Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh gives first thoughts on Rutgers week

In most years, Rutgers coming to town would not be a huge deal for the Wolverines; however, this weekend’s Big Ten opener will be different. 9th-year Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh is coming off of a three-game suspension, and for the first time this year, will be on the sidelines for game day — after last weekend’s sloppy win over Bowling Green, it’s clear that the Wolverines need their head man on the field to kick off Big Ten play. Additionally, Rutgers is no joke right now — the Scarlet Knights are 3-0 and coming to Ann Arbor after blowing out a Power 5 opponent (Virginia Tech) last weekend.

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh gives initial thoughts on playing Rutgers and more

Greg Schiano has his Rutgers Scarlet Knights playing some solid football right now, recently downing VT in blowout fashion. After struggling to put away Bowling Green last weekend, Michigan football heads into this weekend’s Big Ten opener with a lot of questions to answer; luckily for the Wolverines, Jim Harbaugh is finally back and ready to help work some things out.

Earlier today, Jim Harbaugh was in good spirits as he addressed the media ahead of the Rutgers game this weekend. here are his initial thoughts on the Scarlet Knights:

“Yeah, really good,” Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh said of Rutgers. “Tremendous respect — we have for the Scarlet Knights, for coach (Greg) Schiano. The way they bring it when they play us and anybody, and the way they’re playing this year, playing really good defense. Defense, Gavin Wimsatt. Playing really good football, and they’re running the ball really effectively. So, we know that’s part of the stuff. You know, you asked me, ‘Hey, what are you doing? You seem out of breath?’ There’s a lot on the plate right now, getting ready for Rutgers.”

After struggling against Bowling Green, there are a lot of new concerns that Michigan needs to address this weekend

As Jim Harbaugh scrambles to prep for Rutgers, there is a lot of buzz about how legit Michigan football truly is this year. The Wolverines are 0-3 against the spread so far in 2023, and despite a 25-point win, last weekend made it quite clear that the Maize and Blue are mortal.

When Rutgers and Michigan take the field this Saturday, keep a close eye on Jesse Minter’s No. 1 defense, the Wolverines’ rushing attack, and quarterback JJ McCarthy, who is coming off of a three-interception performance against the Falcons.

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