Harbaugh hopes changes help Michigan beat Ohio St.
Jim Harbaugh shook up his coaching staff and whipped himself into shape as if he was still playing quarterback after his opportunity to coach at his alma mater was extended last winter by at least another season.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, a former teammate of Harbaugh’s under the late Bo Schembechler, signed Harbaugh to a new deal that slashed his guaranteed pay with what is essentially a year-to-year contract in a move that fell somewhere between extending and firing him.
Harbaugh responded shortly thereafter by bringing in new defensive coordinator Mike Maconald to replace Don Brown. He recruiting a pair of young and dynamic former Wolverines, Mike Hart and Ron Bellamy, to join the new-look coaching staff.
He even changed the name of team’s 9-on-7 drill to Beat Ohio at the start of spring drills, trying to toughen up his players while sharpening their focus on the rival Buckeyes.
So far, it has seemed to work because the Wolverines (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) are ranked sixth in the AP Top 25 and the College Football Playoff rankings. Ohio State is No. 2 in the AP poll and fourth in the CFP.
Harbaugh, perhaps more than anyone, desperately hopes the many changes he made helps Michigan finally beat Ohio State on Saturday at the Big House. He seems to have a chance to win in the rivalry for the first time as a coach, but the Buckeyes (10-1, 8-0) are favored to win by more than a touchdown, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
The spread is relatively respectable in a suddenly lopsided series that has seen Ohio State win a school-record eight straight games and 15 of 16. Keeping it close won’t cut it for Harbaugh, whose tenure as a coach at Michigan has been long on hype and short on significant wins.
“Both teams have a lot on the line,” Harbaugh said Monday. “It’s a true playoff in that sense. In the College Football Playoff world, this is the start of the playoffs.
“The team that wins will advance. The team that doesn’t won’t. It is that, and it’s also the big game, The Game, the rivalry.”
The victors will win the Big Ten East Division, earning a spot in the conference’s championship game and a solid shot at making the College Football Playoff.
Florida turns to Knox, longtime SEC coach
Greg Knox is stepping in for Dan Mullen for the second time in five years. A 27year veteran of Southeastern Conference football and a winner in his only game as an interim head coach, Knox knows how to handle a staff. He knows how to handle players. He knows how to handle himself.
One thing he won’t handle: Mullen’s former Florida office.
“I walked by there and looked in, but that’s about it,” Knox said Monday.
Knox has the daunting task of pulling together Florida following a tumultuous few weeks that saw the Gators (5-6) fire Mullen, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and offensive line coach/run game coordinator John Hevesy.
Florida, which has lost nine of its last 11 games against Power Five teams, will try to end the regular season on a positive note when it hosts rival Florida State (5-6) on Saturday. The winner will become bowl eligible.
Nebraska QB Martinez out for No. 17 Iowa
Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez will miss the Cornhuskers’ season finale against Iowa because of a shoulder injury, coach Scott Frost announced Monday.
Frost said redshirt freshman Logan Smothers would start Friday against the 17th-ranked Hawkeyes (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten).
Martinez’s right (throwing) shoulder was hurt in the first half against Wisconsin on Saturday.
UMass hires Brown for second stint
UMass is bringing back Don Brown as head coach in the hopes that the struggling football program can return to the time of its greatest success.
Brown led the Minutemen to a 43-19 record in the Football Championship Subdivision from 2004-08. Since moving up to the FBS in 2012, UMass has gone 20-91.