No Harbaugh, no problem! Michigan defeated Penn State 24-15 without their banned coach after its bid to get a temporary restraining order against the Big 10 was postponed
The Michigan Wolverines showed they remain unfazed by the off-court drama that engulfed the team as they put away Penn State 24-15 on Saturday without coach Jim Harbaugh.
Late in the morning it was announced that Harbaugh would not be on the sidelines after his attempt to get a restraining order against the Big Ten and its commissioner Tony Petitti was postponed until November 17.
The Big Ten Conference is banned Harbaugh of coaching Michigan’s three remaining regular-season games on Friday – also at Penn State – as punishment for a sign-stealing scheme.
The school made good on its promise to fight back in court, asking a Michigan judge for a temporary restraining order that would have allowed Harbaugh to coach the Wolverines in their biggest game of the season yet.
But that didn’t happen after the court decided the case wouldn’t be ruled until later this month — meaning Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore was put in charge in Pennsylvania.
The Michigan Wolverines defeated Penn State on Saturday without their coach Jim Harbaugh
Michigan running back Blake Corum scored two touchdowns in a dominant rushing display
Sherrone Moore was Michigan’s acting head coach in Harbaugh’s absence from the sidelines
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar scored a rushing touchdown in the second quarter
Wolverines fan holds up a “Free Jim” sign after Harbaugh was suspended Friday
The Wolverines turned in a far from perfect performance and Penn State led 3-0 after a nervous opening quarter in which neither side really took control.
But the game turned in Michigan’s favor in the second quarter when Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards both scored touchdowns.
Drew Allar scored for Penn State, but Corum’s second touchdown of the day with four minutes left sealed the win for Michigan.
The Wolverines move to 10-0 after defeating the first-seeded team they have faced so far this season.
Michigan acting head coach Sherrone Moore broke down in tears during an emotional post-game interview on live TV.
Gulping, Moore said, “I want to thank the Lord. I want to thank Coach Harbaugh.
“I fucking love you man. I love you husband. This is for you, for this university, the president, our AD.
Michigan acting head coach Sherrone Moore cried in an emotional postgame interview
WARNING: CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE
“We have the best players, the best university, the best alumni in the country. I love you. These damn boys right here. These guys did it. I love you.’
It comes after a controversial week for the Wolverines, in which the school was punished for an extensive, in-person scouting program that is also under investigation by the NCAA.
Conference rivals are angry and frustrated as mounting evidence shows that a former low-level staff member bought tickets to Michigan opponents’ games and sent people to record videos of side signals.
Harbaugh has denied any knowledge of any improper scouting in his program.
The rare punishment of a national championship candidate in the final stretch of his season and one of college football’s most successful coaches by his own conference has become one of the biggest stories in sports.
Harbaugh was unable to make the sideline for the Wolverines’ game against Penn State
Harbaugh and his lawyers tried to get a restraining order against the Big Ten and its commissioner Tony Petitti
“Like all members of the Big Ten Conference, we are entitled to a fair, deliberate and thoughtful process to determine the full set of facts before making a judgment,” Michigan President Santa Ono said in a statement this week.
“Today’s action by Commissioner Tony Petitti ignores the conference’s own handbook, violates basic principles of due process, and sets an untenable precedent for imposing sanctions before an investigation is completed.”
On the field, Michigan was the most dominant team in the country, outscoring its opponents by an average of 36 points per game and not allowing more than one touchdown in any game.
Harbaugh’s team is vying for its third straight Big Ten championship and entry into the College Football Playoff.
Former Michigan man Tom Brady tweeted on social media on Friday the same phrase as current Wolverines quarterback JJ McCarthy and many other Michigan players
The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season on Friday due to a personal sign-stealing scandal. The University of Michigan filed a restraining order in local court seeking to reinstate Harbaugh and circumvent the conference’s ruling.
After Penn State, the Wolverines are in Maryland for the traditional regular season finale against heated rival Ohio State. The third-ranked Buckeyes visit Ann Arbor, Michigan, on November 25.
The Big Ten’s punishment would allow Harbaugh to return for the Big Ten championship game and the playoff, if Michigan makes it.
Tom Brady waded into the controversy surrounding his former college, as current and former players tweeted one-word responses to Harbaugh’s suspension.
Following the suspension announcement, several Michigan football players tweeted the word “Bet” — defined in the modern slang context by Urban Dictionary as “something (a person) says when someone doubts them.”
Those players included current Michigan starting QB JJ McCarthy, as well as former Michigan QB and future Hall-of-Famer Brady.