Embarrassing Loss to Ohio State Spoils Jim Harbaugh's Debut Season at Michigan

There’s no question that Jim Harbaugh has had a very successful first season at Michigan’s helm. The fiery leader took over a program stuck in neutral under Brady Hoke’s watch and turned it into a consistent, tough, nine-game winner.

But after the way Saturday’s crucial rivalry tilt with Ohio State unfolded, will Wolverine fans remember any of it? A 42-13 beatdown at Urban Meyer’s hands spoiled goodwill that Harbaugh’s surprising first-season success provided and showed that Michigan still has a way to go to close the talent gap between itself and the Buckeyes.

Even with a 10-win season possible with a victory in a bowl game, Saturday’s result will linger in Michigan supporters’ minds. In a game that both sides point to all season, Harbaugh’s Wolverines simply weren’t competitive.

Ohio State set an immediate tone with Ezekiel Elliott, who criticized the Buckeyes’ play-calling after receiving just 12 carries for 33 yards in a surprising 17-14 home loss to Michigan State last Saturday. A 66-yard Elliott burst set up the Buckeyes at the Michigan 10-yard line, and J.T. Barrett’s seven-yard touchdown run gave Ohio State a lead it would never relinquish.

It was just the beginning for Elliott, who finished with 214 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. Meanwhile, Barrett had 139 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries, as Ohio State finished with 369 rushing yards on 54 attempts.

That continued a troubling trend for a Michigan run defense that had been solid against the run for the first 10 weeks of the season. Two weeks ago, the Wolverines survived Indiana 48-41 in double overtime, but the Hoosiers rushed for 307 yards on 55 carries, led by Jordan Howard’s 238 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries. Last week, Michigan held Penn State to 70 yards rushing, but 56 of those came on one Saquon Barkley attempt.

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Michigan was equally bad rushing the ball Saturday. The Wolverines managed just 57 yards on 25 attempts. Most troubling? The Wolverines’ leading rusher was freshman defensive back Jabrill Peppers, who had 29 yards on seven carries. Leading rusher De’Veon Smith, who managed just 39 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries last week, had just 23 yards on 10 carries against the Buckeyes.

Graduate transfer Jake Rudock has been a serviceable leader for Michigan’s offense, but he can’t carry the load all by himself. And with Rudock and leading receivers Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh all set to graduate, Harbaugh has concerns in the passing game going forward as well.

Harbaugh has downplayed the Ohio State rivalry, at least publicly, since taking over, but there’s no questioning that the game is meaningful to all surrounding the program. Harbaugh vs. Meyer could be a worthy successor to the famed "Ten-Year War," which pitted Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes, but Michigan will have to show it can be a serious threat to Ohio State first.

Saturday, that didn’t happen, and that’ll leave a bitter taste in Wolverine fans’ mouths for the next 365 days.