Jim Harbaugh was in no mood to discuss the spate of video reviews that went against his team – some in controversial fashion – in the immediate aftermath of Michigan’s loss to Michigan State.
“I made my thoughts known throughout the game,” Harbaugh said at the time.
He was much more forthcoming a few days later.
“There were some huge things that went against us, the obvious one the calls,” Harbaugh said Tuesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show.
All six of the reviewed plays went in Michigan State’s favor, which Harbaugh said played a big role in the momentum of the game. That included a touchdown late in the first half on a fumble recovery by Aidan Hutchinson that was reversed after the officials deemed MSU quarterback Payton Thorne was down by his shin with possession of the ball – despite a lack of concrete evidence.
“You don’t make excuses, but the guys deserved better, especially when you’re talking about a replay situation that is a sack-fumble touchdown,” Harbaugh said. “For that not to be a touchdown, for them to overturn that when the play was called and officiated as a touchdown, you have to have conclusive evidence to overturn that.”
The touchdown likely would have given Michigan a 27-14 lead at halftime. The Wolverines did score a field goal on the ensuing drive after MSU punted, but the reversal wound up costing them four points in a four-point loss.
Harbaugh said he took issue with “the way that some of the other plays were officiated, too, reviews that maybe they didn’t talk about as much on TV.” Kenneth Walker had a pair of touchdowns stand when it wasn't completely clear if he reached the end zone with possession of the ball -- which would have been fine with Harbaugh had the officials applied the same process to Hutchinson’s touchdown.
"There were others where they didn’t have the conclusive shot down the goal line. They didn’t have conclusive evidence, so the play stood. And that’s the way (Hutchinson's) play should have been officiated," Harbaugh said. "There’s really no question about it."
TV cameras during the game also caught Harbaugh yelling for pass interference when Cornelius Johnson appeared to be hooked in coverage on a fourth-down incompletion from MSU’s 31-yard line with under two minutes to play. It was the last time Michigan would enter Spartans territory.
“I was really proud of our team and coaches,” Harbaugh said. “Lots thrown at them and they fought, they competed, they made a lot of plays. Michigan State made a lot of plays, we made a lot of plays and enough plays to win. Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve. That’s part of life, but you do control how you respond.”
To that end, Harbaugh said “the grieving’s over.” Michigan has a “new four-game season” with its goals still in grasp.
“This team, yeah, it gets judged by everything that’s come before now, but also especially what happens after this Saturday, the Saturday after that, the Saturday after that and the Saturday after that. Determined,” Harbaugh said. “New day, new week. Excited about the new football fight. Let’s prepare harder, work harder and be more determined. That’s the way a champion responds. I know our guys want to be champions and let’s get at it.”
The loss to the Spartans dropped Harbaugh to 3-9 against Michigan State and Ohio State midway through his seventh season at his alma mater. Asked about his record against his team’s two biggest rivals, Harbaugh called it “chatter” that “I don’t have time to think about.”
“I put that in a place where I don’t – I listen to people I trust, opinions that I value,” he said.
