It may have been a long time coming, but the result Saturday night was worth it.
The Michigan Wolverines absolutely pulverized the Iowa Hawkeyes, winning a 42-3 decision at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to claim their first Big Ten Championship win since 2004. For head coach Jim Harbaugh, it was nothing but elation after the fact after he entered this season under a cloud of doubt.
“There’s no team I love more than this team,” Harbaugh said. “It’s just the way they approach it. They give it their best every day. And then you just — just that simple thing. Nobody ever thinks it’s that simple, but it’s that simple. There are a thousand other little things that go into it, but when you’re around a group of guys and you watch them making sure that they give it their best, their very best, you know, every single day.”
The Wolverines were able to jump out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter, highlighted by a thrilling trick play in which RB Donovan Edwards threw a dime of a touchdown pass to Roman Wilson.
“We had that play,” Harbaugh said. “That was ready for prime time. It’s been ready for prime time about seven weeks. First put it in before he hurt his ankle. And then when he came back, started greasing it up again and knew that that one was going to work.
“We had it planned early. As soon as we got into the left hash after the fourth play, we were going run that. And he’s never missed on that throw. Sometimes he throws it off his left, his right foot. He’s always on the move running when he throws it. And every time it’s a dime.”
The Wolverines finally put to rest years of frustration against their rival Ohio State Buckeyes last week with a resounding victory at The Big House. But it wasn’t long before they turned their attention to the task at hand in the form of Iowa, and they delivered in a big way.
“We talked about it last night — how much more can we pile into one game, the importance of one game,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a lot, yeah, the championship, chance to go to the playoffs. To walk past the sign we all walk by, “Those who stay will be champions.” To make that valid and that true.
Michigan now has a guaranteed berth in the top 4, with the semifinal teams and rankings set to be revealed later on Sunday.
– – Quotes via The Detroit Free Press Link – –
