Utah interceptions spoil Jim Harbaugh's Michigan return
SALT LAKE CITY — Breaking down Utah's 24-17 win against Michigan on Thursday night:
THE BIG PICTURE: Jim Harbaugh’s return to college football has been the talk of the offseason — fueled in part by his quirkiness and an aggressive recruiting push. But all of the nice offseason publicity shouldn’t have obscured the obvious: Harbaugh has a challenging rebuild ahead at Michigan.
Meanwhile, Utah is flawed but fun to watch. The Utes probably won’t win the loaded Pac-12 South, but with a tough defense they could certainly factor into the race.
WHAT WE’LL BE TALKING ABOUT: Most people will focus on the performance of Jake Rudock, a graduate transfer from Iowa, who won the starting quarterback job and was inconsistent. He made a few nice plays but twice missed wide receiver Jehu Chesson open deep — once for a sure touchdown — and threw three costly interceptions. But Michigan’s bigger issues Thursday strike at the heart of Harbaugh’s philosophy. Michigan’s offense struggled in the run game last season. Despite some of the power formations familiar to anyone who watched Harbaugh’s Stanford teams, except for a few bright moments in the second half, the Wolverines didn’t get much push from the offensive line. When Harbaugh’s Stanford offenses were at their best, a powerful run game set up a potent passing game. At least Thursday, that wasn’t a possibility.
THE DECIDING PLAY: Midway through the fourth quarter, Michigan was driving with a chance. On third-and-3 from the Utah 48, Rudock threw left for freshman receiver Grant Perry. But Utah nickelback Justin Thomas jumped the route, intercepted the pass and returned it 55 yards for the clinching touchdown. With 7:58 left, Utah’s lead was back to two touchdowns.
KEY STAT: Michigan averaged 2.6 yards rushing — 76 yards on 29 attempts. As one example of the futility, there was the fourth-and-1 in Utah territory with just more than five minutes left. Michigan lined up in a power set, but tailback De’Veon Smith was stopped for no gain. Given Harbaugh’s desire to pound away on the ground, it wasn’t a good start.
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