A tough loss for Harbaugh
Wolverines squander 16-point lead in loss
Now, it’s time to talk about Jim Harbaugh.
There has not been much discussion about college football’s most scrutinized coach as Michigan ran out to 7-0 start.
With Harbaugh, the failures are all that seem to matter.
After No. 8 Michigan State came from 16 down in the second half to beat No. 6 Michigan 37-33 in one of the best games of the season, the numbers that define Harbaugh’s seven seasons at his alma mater are this: 3-9 against the Wolverines’ two biggest rivals and 2-13 against top-10 opponents.
Michigan extended Harbaugh’s contract after he went 2-4 last season, but with a pay cut and a reasonable buyout.
He has responded by putting an undeniably good team on the field. Saturday was a chance to prove just how good and Michigan outgained its in-state rival by 157 yards and went up 30-14 in the third quarter. The Wolverines also had a defensive touchdown taken off the board by a questionable replay review late in the first half.
Then Kenneth Walker III and the Spartans made Mel Tucker the first Michigan State coach to win his first two games against Michigan. Walker ran for 197 yards and five TDs,
The only downside for Michigan State to Tucker’s quick turnaround of a program that appeared to be heading for a long rebuild after a messy end to Mark Dantonio’s tenure is that the new guy’s stock is soaring — and USC and LSU have vacancies. Heck, maybe the NFL will come calling for Tucker, who spent 10 seasons in the league as a defensive assistant and coordinator.
Meanwhile at Michigan, Harbaugh’s 56-23 record continues to leave Wolverines fans unsatisfied.
There will be questions about settling for so many field goals against Michigan State, about a defense that struggled to adjust to the Spartans’ tempo and about using backup quarterback J.J. McCarthy in a big spot in the fourth quarter when the freshman lost a fumble.
Harbaugh said McNamara, who had a career-high 383 yards passing, was “working through something” on that series.
Beating Michigan State would have created some space for Harbaugh and Michigan to likely get through the rest of the season without the coach’s status and existential questions about what the program should aspire to from becoming a trending topic in college football.
Winners
Caleb Williams. After a lessthan-perfect game at Kansas last week, the freshman quarterback got back on track in stellar fashion, ripping Texas Tech for 402 yards and six passing touchdowns as No. 4 Oklahoma rolled, 52-21. Even erstwhile starter Spencer Rattler got into the act, going 5 of 5 for 67 yards and a score in the fourth quarter.
Williams has helped Oklahoma (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) hang at least 50 points in three of its last four games, and the Sooners are effectively four victories away from locking in a playoff berth. The coming schedule after an open date: at Baylor, Iowa State, at Oklahoma State and (presumably) the Big 12 title game.
The Heisman chatter for Williams after a game or two seemed premature, and it was. But if he continues to shred opponents like Saturday, it might not be a reach by the time voting is done in late November and early December.
Walker III. The Michigan State running back might have had a Heisman moment in Saturday’s in-state clash of unbeatens.
The Wake Forest transfer surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season early on and then kept going, steering No. 8 Michigan State (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) to a victory that only enhances the significance of November meetings with Ohio State and Penn State.
Baylor. The No. 16 Bears (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) aren’t always artful, but credit to Dave Aranda’s team for a resilience it once again put on display Saturday.
Down 11 in the third quarter, Baylor rattled off three consecutive touchdown drives to surge past Texas, 31-24. Key to the comeback was Gerry Bohanon, who threw two interceptions in the first half but was 8 of 11 for 107 yards while rushing for a touchdown after the break.
While it didn’t mathematically eliminate the Longhorns (4-4, 2-3) from the Big 12 title race, it may as well have. For its part, Baylor has won three in a row since its loss to Oklahoma State on Oct. 2, and is one of several tricky impediments in front of Oklahoma in November as the Sooners try for a perfect season.
Losers
Arizona State. The Sun Devils could have been in firm control of the Pac-12 South by now. Southern California is down. UCLA is intriguing but inconsistent. Colorado and Arizona just aren’t very good. And Arizona State had a two-touchdown lead at halftime earlier this month over Utah.
Since then? The Sun Devils turned that advantage into a 35-21 loss to the Utes. And Saturday, with two weeks to get ready for a visit from Washington State, Arizona State trailed by as many as 27 before a couple late scores made the final 34-21 margin against the Cougars more presentable.
Arizona State (5-3, 3-2 Pac12) now needs extra help to get back into the division race, and its remaining schedule (Southern California, at Washington, at Oregon State, Arizona) isn’t overbearing. But the Sun Devils have been a disappointment since a 5-1 start.
Florida. At least the Gators weren’t shut out. Aside from a late touchdown, not much went right in a 34-7 loss to Georgia.
Where to start? Three consecutive second-quarter drives ended in turnovers and resulted in 21 Bulldogs points. Georgia had a pair of one-play touchdown drives, and Nakobe Dean brought back an interception 50 yards for a score just seven seconds before the break as a 3-0 lead turned into a 24-0 cushion.
Florida (4-4, 2-2 SEC) has now stacked up losses to Alabama (understandable), Kentucky (disappointing), LSU (demoralizing because of an abysmal defensive display) and now Georgia (unsurprisingly done in by the Bulldogs’ defense). It’s a lost year in Gainesville, but November could yet be an interesting month in the Swamp to see if the Gators stay the course as a program or join what could be a frenzy of schools looking to make new hires.
Elsewhere
AROUND THE COUNTRY:
There is no figuring out the ACC. Just when No. 17 Pitt looked as if it was ready to assert itself, Miami came to town and beat the Panthers 38-34. Behind redshirt freshman quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, the Hurricanes have consecutive victories against Top 25 opponents for the first time since 2017. Things suddenly looking much better for Miami coach Manny Diaz. … Not so much for Nebraska coach Scott Frost. The Cornhuskers were favored to beat Purdue, but lost at home 28-23 and have Ohio State, Wisconsin and Iowa remaining. If this does turn out to be Frost’s last season coaching his alma mater here is why: 6-10 combined record against Illinois, Purdue, Northwestern and Minnesota. … Team of the week? How about Washington State after the Cougars rolled over supposed Pac-12 South contender Arizona State 34-21. Kudos to Wazzu and interim coach Jake Dickert for not giving up on the season after the Nick Rolovich fiasco. …Thoughts and prayers to anybody who had Florida State getting 9½ points from Clemson and lived through the baddest of beats, a 30-20 Tigers victory. … No. 13 Wake Forest is the only Power Five team to have never been ranked in the top 10. The Demon Deacons are going to be knocking on the door Sunday.
Mountain West
SAN JOSE STATE 27, WYOMING 21: In San Jose, Calif., quarterback Nick Nash accounted for 262 yards of total offense and two touchdowns as San Jose State (5-4, 3-2) led all the way.
BOISE STATE 28, COLORADO STATE 19: in Fort Collins, Colo., Hank Bachmeier threw three touchdown passes and Boise State (4-4, 2-2) erased a 13-0 firstquarter deficit. Todd Centeiowas 23 of 36 for 276 yards passing without an interception and carried 10 times for 65 yards for the Rams (3-5, 2-2).
UTAH STATE 51, HAWAII 31: In Logan, Utah, Logan Bonner threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns as the Aggies (6-2, 4-1) piled up 564 yards of total offense. Chevan Cordeiro threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns for Hawaii (4-5, 1-3). Calvin Turner Jr. and Dedrick Parson combined for 15 receptions and 225 yards.
NEVADA 51, UNLV 20: In Reno, Nev., Carson Strong threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns, Nevada’s defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns and the Wolf Pack (6-2, 3-1) scored on its first four possessions Friday night. Nevada held UNLV (0-8, 0-4), New Mexico’s opponent this coming Saturday at University Stadium, has lost its last 14 games.
State
NM HIGHLANDS 58, ADAMS
STATE 28: In Las Vegas, N.M., New Mexico Highlands’ Ramone Atkins, who leads NCAA Division II in total offense, threw for 250 yards and four touchdowns and added 48 yards of rushing as the Cowboys (4-5, 4-4 RMAC) amassed a season-high in points in routing the Grizzlies (0-9, 0-7).
ANGELO STATE 59, ENMU 7: In Portales, Angelo State rolled up 489 yards of offense and scored 28 points in the second quarter in routing the host Greyhounds (3-6, 1-5 Lone Star). Angelo State improved to 7-2, 3-2.