The Wolverines defeated Iowa, 42-3, to win their first Big Ten title since 2004
Sometimes in life, you just need to change a few things and hope your perseverance pays off.
For Jim Harbaugh and Michigan, it paid off in the way of a Big Ten title and a college football playoff birth.
On Saturday night, Harbaugh led the Wolverines into Indianapolis against the Iowa Hawkeyes and thoroughly dismantled the thirteenth team in the country. Behind a running game that has been the staple of the offense all year long, Michigan pounded Iowa into submission onto their way to a 42-3 victory.
It was the final hurdle to Harbaugh’s redemption, as a loss on Saturday night would have raised previous questions about faltering on a big stage. Now, Harbaugh has returned the Big Ten title to Ann Arbor for the first time since 2004, and this time their is no co-champion to share it with.
An Extension That Brought Change
Last January, Michigan AD Warde Manuel offered Harbaugh a four-year contract extension that would reduce his annual price tag, but keep him as coach through 2025. Many observers nationally and fans of Michigan thought this was a bad move, as Harbaugh was coming off a 2-4 pandemic shortened season.
It wasn’t just the poor season that brought animosity to the move to extend, but also the 0-5 record against Ohio State, the lack of any Big Ten title, and recent blowouts in bowl games. The fan base had seen it’s patience wear thin, and it was hard to imagine any type of turnaround with Harbaugh leading the way.
However, Manuel and Harbaugh went into the extension talks with a plan. That plan included revamping a coaching staff that would bring about new ideas and schemes, while maintaining or improving the recruiting success Harbaugh had brought to Michigan. If there was one thing the prior staff was doing right, it was bringing in top 20 recruiting classes consistently.
When the extension was complete, the salary pool for assistant coaches had increased which allowed Michigan to be more competitive when offering candidates. In total, six new coaches were brought in, with most considered young by industry standards as they had yet to reach 40 years of age. Immediately though, these young assistants began making inroads through recruiting circles, and appeared to pass the first test of ensuring future top talent would be considering Michigan football.
Mike Macdonald Was Key
As successful as the new staff was on the recruiting side of things, the real test would come in the fall when the games kicked off. Would this staff bring about the changes needed to finally win the conference, or just bring more disappointment?
That answer would most likely rest on new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald’s shoulders. His scheme change would be key to any success Michigan hoped to achieve in 2021. After former DC Don Brown saw his blitz heavy and man coverage scheme obliterated by faster teams, Macdonald was tasked with providing more variance in looks and coverages. Though never coordinating a defense before, his background with the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL provided hope.
Macdonald would in the off-season correctly identify the two players that would become the game wreckers required to make his defense elite. Edge defenders Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo. Without overly complicating their roles, and simply scheming these guys to be free in their use of athleticism reading of the offense, Macdonald could become more complex in the looks his defense provided elsewhere.
It was a defense that became one of the best in the nation in terms of scoring and yards allowed, and never felt like a gimmick like before with Don Brown. Only one game presented a flaw in the defense, the 37-33 loss to Michigan State, when tempo exposed how the defense needed time to run the complex looks Macdonald called. However, like any good coach, adjustments were made and tempo would never be as effective against Michigan as it was that day in East Lansing.
Michigan Reaches The Top
Macdonald could come into Ann Arbor and immediately put together an elite team thanks to the recruiting success under the prior staffing. Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis also finally found the pieces and depth to take their offense to the next level. The years of persistent and relentless roster building finally took hold in 2021. For Harbaugh, it was validation that he was doing it the right way, just needed to change in a few areas.
Tom Osborne couldn’t win the big one, and then he did. Mack Brown couldn’t win the big one, then won, like, the biggest game ever in 2005.
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) December 5, 2021
If you just keep fielding really good teams, the narrative could eventually shift in your favor. It officially has for Jim Harbaugh.
As the regular season wraps up, Michigan no longer has to hear about the losing streak to Ohio State, the lack of a Big Ten title, or never appearing in the CFP. They will be selected as one of the top four teams in the country at noon on Sunday, and will get their shot at finishing this year with a national title. If the Wolverines pull off a national championship, who knows if those rumors of a lifetime contract for Harbaugh would come to pass.
For Michigan, this feels like the beginning of a new era, even though it’s still the same man leading the way. I imagine no Michigan fan would want to run Harbaugh out of town now.
Now for the next challenge, sustaining the new standard the 2021 team has set.