9 in the country, you can be happy and joke around a little bit at Monday's press conference. That's how Jim Harbaugh handled questions earlier today, but he also gave some really good answers when it came to Cade McNamara's play, Blake Corum's toughness and the overall approach that his team took inside Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday.
"They really listen. They take that instruction and they embrace it wholeheartedly. It's that way with Cade [McNamara]. A great majority of our players are like that. It's that kind of group."
Jim Harbaugh has a tendency to fill up his press conferences with coach speak and slightly disingenuous bits of information, but this is the real deal. You can see it, you can feel it and you can prove it with the play on the field and overall approach that every single player seems to have.
Through five weeks Michigan is obviously undefeated, hasn't turned the ball over, is inside the top 20 nationally in penalties committed and genuinely seems to be having a ton of fun. You don't get those kinds of results without everyone being locked in and on the same page when it comes to preparation, practice and execution, which all stems from being coachable and buying into to what the coaches are teaching.
"We got back from Wisconsin and I'm unpacking in my office and I run into JJ [McCarthy], Donovan [Edwards] and Andrel Anthony and they're heading out to the practice field to get some more work in. I even took a picture of it. It meant that much to me."
This is quite the development. Three of the more talented freshmen, who have been playing but not much, are hitting the practice field at probably at least 9 pm to get some work in after a huge win ahead of a day off. That, again, speaks to this team's approach, mentality and overall buy in. For three true freshmen, who could easily be sulking about not getting a lot of snaps, to hit the field house after a high intensity road trip is a great sign of things to come, but also speaks to how things are going right now.
"We had talked about earlier in the week that when you go on the road you want to embrace that environment. Make their crowd cheering like it's your crowd cheering. Make their music your music."
Michigan embraced that environment in the best way possible. The U-M players being out on the field jumping around during Jump Around shows the confidence and positive energy that is flowing through the program right now. Jim Harbaugh said that they had been playing that song all week in practice in order to get ready for the crowd, and boy did it work. Michigan never seemed rattled once and truly took it to Wisconsin the way they're used to taking it to opponents.
"Blake Corum is tough. That is a tough dude. Some of the hits he took would've killed a lesser man."
I just love this quote. Blake is obviously a friend of Wolverine Digest at this point and he's been so good this season, it's just cool to hear this line about him, especially when you consider what kind of kid he is when it comes to his craft and work ethic.
It was tough sledding for him on Saturday but that didn't stop him from getting after it and running hard, and Harbaugh obviously noticed. At one point in the game, Corum got his bell rung a bit and went into the medical tent. Before long, however, he was back on the sidelines and in the game. That speaks to his toughness and also how dedicated he is to be there for his teammates. Harbaugh always speaks very highly of Corum, but this line is his best one yet.
