Watching the MSU game eerily reminded me of how I felt during a previous loss, in 2013. Very different circumstances, very different situations......except that it was my breaking point with Brady Hoke.
After that game, in his 3rd year at Michigan, where MSU did all but murder Devin Gardner on the field of play, I wanted Hoke fired. I had seen enough and saw no answers with him in charge.
After this game, in Jim Harbaugh's 6th year at Michigan, where MSU outplayed, out-hustled and thoroughly out-coached the entire staff, in Mel Tucker's FIRST year......I see no answers with Harbaugh in charge.
Yes, this sounds very different than when I was arguing with people over calling the Minnesota game much less impressive. That's what awful losses do to your opinion, and this isn't just a loss to a rival that "always plays us tough," this is a loss to a team that Harbaugh shouldn't have lost to. Rivalry or not, history against opponents in the position of MSU, with the talent gap present, tells you the point spread in Vegas made sense as to what should have happened.
The fact that it didn't, and now we sit here in the wake of an actual upset, one of many in CFB for 2020, is not a good sign. At all.
MSU playing you tough is one thing. MSU putting you over their knee and fundamentally spanking you when you were supposed to run them out of the building is something else.
Was it even as competitive as the final score would indicate? No, it really wasn't. They knew the weaknesses and exploited them heavily. Everything they failed to do against Rutgers came out in full force in Ann Arbor and there was no appropriate answer for any of it, on either side of the ball.
Was it really just inexperience? No, the coaching staff failed, top to bottom. The team was unprepared, unable and worst of all, unwilling. All of that is unacceptable at this point.
I had every right to be confident, especially after Minnesota. To finally see what I hadn't seen from a Harbaugh offense in terms of execution, poise and lethality. It didn't matter that it was only one game, it was an example of what an elite team should do to a bad one, and if you do it once out of the gate, there's no reason fans shouldn't expect to see it again, especially against opponents that recruit that far lower than you do.
Now I'm here, in the aftermath of yet another low, the lowest of lows in the Harbaugh era without question, asking what the answer is, because now I really don't see it coming from the current head coach. It was one thing when I could point to stubbornness in 2017 and 2018, and then finally deciding to go spread in 2019. It seemed like he learned from his mistakes, finally.
He made all of them all over again in one afternoon against "them," from East Lansing, and what's worse he's brought Gattis and Warinner along with him for the ride. Nevermind Brown, he's been on notice for the last two years and that's only getting worse after this.
I don't have any answers for this one. There was no logical reason for them to crap the bed as badly and as collectively as they did against MSU. No excuses.
For the first time in this era......I see no answers with Harbaugh in charge.
That's......sad.
After that game, in his 3rd year at Michigan, where MSU did all but murder Devin Gardner on the field of play, I wanted Hoke fired. I had seen enough and saw no answers with him in charge.
After this game, in Jim Harbaugh's 6th year at Michigan, where MSU outplayed, out-hustled and thoroughly out-coached the entire staff, in Mel Tucker's FIRST year......I see no answers with Harbaugh in charge.
Yes, this sounds very different than when I was arguing with people over calling the Minnesota game much less impressive. That's what awful losses do to your opinion, and this isn't just a loss to a rival that "always plays us tough," this is a loss to a team that Harbaugh shouldn't have lost to. Rivalry or not, history against opponents in the position of MSU, with the talent gap present, tells you the point spread in Vegas made sense as to what should have happened.
The fact that it didn't, and now we sit here in the wake of an actual upset, one of many in CFB for 2020, is not a good sign. At all.
MSU playing you tough is one thing. MSU putting you over their knee and fundamentally spanking you when you were supposed to run them out of the building is something else.
Was it even as competitive as the final score would indicate? No, it really wasn't. They knew the weaknesses and exploited them heavily. Everything they failed to do against Rutgers came out in full force in Ann Arbor and there was no appropriate answer for any of it, on either side of the ball.
Was it really just inexperience? No, the coaching staff failed, top to bottom. The team was unprepared, unable and worst of all, unwilling. All of that is unacceptable at this point.
I had every right to be confident, especially after Minnesota. To finally see what I hadn't seen from a Harbaugh offense in terms of execution, poise and lethality. It didn't matter that it was only one game, it was an example of what an elite team should do to a bad one, and if you do it once out of the gate, there's no reason fans shouldn't expect to see it again, especially against opponents that recruit that far lower than you do.
Now I'm here, in the aftermath of yet another low, the lowest of lows in the Harbaugh era without question, asking what the answer is, because now I really don't see it coming from the current head coach. It was one thing when I could point to stubbornness in 2017 and 2018, and then finally deciding to go spread in 2019. It seemed like he learned from his mistakes, finally.
He made all of them all over again in one afternoon against "them," from East Lansing, and what's worse he's brought Gattis and Warinner along with him for the ride. Nevermind Brown, he's been on notice for the last two years and that's only getting worse after this.
I don't have any answers for this one. There was no logical reason for them to crap the bed as badly and as collectively as they did against MSU. No excuses.
For the first time in this era......I see no answers with Harbaugh in charge.
That's......sad.
