INDIANAPOLIS — There was a moment 

in Saturday’s game, deep in the fourth 
quarter once Michigan’s lead had swelled 
to 35-3, when Jim Harbaugh and Aidan 
Hutchinson flashed across the Lucas Oil 
Stadium big screen. 

The seventh-year Michigan coach and 

senior defensive end locked eyes. They 
screamed in each other’s face and whacked 
one another across the chest. And the crowd 
— delirious, jubilant and rollicking — roared 
in appreciation. 

Later in the night, with remnants of maize 

streamers and blue confetti still draped to 
their clothes, the pair convened again. They 
sat side-by-side and smile-by-smile as newly-
minted Big Ten champions. 

“For 
guys 
to 
live 
on, 
really, 
in 

Schembechler Hall forever, I mean, this 
picture is going to be up there on the All-
American wall,” Harbaugh said, grappling 
with the magnitude of the victory. “Every 
guy on the team in the team picture is going 
to be up there as part of a Big Ten champion. 
We’ve got a banner in Glick Fieldhouse that’s 

going to say Big Ten Champion.” 

Last week’s stunning performance against 

Ohio State thrust this iteration of Wolverines 
into the history books. But, as has been a 
common thread throughout this magical 
season, neither the players nor the coaches 
were satisfied. They wanted more. 

Now, after a 42-3 shellacking of Iowa, they 

have it. 

“We fully believed that at some point or 

another during our legacy something would 
happen, something would put Michigan back 
on top,” sixth-year center Andrew Vastardis 
said. “And I think every guy that’s come in 
here after I got here has just bought into 
that and done everything they can to make it 
happen.” 

Did Harbaugh ever think that this moment 

would come? 

“Nobody’s owed anything,” he said. 

“Nobody’s entitled to anything.” 

And Hutchinson? 
“That was obviously one of the goals going 

into the season, but there’s no guarantees in 
life, no guarantees that you’re going to win 
anything.” 

Harbaugh is well-versed in that lesson by 

now. He returned to his alma mater seven 
years but a lifetime ago, hailed as the savior 

destined to rescue a tradition-rich program 
from the abyss. He re-entered the college 
football sphere with flair, charisma and a 
brash confidence. 

Those blissful images were distant 

memories this time last year, when it seemed 
as if Harbaugh’s tenure was careening 
towards a rather unfulfilling end. The 
Wolverines were dysfunctional — at 2-4 and 
in the throes of a COVID-19 outbreak, they 
seemed direction-less. It was certainly a far 
cry from any restoration of glory days. 

Just look at the difference 12 months can 

make. 

As the seconds on the clock melted away 

Saturday night, a trio of Michigan coaches 
rumbled through the pressbox in search of 
the elevator; they fled the upstairs coaches’ 
box to join the pending celebration on the 
field. 

Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis hugged 

safeties 
coach 
Ron 
Bellamy; 
Bellamy 

returned the favor to graduate assistant Grant 
Newsome. They acted like a group of eager, 
wide-eyed kids, impatiently murmuring 
about the elevator’s status and debating 
whether the stairs would be faster. 

After the game, the scene unfolded 

similarly. Redshirt sophomore edge rusher 

David Ojabo stood at the entrance of the 
tunnel and took an endless stream of videos 
with fans. Those same fans informed junior 
quarterback Cade McNamara that they love 
him. 

And Athletic Director Warde Manuel — 

the man who offered Harbaugh a contract 
extension last January, entrusting the 
embattled coach with the program’s future — 
pumped his fist and offered a “Go Blue” while 
he exchanged a hug with sophomore safety 
R.J. Moten. 

Meanwhile, in the Michigan locker 

room, talk of “2%” and “6-6” abounded, 
both references to the meager odds that 
sportsbooks and pundits pegged for these 
Wolverines entering the season. 

“Sometimes, just some of the stuff that’s 

out there, you just take it and ride with it,” 
sixth-year center Andrew Vastardis smirked. 
“Fuel to the fire.” 

Twelve games and a Big Ten Championship 

later, Michigan certainly has. 

“We’ve gone under some scrutiny, we 

know that,” McNamara said. “And we’ve 
battled through. We’re just such a great 
group of guys who just care about each other. 
We’ve really had that mentality of ‘Michigan 
versus everybody.’ ”

This is a group that Harbaugh refers to as 

the “mighty men and women of Michigan 
football.” He recites the reasons for that 
moniker ad nauseum — their work ethic, 
their day-to-day approach, their affable 
personality, their togetherness. 

“I love this team,” Harbaugh gushed. 

“There’s no team I love more than this team.” 

That’s high praise coming from a noted 

football-lifer like Harbaugh. It’s also a 
sentiment that goes both ways. 

“One of the first things I thought of after 

we won was Coach Harbaugh,” McNamara, 
his eyes washed red from tears, said. “… After 
last season, it was so tough and not just for us 
players but for coach Harbaugh as well. 

“And we know that there’s not one person 

who cares about Michigan more than Coach 
Harbaugh. This team, we came together. We 
want to win for Coach Harbaugh, too. We’re 
just so happy that we were able to give him 
that joy because he deserves it.” 

Moments later, McNamara left the 

podium and ducked into the locker room, 
trophy in tow. Vastardis followed him, along 
with sophomore running back Blake Corum.

Out of sight, but certainly not out of mind. 

Harbaugh and his Wolverines, immortalized 
together. 

‘I love this team’: Michigan relishing legacy as champions

Becca Mahon/Daily, Miles 

Macklin/Daily | Page Design by 

Sophie Grand

S P O R T S W E D N E S D A Y
S P O R T S W E D N E S D A Y

JARED GREENSPAN

Daily Sports Editor
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