ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jim Harbaugh, suspended three games by the Big Ten while his program faces separate NCAA investigations into potential rule violations, declared Monday his Michigan football program “America’s team.”
Speaking publicly for the first time since he was suspended by the league on Friday, Harbaugh, sporting a raspy, hoarse voice and an optimistic tone, praised his coaching staff and players for their performance on Saturday. With Harbaugh barred from showing up to Beaver Stadium, suspended less than 24 hours before the game as punishment for Michigan violating the league’s sportsmanship policy, the third-ranked Wolverines battered No. 10 Penn State, 24-15, to run their unbeaten record to 10-0 on the season.
The victory was not only impressive given Michigan’s performance on the field, it came amid a whirlwind 24 hours that included news of the suspension and a subsequent court filing by the school, aiming to block the punishment. Instead, Harbaugh was forced to watch the game on TV away from the stadium.
On Monday, grinning ear-to-ear about the game, praised the efforts of his team, like the bruised and bloodied Blake Corum for rushing for 145 yard and two touchdowns and 340-pound defensive tackle Kenneth Grant running down a touchdown-saving tackle.
“The kind of game that was put up there with the kind of games,” Harbaugh said. “The top ones. Every single win is like one of your own children. You love ‘em all, but I guess there’s some that you’re just so proud of. That’s one of the top five, at least. I felt so good about that.”
Harbaugh praised acting head coach Sherrone Moore, too, for the gameplan that Michigan executed — rushing 46 times for 227 yards, and at one point on 32 straight plays — and emotion that he showed afterward. Despite the suspension, everyone at Michigan from the top-down has shown support for Harbaugh, who has denied any knowledge or involvement of the alleged sign-stealing operation currently under investigation.
It was Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel who, in a blistering statement issued Saturday before kickoff, called the Big Ten’s suspension of Harbaugh “completely unethical” and “insulting,” the latest shot in an escalating feud between the school and conference. Valiant Management Group, the marketing arm for Michigan and its athletic department, unveiled a “Michigan vs. Everybody” merchandise line over the weekend to go along with the pushback, making Saturday’s victory sweeter for everyone in Ann Arbor.
“Watching it, I would have to say it’s America’s team,” Harbaugh said. “America loves a team that beats the odds, beats the adversity, overcomes what the naysayers, critics, so-called experts think. That’s my favorite kind of team.”
Michigan has adopted a villain persona in recent weeks, with players using the sign-stealing allegations and wall-to-wall coverage of the investigation as motivation on the road. They heard about it three weeks ago at in-state rival Michigan State and again Saturday in State College, where chants were audible and homemade signs were prevalent amongst the crowd of more than 110,000.
Last week, pro-wrestling legend Ric Flair, known for his flashy, lavish lifestyle and do-whatever attitude, paid a visit to Ann Arbor and met with longtime friend Harbaugh.
“It proved that we are legitimate and we can line up and play against (anyone),” Grant, the defensive tackle, said. “It doesn’t really matter the competition that we play against. We can uphold the standard.”
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Michigan owns the highest scoring margin in the country (+31.5), a figure helped by a relatively soft non-conference schedule and down Big Ten this year. The win over Penn State was it first over a ranked opponent all season, temporarily quieting critics who poked holes in its success. Next up is another winnable game at Maryland on Saturday (Noon, FOX), with the status of Harbaugh reappearing returning still in question.
Michigan and its coach are due in court on Friday, hoping to have a judge sign off on a temporary restraining order against the Big Ten and its first-year commissioner, Tony Petitti, that would allow Harbaugh back on the sideline. Whether it ends up happening is anyone’s guess, but Michigan has proven that it can handle just about anything thrown its way
Harbaugh was already suspended for three games earlier this season, a school-imposed penalty as a response to a separate NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations and improper use of coaches, making this second go-around easier to deal with.
“It all does boil down to football at the end of the day and what happens on the field,” Michigan receiver Cornelius Johnson said. “When we look back at it in years to come, we can get a ‘30 for 30′ on these Michigan football teams, all this drama, all this media going on. But it’s all just part of the experience.”
Meanwhile, Harbaugh looks forward to his day in court on Friday, where he and his lawyers are expected to make a case for due process in the middle of an NCAA investigation If the judge agrees, Harbaugh could be allowed to return. If not, Moore will resume his duties as active head coach on game days.
Even then, Harbaugh looks forward to celebrating an important internal milestone: Michigan football’s 1,000th win.
“The whole world is seeing what I get to see every single day,” Harbaugh said. “Players played their hearts out, are talented, resilient, great guys.
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