The Most Interesting Things Jim Harbaugh Said After Beating Wisconsin
Michigan is a top ten, 5-0 team. That's an amazing development when you consider how last year looked and how many things Jim Harbaugh changed during the offseason. So far, so good, and yesterday was the biggest example of that to date. After going into Madison yesterday and beating the Badgers handily, Jim Harbaugh had a lot of good things to say.
"This group is different, they don’t flinch."
He's right. This group — specifically the defense — doesn't flinch. There were so many times yesterday where you thought Wisconsin might jump back into the game and flip the momentum, and it just didn't happen. It's impossible not to think it's coming given how things have played out over the years, but like Harbaugh said, this group is different.
Mike Macdonald's defense, which is being led by seniors and captains Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Ross, has a resiliency about it that we really haven't seen at Michigan over the last six seasons. They bend a little but don't break and play physical and energized brand of football that's going to keep them in games all year, no matter who the opponent is or where it's being played.
"There was a vibe that they weren’t going to be denied. Give them every chance to attack. We wanted to bring that to life."
Amen again. Jim Harbaugh rolled the dice and went for it on fourth down five times converting on three of them. Calls like that give the offense confidence even if you don't pick up the first down. That showed up all game yesterday and Michigan just seemed to keep making timely plays on both sides of the ball. Michigan's playmaking kept the Wisconsin crowd at bay all day long and honestly, even when it was a little close heading into halftime, the Wolverines just felt in control because of that vibe and that attacking mentality.
"It’s almost like in some of those X-Men movies where the little kid or the teenage X-Men finds their power. Now they know they have it and they’re using it. That’s really exciting to watch as a coach."
This is actually a pretty cool analogy. I'm not sure how many people were feeling Harbaugh's Neil Armstrong/George Patton reference earlier this year, but this X-Men one landed.
This is exactly what I wrote about last week after the Rutgers game. Guys like AJ Henning, Roman Wilson and Donovan Edwards need to play more and yesterday, they did. Wilson played more snaps than every wide receiver not named Cornelius Johnson and Henning quadrupled his snap count from last week to this week. Edwards still didn't see the field much, but he did get in for eight plays compared to just one last week against the Scarlet Knights.
Wilson led all receivers with six catches for 81 yards, and even though he had already been playing a lot, Johnson was more effective because of Wilson's presence. Playing more versatile guys more often, and actually utilizing them, can only help open up the entire offense. We saw that yesterday and it resulted in a hard-to-defend, versatile offense.
"[Daxton Hill's] play has been tremendous all year. He’s been close, always near the ball. He plays with so much energy. He’s so good. Today, he just got closer and closer until he finally got the interception, got the big sack. He’s all over the field again. He’s one heck of a player."
Harbaugh isn't exactly going out on a limb here, but what he's saying is spot on.
Daxton Hill has been so good all year, despite not really stuffing the stat sheet. He's got 17 tackles through five games, a few pass breakups and just the one pick, but he's invaluable on defense. Macdonald is moving guys all over, sending exotic blitzes, bluffing blitzes, switching from man to zone and back, and Hill is a huge reason why he's able to call the defenses he's calling.
Having a movable, versatile, speedy, heady, aggressive, skilled nickel/corner/safety as a part of an NFL-style defense is so important. Hill is all of those things. Aside from the defensive line, you can literally put him anywhere on the field and he'll excel. He knocked Graham Mertz and 6-5, 245-pound Jake Ferguson out of the game yesterday with perfectly legal hits, which impacted the game in a massive way. Hill might not end up leading the team in any statistical category, but you could make an argument that he's the most important defender on the roster.
"I think Mike has done a great job and the defensive staff has done a great job maximizing the talent of Dax Hill. Of Aidan Hutchinson, a whole list of guys."
I would agree, wholeheartedly.
It's been one of my biggest gripes of the Jim Harbaugh era. The coaches have just not put players in a position to succeed. Mike Macdonald has changed that narrative in a big way. You see it most with Hill and Hutchinson.
Hill, as outlined above, isn't stuffing the stat sheet, but he's showing up in 1,000 different ways. He's often neutralizing the other team's best receiver, he's making timely, solid tackles, he's allowing a guy like RJ Moten to shine at strong safety and he's blitzing extremely well. Hutchinson is a stud and for the first time in his career, he's showing it in a big way. Gone are the days of playing the anchor position in Don Brown's scheme, and here to stay are afternoons filled with pressuring the quarterback from all over the defense. Macdonald has done a great job moving guys around and asking them to do things they're good at. What a concept, huh?
"I say the same about the offense and Josh, and the offensive coaches as well, Sherrone — putting the players in a position to be really successful."
I still think the offense can do better at this, but yesterday against Wisconsin was the best example of it so far this season.
Taking deep shots to Cornelius Johnson, bringing JJ McCarthy in here and there to see what he can do, getting a guy like Roman Wilson involved, 24 rushing attempts outside of the tackles, including a couple of reverses/end arounds and throwing on first down occasionally all fall under putting guys in a position to succeed.
I still wouldn't call the offensive approach perfect, but it was obviously pretty solid and plenty good enough to get a big win over the Badgers.
