Column: Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers? After magical Rose Bowl, he’s a perfect fit
“Hail! to the victors valiant…â€
On a magical night at the Rose Bowl, thousands of maize-and-blue-decked fans sang it like they meant it because, for once, they really meant it.
“Hail! to the conqu’ring heroes…â€
After a giant embrace from Grandaddy, dozens of maize-and-blue-decked young men lived the words by storming and swarming and sobbing all over the chilly Arroyo Seco.
“Hail! Hail! to Michigan...â€
It’s true. It’s real. It happened. One of college football’s most legendary fight songs finally lived up to its lyrics Monday night in a game that put Michigan just one more heave from lifting a burden for the ages.
Top-seeded Michigan defeats Alabama 27-20 in overtime at the Rose Bowl to punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff national championship game.
Stumbling, bumbling and trailing late against legendary Alabama in a College Football Playoff semifinal game, Michigan somehow managed to storm back, tie it in the final two minutes, and win it in overtime.
The final score was 27-20, and the final word finally belonged to brilliant, eccentric, controversial Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
“Glorious,†Harbaugh said. “That was glorious.â€
After a season racked by a sign-stealing scandal, and having not won a solo national championship in 76 years, the Wolverines now advance to next week’s CFP championship game with a chance to both make and defeat history at the same time.
Not to mention, they just won their first Rose Bowl game in 26 years.
“Who’s got it better than we do?†shouted Harbaugh afterward to the many Wolverines fans among the 96,371 witnesses who turned the Rose Bowl into a screaming three-hour mosh pit.
“Nobody!†the fans replied.
Kris Jenkins and Cam Goode, defensive linemen who made Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe’s life miserable, sat together on a confetti-strewn field under a collapsing goal post cradling a rose and taking receipts.
“Everybody doubted us, saying we were stealing signs, stealing signals. ... †Goode said. “We got the dub and that’s all that matters. Roses smell real good.â€
However, the air was filled with that familiar big-game Michigan stench late in the fourth quarter when the Wolverines were trailing by a touchdown and faced fourth and two from the Alabama 40-yard line.
It was happening again. They were blowing it again. Michigan has been arguably the biggest chokers in the history of college football, going 21-29 in bowls and 0-2 in College Football Playoff games. And this from a school that has won more games than any team in college football history.
Seriously, how can you win 1,002 games and not win sole possession of at least one title in more than half a century?
But this particular undefeated and No. 1-ranked team, apparently, is different.
“Everything that happened this year made us invincible,†Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy said.
On that fourth-down play, McCarthy tossed a screen pass to a wide-open Blake Corum, and the stocky running back ran 27 yards that was enough for a first down despite a blocking-in-the-back penalty. Moments later McCarthy hit a leaping Roman Wilson for 29 yards, then two plays later he hit Wilson for four yards for the eventual tying touchdown.
The overtime? Not even close.
Michigan scored after two plays, the latter being a twisting and tackle-shrugging 17-yard run by Corum. Alabama grinded its way to the four-yard line, but quarterback Jalen Milroe was stuffed on fourth down to end the game and send Michigan players sprinting crazily off their sideline while Alabama players crumpled to the cold green earth.
McCarthy then did what dozens of Rose Bowl victors have done before him, running in front of the TV cameras while beautifully chewing on a rose.
Michigan safety Jesse Madden reminisces about what it’s been like to play football while being related to coaching and broadcasting legend John Madden.
“I didn’t touch it all week and I was just waiting for this moment to, you know, put it in my mouth,†he told ABC.
Michigan won despite losing an early fumble that led to a touchdown, botching an extra-point attempt, missing a field-goal try, and failing on a couple of really dumb trick plays.
Michigan won because it was more resilient than even arguably the most resilient program in college football, and this is a direct tribute to their head coach.
“Glorious,†repeated Harbaugh. “Everything we worked for, everything we trained and strained for…â€
You know what would be even more glorious? How about Jim Harbaugh coming to Los Angeles next season to coach the Chargers?
Harbaugh is seemingly sick of coaching college football. This season’s off-field foolishness apparently made that official.
He missed the first three games because of a university-issued penalty for recruiting violations. He missed the last three games for violating the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy after his program was accused of sign stealing.
Both issues were dumb. In this NIL era, does anybody still believe the NCAA should have any power over recruiting? And seriously, in college football, if you’re not stealing signs, you’re not trying.
After nine successful years at Michigan, Harbaugh seems over it. He has hired agent Don Yee of Tom Brady fame to represent him, and you don’t do that if you’re not pursuing the NFL.
And Harbaugh has been great for the NFL, winning 69% of his games in four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers a decade ago, including a close loss in the Super Bowl and two losses in the NFC championship game.
He left the team only when he had trouble working with the front office, beset by problems with supervisors, an issue that has plagued him his entire 20-year coaching career.
To which Chargers fans should say, so what?
Brandon Staley connected well with everybody, and how did that work out?
Harbaugh would be perfect for the Chargers. He finished his playing career there as a quarterback in 2000, so he knows the organization. The Chargers desperately need an offensive mind to revitalize the underachieving Justin Herbert, and Harbaugh would be ideally suited for that role. Remember Colin Kaepernick? He was never better than when he was with Harbaugh.
Harbaugh also has ties to Southern California, as he began his coaching career by winning 29 of 35 games at the University of San Diego.
Despite all of his sterling seasons, the one thing Harbaugh has never won is a championship. He will probably take care of that next week, and afterward, here’s hoping the Spanos family will have the open minds, and open wallet, to make the call.
After Monday’s win, Harbaugh was asked about his NFL future because, well, in every interview he’s asked about his NFL future.
“My future consists of a happy flight back to Ann Arbor, Michigan!†he shouted. “I can’t wait.â€
Neither can Chargers fans.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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