Michigan searching for answers

STATE COLLEGE, PA. » Jammed into the visitor’s interview room that could easily double as a tool shed underneath Beaver Stadium, Jim Harbaugh assessed where Michigan goes from here with his typical brevity.

“We solve it with our team and no one else can help us, but us. We put our best people on it, which is our players and our coaches,” Harbaugh said late Oct. 21 after Michigan was routed, 42-13, by No. 2 Penn State.

The second loss in three weeks for the Wolverines dropped them out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since September 2015, Harbaugh’s first season as coach of his alma mater.

The downside of being the most interesting man in college football, the coach who made $9 million last season, started a war of words with the SEC over football camps, and took his team to Italy this past spring is that there is little patience for a setback season.

Michigan went 10-3 in Harbaugh’s first year, exceeding expectations. Last season’s 10-3 was not quite as satisfying, but three losses by a total of five points was no reason to question Harbaugh.

Year three of Harbaugh at Michigan brought a more cautious optimism. For the elite coaches whom Harbaugh is often mentioned alongside, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, year three with their current schools produced national championships.

But the reality of this Michigan team was different. It had just lost 16 NFL draft picks and about 20 starters — players recruited by Harbaugh’s predecessor but developed under his regime. Harbaugh’s first two full recruiting classes were consensus top 10 in the nation, according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings, but those players are sophomores and freshmen.

Michigan started the season ranked No. 11 in the country, and much of that optimism seemed based on confidence in Harbaugh and his staff’s ability to quickly develop a relatively inexperienced group.

On the defensive side that has mostly been the case. Even after being dissected by Penn State, Michigan still ranks ninth in the nation in yards per play allowed 4.34. The offense has been bogged down all season, with average to below average play from almost every position. Name an of-

CHRIS KNIGHT — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, right, shakes hands with Penn State coach James Franklin on Oct. 21 in State College, Pa. Penn State won 42-13.