Go Blue

One of Jim Harbaugh’s current issues is about his legacy. Jim was hired at the end of 2014 by the University of Michigan to beat Ohio State and turn Michigan’s football program around. Up to that point, Ohio State had whipped the Wolverines in four straight games. By the end of the 2019 regular football season, the Buckeyes have now won nine straight football games. Not only could Harbaugh’s team not be victorious over Urban Meyer’s team, they could not beat first year coach Ryan Day in that 2019 game. This essay focuses on the psychological factors affecting the Wolverines and ideas for a change in results.

Jim Harbaugh had been a good coach in the NFL and at the college ranks. Urban Meyer had been a terrific college coach and has attained three national championships. Some may argue that Meyer was a better coach and had more exceptional players than Jim Harbaugh.

This rivalry has been unprecedented in college football. 50 years ago, in 1969, the number 1 Ohio State Buckeyes were 17 ½ point favorites over the Wolverines. The matchup was between Woody Hayes and his protégé, first year coach Bo Schembechler. For those that remember, coach Schembechler was hired because in 1968 Woody Hayes’ team demolished Bump Elliott’s squad 50-14. Sadly, Bump Elliott passed on December 7, in Iowa.

Schembechler bested Hayes and the ten year rivalry began. Both coaches are coaching legends at their respective schools. In fact, Jim Harbaugh was an All-American quarterback for Schembechler and Harbaugh’s father Jack coached for Schembechler. Urban Meyer was an assistant coach for the Buckeyes in 1986 and was named as their head coach in November, 2011.

The recent Michigan football history is as follows regarding Ohio State. The Buckeyes were victorious against the Wolverines in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Harbaugh first year competition against the Buckeyes was in 2015. In 2015, at the half, Ohio State had a narrow 14 to 10 lead; in 2016, OSU won in two overtime’s; in 2017, the two teams were tied at halftime 14-14 with OSU finally winning 31 to 20; the 2018 score was 62-39; and the 2019 score was 56-27.

Although it can be argued that OSU has better football coaching and more exceptional players than the Wolverines, that argument is for another day. Michigan’s teams under Harbaugh have been nationally ranked but obviously have not played up to their potential with the exception of the 2016 game that ended in two overtimes. Taking a look at the previous last nine years psychologically, this is the reality. Michigan has a significant history of losing their most important rivalry game. Furthermore, coach Harbaugh was brought in to tame OSU. With that being said, Harbaugh has a tremendous amount of anxiety and anger with the mention of OSU and his failure to win. A layperson might call it pressure or stress. Harbaugh may deny, distort, rationalize or avoid thoughts of his anxiety or uneasiness. However, it is there whether he realizes it or not. His anxiety, like a ripple effect, expresses itself in frustration, temper, anger, abruptness, intolerance, impulsivity and is likely externalized toward some object or person. Not only is his coaching staff but his players are affected as well by his personality.

Like all achievement oriented competitors, Harbaugh, his staff and his players have a fear of failure in which they attempt to compensate for this dreaded experience. All the Wolverines have developed expectancies for success with their football achievement. Now, with the history of being soundly defeated, their expectancy for success against OSU has been severely diminished and deflated. They may brag about beating OSU but that’s just a cover or a denial for feelings of inferiority, being second best and an expectation of losing. One’s positive expectations are both important and necessary for optimal motivation and success. They are not afraid of OSU because fear is a transparent and an objective danger. They don’t expect to die, experience some physical danger, or lose a scholarship. It’s about anxiety that is hidden, subjective and mentally carried around. To be successful, one has to be able to recognize and then lower the anxiety level.

When there is a tremendous amount of anxiety, some attempt to escape their anxiety by avoiding situations, thoughts or feelings which might arouse their anxiety. With attempted avoidance of dealing with anxiety, the avoidance operates automatically with an inhibition. Inhibitions, are an attempt to avoid anxiety, and results in the difficulty to do, feel or think effectively.  Inhibitions are often experienced mentally with fatigue, exhaustion, tiredness, weakness, and/or the feeling of strain. Unfortunately, individuals that are unaware have little capacity for overcoming the inhibitions by a conscious effort. Too much anxiety commonly seen in sports has been called “choking”. Inhibitions can affect player performance or failure in many ways. Physically, they don’t and are unable to run as fast as they can; they don’t catch the pass that they normally do, nor are they able to tackle and block as they are capable.  Cognitively, they make mental mistakes like being called for penalties; they miss assignments and are in the wrong player assignment position; they forget the plays and are unable to focus as clearly because of too much anxiety and/or the development of inhibition. In essence, they don’t play their best, but play or perform poorly. Too much anxiety is deadly as far as sports performance. The Wolverines, under Harbaugh, have played poorly in the second half of their football games with the Buckeyes with the exception of the one game in 2016.

Some might say what about 50 years ago when the Wolverines upset the mighty Buckeyes? Psychologically there were significant differences. 1. Yes, the 1968 Wolverines that played and watched that game were humiliated. Now, for these Wolverines we have a motive for revenge. They were able to control their anxiety and use fear of failure to their advantage as far as conditioning and buying into Bo’s unorthodox conditioning and coaching ways. 2. Significant recruiting by Bump brought to Ann Arbor outstanding competitors. At the time, freshmen were not allowed to play varsity football.  So, talented sophomores contributed during the season and in that historic game. 3. There was not a culture of anxiety and low expectations. Instead, Bo Schembechler was the new coach, with a new coaching staff and the new athletic director was Don Canham. 4. That 69 team, starting with the Minnesota game, demolished the rest of their opponents that season. Their talent, their expectations, their motivation and their coaching all came together for that important game. 5. Competitiveness, accomplishments were strong while fear of failure and anxiety were held in check.  There was not too much anxiety nor too little anxiety.  The anxiety level was just right- just like Goldilocks tasting the porridge.

In essence, the University of Michigan football program suffers from humiliating defeats by Ohio State. The football culture requires change especially the athletic department, the head coach and the assistant coaches. There’s too much pressure and anxiety at the moment when it comes to thinking, feeling and performing against Ohio State. Sport psychologists and football consultants-former players and coaches to assist coach Harbaugh and his staff are necessary to assist him to better utilize his players physical and emotional strength. Likewise, sport psychologists for incoming recruits and existing players are also necessary to assist with their emotional and cognitive functioning. The influx of mental health and other football minds might be able to present cognitively new and differing ideas as well as employing mental health principles to combat the low expectation level, fear of failure and anxiety that prevents optimal playing against the rival Ohio State.