Michigan football escaped Bloomington, Indiana with an overtime win, but we’ve seen enough of Jim Harbaugh to be concerned about the Wolverines’ future.
For all the pomp and circumstance that has surrounded Jim Harbaugh’s tenure at Michigan there haven’t been much in the way of results. The so-called coaching genius has yet to finish better than third place in the Big Ten East. The division is no cakewalk, but he wasn’t brought in to finish third. He was supposed to win championships.
On Saturday Michigan beat Indiana. That in itself isn’t concerning at all. But the way the win unfolded was damning. The Wolverines jumped out to a 13-0 second quarter lead and were up 13-3 at half time. With four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Wolverines surrendered back to back scoring drives to allow the Hoosiers to force overtime.
The 20 points mustered by the Michigan offense is the continuation of an alarming pattern. Those points included a Karan Higdon 59-yard touchdown run. Big plays are nice, but they haven’t been a staple of the Michigan offense under Harbaugh. The Wolverines would win in overtime, but even in victory any confidence that Harbaugh is the answer for Michigan has eroded.
Jim Harbaugh is not a bad football coach. His track record speaks for itself and he’s had success along his way to Michigan. However, since arriving in Ann Arbor, the khaki-wearing guru hasn’t been able to win games that matter and has come dangerously close to winning games like this. The Wolverines aren’t going to fire Harbaugh, and they shouldn’t. But it’s time to be honest.
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Jim Harbaugh isn’t winning any championships at Michigan. And that’s not going to sit well with one of the most storied programs in college football history. Enjoy your win coach, but you’ve got a lot of work to do.