Jim Harbaugh: Michigan Has Nothing 'To Be Embarrassed About' Amid 1-3 Start

The 2020 season hasn't gone according to plan for Michigan, but head coach Jim Harbaugh is maintaining an upbeat mentality. 

"We're not going to slow down; we're never going to stop, and we're not going to feel sorry for ourselves," Harbaugh said on 97.1 The Ticket's The Morning Show with Stoney & Jansen. "And I don't think there's anything to be embarrassed about. You just keep pushing forward. There's some people who think athletic greatness is defined by perfection—it's not. It's defined by overcoming obstacles and adversity."

At this point, Wolverines fans would probably settle for competence rather than greatness.

Last Saturday, Michigan lost 49-11 to Wisconsin, allowing 468 yards to a Badgers squad that hadn't played since Oct. 23. That followed a double-digit defeat to Indiana and a loss to Michigan State, which had to abruptly enter into a transitional phase following Mark Dantonio's resignation in February.

While Michigan hasn't bridged the gap on Ohio State or reached the College Football Playoff, Harbaugh in past years could at least point to a strong baseline in terms of results. The Wolverines got 10 wins in three of his first five seasons.

Now, the program is going backward so quickly that Harbaugh, once hailed as the proverbial prodigal son in Ann Arbor, could be in serious jeopardy, as Stewart Mandel of The Athletic suggested earlier this month.

For understandable reasons, Harbaugh won't use the word "embarrassed" to describe how he feels about the state of the team. The underlying issues in Michigan's performances have been impossible to ignore, however.