[ad_1]
Michigan running back Karan Higdon will address the media on Monday, November 19, 2018 in Ann Arbor in preparation for the game against Ohio State.
Nick Baumgardner, press
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh meets with divisional player Karan Higdon before the game against Notre Dame on September 1, 2018 in South Bend, Ind.(Photo: Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
Two guarantees Two circumstances.
A similar trust behind them.
In 1986, Michigan co-captain Jim Harbaugh announced that a Michigan victory at the Ohio Stadium against the Ohio State was taking place. He guaranteed it.
On Monday, a Michigan co-captain, Karan Higdon, was asked by a reporter to do the same thing. So he did it.
The circumstances surrounding the two moments could not be more different.
When Harbaugh made his claim, Michigan was beaten by Minnesota in a staggering defeat on the senior day. U-M's unbeaten season was not over, and the Wolverines were looking to see their hopes of winning the Big Ten title disappear a week later in Columbus.
More than that, about 100 miles west of Ann Arbor, Harbaugh's father, Jack, was about to be fired from his position as head coach at Western Michigan. Bo Schembechler would call it a "sport tragedy" before declaring again that the WMU job was "the worst job in the US". Jim had discovered what was going to happen the weekend before the Ohio State match.
When asked about the guarantee of a Free Press reporter at the time, Jack proposed another layer to the story. Part of his son's guarantee, he said, was to get Papa out of the spotlight and place him on his own shoulders.
"I know why he did that," Jack said. "He did it for me."
Harbaugh offered his promise without provocation.
Higdon was asked directly, with a litany of cameras directed towards him in search of a juicy sound, though he would be willing to make the same guarantee. A difficult question that a player can not answer.
If he says no, he is accused of not trusting his team. If he answers in the affirmative, he is accused of being too bold and careless in the ever popular game of display material.
The situations were clearly different.
But the people who say these words are very similar.
Harbaugh has made a name for himself in football by showing unshakable confidence in his abilities and, as such, has been considered a true leader "on the spot".
Higdon, in this respect, is exactly the same.
He is a player who told reporters that at the end of the 2017 season, he would consider qualifying for the NFL draft. Some fans snickered, but Higdon was serious. Because he was completely confident in his abilities as a player. A year later, Higdon is among the best feeders available in the draft.
Before the season, he said, he returned to school to break 1,000 yards.
It only took him nine games.
As an unstated 3-star rookie, Higdon missed his overnight plane to Ann Arbor for a winter recruitment visit because the trip was planned at the last minute and he had to work. He woke up at 2 am, took the earliest available flight near his Florida home and flew for a snowstorm. He competed with 5-star prospects and touted his back for four years.
He has overcome them all.
More: Chase Winovich of Michigan football being "rated", the status is not clear
Is he out of his way on Monday to promise a win in the biggest game of the season? No, he did not do it. But when he was asked the impossible question, after a short break, he had no problem pushing all his chips in the middle. He put his name on it. Because he is confident.
In himself and his teammates.
"Yes Yes." "Higdon said Monday." That's what I feel. I firmly believe in my brothers, this team and this coaching staff.
"As a captain, I will take a stand, why not?"
Why not, that's good.
The Harbaugh team in 1986 entered a slightly injured Ohio State. The Higdon team is skyrocketing.
Michigan has been the best and most consistent team of Big Ten throughout the conference this season. The Wolverines outclass their opponents by more than 25 points per game. They won on the road. They overcame unfavorable situations. They have proven themselves and seem to be as prepared as any Michigan team that participates in an Ohio State match at least over the past decade. Maybe longer.
In 1986, Harbaugh gave a guarantee and finally walked. His team beat Ohio State and went to the Rose Bowl. On Monday, Higdon was asked to make the same promise and he did it.
Higdon's "guarantee" is not the same as Harbaugh's.
But like his head coach 32 years ago, he probably does not care what anyone thinks about it. He would not have said it when he did not think so. And there is little evidence suggesting that he will ever regret having said so.
Contact Nick Baumgardner: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.
Source link
