Jim Harbaugh needs to beat Ohio State. You could argue he has to beat Ohio State. But technically that isn’t true. He isn’t going anywhere, win or lose next week in Columbus.
Still … if he loses?
Everything he has done the past two months fades to black. Rebuilding after a tough loss at Notre Dame. Demoralizing rival Michigan State. Demolishing Penn State. Brushing off Wisconsin like a feather on a shoulder.
None of it matters. Not now. Not with everything at stake after Harbaugh’s Wolverines held off Indiana, 31-20, Saturday at Michigan Stadium.
This is Harbaugh’s chance. This is his year. And even if he won’t say it, his players will. They already have. Heck, they don’t just say it, they wear it.
Like defensive tackle Mike Dwumfour did when he arrived at the post-game news conference sporting a knit cap embroidered with the phrase of the season:
“Revenge Tour 2018.”
Dwumfour didn’t mention the tour Saturday evening. He didn’t need to.
What was the message in the locker room, someone asked?
“It’s on to Columbus next week. We’ve got take care of business.”
In case you’re wondering, that message came from his head coach. Because Harbaugh knows. He needs to win.
To finally beat the Buckeyes. To grab a spot in the Big Ten title game. To lead this program back out onto the national stage in January, to a game that’s about more than pride.
“Onward,” Harbaugh said.
As in, as he put it: “On to the next one. On to the big game. The championship game.”
The first of several, he hopes.
Beat Ohio State and Harbaugh gets to the place most expected he’d get to when he was hired almost four years ago. Even though he doesn’t want to think about “peeling-back-the-onion" kind of questions right now.
At least he doesn’t want to think about them out loud. I don’t blame him. He’s not going to do — or say — anything that distracts from the tunnel-like focus he has instilled in this team, and in this program.
“We will do what we do,” he said. “That's get ready for (the game). Expect our team will be really fired up to play and do what they have been doing every week of the season.”
The motivation won’t be an issue.
The red zone could be, if the offense can’t figure out how to score more touchdowns once it gets there. The defense might be an issue, too.
Indiana found success Saturday throwing the ball to backs and slot receivers who had leaked into the middle of the field. The Hoosiers’ running backs slipped some gaps at the line of scrimmage, too.
In all, Indiana’s offense gained 385 yards, a worrisome number considering Ohio State likes to … throw to its skill players in the middle of the field.
Still, these are quibbles. U-M isn’t going to keep winning by 35 points.
Besides, there can be no excuses moving forward to Columbus, where U-M is likely to be favored and, frankly, should be favored.
They have the better team. The much better defense. And the Wolverines know it, even if they don’t want to say it just yet.
“It’s been a whole year of having a bad taste in our mouths,” said defensive end Rashan Gary. “We’ve got to go out and prepare the right way and go out there Saturday and see what happens.”
See what happens?
I think they know what will happen. At least they know what they believe will happen.
And they should.
If they tweak their approach in the end zone and tighten up the creases on the defensive front and find the psychological sweet spot this Saturday at noon in Columbus, where the Wolverines haven’t won since 2000.
That’s 18 years, by my math. Damn near a generation. Which makes the next game on U-M's schedule not just the last regular-season chance to finish the revenge tour, but a chance to change the narrative of the rivalry.
“We know we have to win that game,” said Dwumfour.
He’s right.
They do.
They'll have to play better than they did Saturday to do it.
Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.
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