Sept. 12--On game day, fans walk around Michigan Stadium wearing T-shirts with Bo Schembechler quotes that embody what this program once was.
"No man is more important than the team," Schembechler said famously in 1983. "No coach is more important than the team. The team, the team, the team."
So it made sense that Jim Harbaugh, the modern embodiment of Schembechler, would downplay his role in his first victory as Michigan's coach, saying he felt "a very small part of it."
And that Harbaugh would not even attribute the win to something that transpired Saturday.
"I thought the game was won with the week of practice," he said after the Wolverines dominated the second half of their 35-7 victory over Oregon State. "The scout team, the 'look' team, had its best week. Guys were really challenging, not just out there. Now that we've seen them do it, we can expect it every day."
The expectations on Harbaugh could not be much higher, but his team lost its opener to Utah and played an uninspired first half Saturday.
Perhaps that's why Harbaugh went ballistic after his team got hit with a roughing-the-punter penalty in the second quarter. He screamed and mimicked a kicking motion while stalking an official, later explaining he believed the punter had established himself as a ball carrier by bobbling the snap and taking two steps.
"That cracked me up," safety Delano Hill said of his coach's reaction.
Harbaugh could have slipped and broken his tailbone and still had a better day than coaching counterpart Gary Andersen, who curiously bolted Wisconsin after Ohio State belittled his Badgers 59-0 in the Big Ten title game.
Thinking he could punt his way to victory as a two-touchdown underdog at the Big House, the Oregon State coach opted for an into-the-wind boot on fourth-and-inches in the first quarter that netted 34 yards.
If that decision was questionable, Andersen's call with 1:29 left in the first half showed no understanding of risk-reward analysis. He opted to punt from fourth-and-3 from the Michigan 39, apparently scared that the Wolverines offense, which had produced only 130 yards to that point, would capitalize if his attempt failed.
"I thought it was a logical decision," Andersen said. "I never thought of not punting, frankly."
Nick Porebski's punt was perfect, frankly, rolling out at the 3. But an illegal formation negated it, and then long snapper Ryan Navarro sailed one that was covered on the Oregon State 3. It was the equivalent of a 94-yard penalty, all thanks to Andersen's brain lock.
"A fortuitous play for us," Harbaugh said.
It flipped the game. All but handed a free touchdown for a 17-7 halftime lead, Michigan trounced its downtrodden opponent in the second half, yielding just 4 yards of offense on 16 plays.
Linebacker Mario Ojemudia snuffed out a quarterback draw on third down, and Chris Wormley beat the left tackle for a third-down sack.
Safety Jabril Peppers, who is on his way to an All-Big Ten -- check that, All-America -- career, smashed Hunter Jarmon to break up a fourth-quarter pass, one of many standout plays.
Jake Rudock (18-for-26, 180 yards, one interception) finally showed why Harbaugh selected him to start at quarterback. He danced inside the pocket to create time before finding tight end Ian Bunting for a 21-yard strike and kept a two-point conversion alive with a rollout before cleverly flipping to De'Veon Smith for the deuce.
"Not exactly what you draw up," Rudock said. "But eventually it opened up."
Smith, a 228-pound junior from Warren, Ohio, clearly established himself as the lead back after rushing for 126 yards and three scores.
Strangling defense, strong rushing and just enough of a passing game proved a perfect formula for these Wolverines, who did it Saturday like Schembechler would have liked.
Harbaugh reflects him, right down to this: At Schembechler's yearly banquet, the loudest ovation would go to the winner of the Champion's Trophy, awarded to the top scout player.
Asked if he sees the parallels between Harbaugh and Schembechler, Rudock said: "Yeah, they're both hard-nosed guys and have such a passion and desire to win."
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
