Jim Harbaugh previews Michigan's B1G Championship Game showdown vs. Iowa
Michigan has finally done it, getting the gigantic monkey off the back with an incredible win vs. Ohio State in The Game.
The big stars for the Wolverines were Aidan Hutchinson and Hassan Haskins in what turned out to be a complete performance for Michigan. Jim Harbaugh’s squad kept the Buckeye offense off-balance while dominating the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Now, Harbaugh and the Wolverines will turn their attention to a game vs. Iowa with a lot still to accomplish. The Hawkeyes would love to notch a B1G title while Michigan is aiming for even bigger goals with the College Football Playoff squarely in play.
As Michigan gets ready to enter a week of preparation, Harbaugh met with the media via a conference call to preview the game in Indianapolis. Here’s what he had to say:
Jim Harbaugh on Kirk Ferentz: "Nothing but respect. Pretty much nobody I respect more."
Ferentz was a coach for the Ravens when Harbaugh was a player.
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) November 28, 2021
Jim Harbaugh: "Great opponent we've played a couple times. We know how good they are, and another great season this year."
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) November 28, 2021
Harbaugh: "There's no question that we are not in the position we're in today without Aidan Hutchinson." Continues to applaud Hutchinson's energy in games, practices and the weight room.
— Zach Shaw (@_ZachShaw) November 28, 2021
Jim Harbaugh on Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy: "They love the ball team, and the guys on the ball team love them."
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) November 28, 2021
"He's been a known friend to the game of football." https://t.co/ckXkjc9SlY
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) November 28, 2021
Harbaugh on Iowa: "How conscientious they are in all three phases." Notes that he doesn't think every team spends as much time on special teams as Michigan does, but Iowa does. "It wins them games, as you saw last week."
— Zach Shaw (@_ZachShaw) November 28, 2021
Jim Harbaugh notes that Iowa wins games by special teams. Says it's clear how much time and attention Iowa pays to that phase in the game.
Also notes he's a big fan of Tyler Goodson and Jack Campbell.
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) November 28, 2021
Harbaugh references the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team when thinking about keeping his team focused this week. Said this week is the gold-medal game.
— Zach Shaw (@_ZachShaw) November 28, 2021
Jim Harbaugh said it's hit him a lot that the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team beat USSR, but it wasn't the gold-medal game.
Reiterating to his team that "This is the championship game, against a great Iowa team in Indianapolis."
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) November 28, 2021
Jim Harbaugh asked when he had a feeling his team could do something special. Didn't specify a time, but: "Felt like we had a ball team."
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) November 28, 2021
Jim Harbaugh says a lot of people reached out to him in the last 24 hours, and the general consensus is that "they really like our team and how hard our team plays."
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) November 28, 2021
Saturday’s game between Michigan and Iowa is set for an 8 pm EST kickoff and will be shown on FOX.
