Two times during the fourth quarter Sat-
urday, Jim Harbaugh made a decision that
indicated he did not understand the differ-
ence between the type of team he wants
Michigan to be and where the Wolverines ac-
tually are in Year 5 of his coaching tenure at
his alma mater.
Army had pushed seventh-ranked Michi-
gan to the limit with the same brutal effi-
ciency it employed a year ago at Oklahoma
before falling to the Sooners in overtime. The
Wolverines should have felt fortunate to be
tied at 14 with the Black Knights, given the
three fumbles and the inability of quarter-
back Shea Patterson to show real command
of the new Michigan offense that was created
with his skills in mind.
Yet, facing fourth and two from the Army
19, Harbaugh did not realize his good fortune
and take the 36-yard field goal for Michigan’s
first lead of the game. He asked a running
game that averaged less than three yards per
rush on the day to make him feel like these
were the good old days at the Big House,
when the tough yards were inevitably Michi-
gan’s to be had. Army mobbed Michigan
freshman Zach Charbonnet in the backfield,
a result Harbaugh easily should have predic-
ted and avoided.
Later, with less than three minutes left,
Harbaugh had another fourth-and-two call
to make, this time from the Army 43. Instead
of pinning Army’s triple-option attack deep
and setting up his defense with good field po-
sition to get the ball back and at least get to
overtime, Harbaugh again decided to go for
it. Michigan dialed Charbonnet’s number,
and again, the former Oaks Christian stand-
out was stuffed.
Harbaugh’s stubbornness, even con-
fronted with what should have been mount-
ing evidence that this was not a day for bold
statements about his team’s backbone,
nearly cost Michigan the game and all the
good vibes his fan base has been able to
muster entering this season with an 0-4
record against Ohio State.
Army missed a 50-yard field goal as the
clock ran out in regulation, giving Michigan a
second life it didn’t deserve.
The Wolverines won 24-21 in the second
overtime thanks to a gritty effort from an ex-
hausted defense. They won despite their
$7.5-million coach.
Another fall is here, and it’s Same Old
Michigan, no matter how much the Wolver-
ines try to change.
Harbaugh finally relinquished play-call-
ing to new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis,
whom he brought in from Alabama, where
Gattis coached the wide receivers during the
Crimson Tide’s tactical revolution last year.
Michigan had 340 yards of offense against
Army.
There are reasons why the Wolverines
haven’t taken off yet in Gattis’ spread attack,
which is supposed to take what the defense
gives instead of blindly pounding away into a
wall, which is what a good portion of Har-
baugh’s offense has looked like in Ann Arbor.
First, Army should be given credit for how
tough this was for Michigan. The Black
Knights, their ball-control offense sucking
up so much game clock, make every pos-
session extra weighty for the opposing of-
fense. When a team fumbles the ball to Army
as Michigan did three times, it is asking to
find itself in a fourth-quarter brawl.
Plus, Patterson, the hyped Mississippi
transfer who led Michigan to a 10-3 season
last year, was hurt in the opener and playing
with an injured oblique. He was often inaccu-
rate and indecisive, and Gattis tightened up
the playbook as the game went on.
Saturday, Michigan ran plenty of read-
option with Patterson and Charbonnet —
who saved the Wolverines with 33 carries for
100 yards and three touchdowns — but was
unwilling to have Patterson keep the ball.
That made it easy for Army to key on Char-
bonnet.
In what has become a trend, Harbaugh
made it even harder for Michigan. In Year 5,
the Wolverines are supposed to be compet-
ing with Ohio State for a spot in the College
Football Playoff. As it stands, Michigan runs
the risk of being blown out of its next game
Sept. 21 at Wisconsin.
This is the definition of a well-placed bye
week, for the injured players and the pro-
gram. A win Saturday kept fan desperationfrom settling in, but Harbaugh gets paid to
know better than to feel relieved. The pain is
coming.
Ohio State, with its new coach Ryan Day
and new quarterback Justin Fields, demol-
ished a solid Cincinnati team 42-0 down the
road in Columbus.
Michigan, with its returning coach and re-
turning senior quarterback, is the team that
should be glad it’s only September.Nebraska nosedives
While we’re on the topic of former
quarterbacks who returned to their alma
maters as coaches to restore them to glory,
Scott Frost and Nebraska had a Saturday to
forget too. Unlike Harbaugh and Michigan,
the Cornhuskers actually have a loss to go
with their shot of reality.
It didn’t have to be this way, either. Ne-
braska, a popular pick to win the Big Ten
West, led 17-0 at halftime in Boulder, before
falling to Colorado in overtime 34-31.
Some Folsom Field magic came alive,reminiscent of the Big Eight Conference
days when Colorado and Nebraska battled
for the league crown every year from 1988 to
1995.
Nebraska gave hints of being overrated
with a tighter-than-expected 35-21 opening
win over South Alabama. Colorado gave
hints of being underrated with a 52-31 win
over Colorado State in Denver.
Saturday confirmed Week 1’s signs. Both
programs are capable of a bowl game but ar-
en’t likely to win their respective divisions.Maryland sends a message
The Maryland Terrapins have done this
before, notching an impressive early season
win only to come back to reality as fall prog-
resses.
But, gosh, the 63-20 walloping of No. 21
Syracuse on Saturday has to be taken seri-
ously, right?
Maryland, in just its second game under
new coach Mike Locksley, the former Ala-
bama offensive coordinator, put up 650 yards
of total offense.
The Big Ten East is tough with Ohio
State, Penn State, Michigan and Michigan
State, but the Terrapins may be able to pull
an upset or two with Virginia Tech transfer
quarterback Josh Jackson playing this well
in Locksley’s scheme.Hilinski shines in debut
It was just Charleston Southern, but that
didn’t matter to the Hilinski family on Sat-
urday.
Ryan Hilinski, the Orange Lutheran High
product, started his first game at quarter-
back for South Carolina. In a 72-10 win, he
completed 24 of 30 passes for 282 yards and
two touchdowns. He also ran for a score.
Hilinski is the younger brother of Tyler
Hilinski, the former Washington State
quarterback who took his life in January
2 018.
Ryan, a freshman, started because of a
foot injury to senior Jake Bentley sustained
during last weekend’s loss to North Carolina.
Bentley could be out for the season.
Next up for Hilinski? Alabama visits
South Carolina in a nationally televised CBS
game.SPOTLIGHT
Wins worth celebrating,
but maybe not Michigan’s
By J. Brady McColloughRYAN HILINSKIcan smile after his first start as South Carolina’s quarterback,
as the freshman from Orange Lutheran led a 72-10 win over Charleston Southern.John AmisAssociated PressD12 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2019 SS LATIMES.COM/SPORTS
PASSING AttCmp YdsTD
ELIJAH SINDELAR, Purdue 52 34 509 5
JOE BURROW, LSU 39 31 471 4
ANTHONY GORDON, Wash. St. 39 31 464 4
DREW PITT, Ball State 40 32 439 6
SAM EHLINGER, Texas 47 31 401 4
RUSHING AttYards AvgTD
DARRYTON EVANS, App. St. 19 234 12.3 3
CAM AKERS, Florida State 36 193 5.4 2
ELIJAH COLLINS, Michigan State 17 192 11.3 0
TRA MINTER, South Alabama 16 189 11.8 2
CHARLES WILLIAMS, UNLV 19 168 8.8 1
RECEIVING NoYards AvgTD
RONDALE MOORE, Purdue 13 220 16.9 1
DUSTIN BURKHART, Akron 8 217 27.1 0
DARRELL STEWART JR., Mich. St. 10 185 18.5 1
TYLAN WALLACE, Oklahoma St. 5 180 36.0 3
JUSTIN JEFFERSON, LSU 9 163 18.1 3
Note:does not include top performers from Saturday’s late games.BEST OF THE DAY
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
1 Clemson 2-0
8 Def. No. 12 Texas A&M, 24-10
8 Saturday at No. 21 Syracuse2 Alabama 2-0
8 Def. New Mexico State, 62-10
8 Saturday at South Carolina3 Georgia 2-0
8 Def. Murray State, 63-17
8 Saturday vs. Arkansas State4 Oklahoma 2-0
8 Def. South Dakota, 70-14
8 Saturday at UCLA5 Ohio State 2-0
8 Def. Cincinnati, 42-0
8 Saturday at Indiana6 Louisiana St. 2-0
8 Def. No. 9 Texas, 45-38
8 Saturday vs. Northwestern State7 Michigan 2-0
8 Def. Army, 24-21 (2 OT)
8 Sept. 21 at No.17 Wisconsin8 Notre Dame 1-0
8 Did not play
8 Saturday vs. New Mexico9 Texas 1-1
8 Lost to No. 6 Louisiana State, 45-38
8 Saturday vs. Rice10 Auburn 2-0
8 Def. Tulane, 24-6
8 Saturday vs. Kent State11 Florida 2-0
8 Def. Tennessee Martin, 45-0
8 Saturday at Kentucky12 Texas A&M 1-1
8 Lost to No. 1 Clemson, 24-10
8 Saturday vs. Lamar13 Utah 2-0
8 Def. Northern Illinois, 35-17
8 Saturday vs. Idaho State14 Washington 1-0
8 vs. California, late
8 Saturday vs. Hawaii15 Penn State 2-0
8 Def. Buffalo, 45-13
8 Saturday vs. Pittsburgh16 Oregon 1-1
8 Def. Nevada, 77-6
8 Saturday vs. Montana17 Wisconsin 2-0
8 Def. Central Michigan, 61-0
8 Sept. 21 vs. No. 7 Michigan18 Central Florida 2-0
8 Def. Florida Atlantic, 48-14
8 Saturday vs. No. 23 Stanford19 Michigan State 2-0
8 Def. Western Michigan, 51-17
8 Saturday vs. Arizona State20 Iowa 2-0
8 Def. Rutgers, 30-0
8 Saturday at No. 25 Iowa State21 Syracuse 1-1
8 Lost to Maryland, 63-20
8 Saturday vs. No. 1 Clemson22 Washington St. 2-0
8 Def. Northern Colorado, 59-17
8 Friday vs. Houston23 Stanford 1-1
8 Lost to USC, 45-20
8 Saturday at No. 18 Central Florida24 Boise State 2-0
8 Def. Marshall, 14-7, Friday
8 Saturday vs. Portland State25 Iowa State 1-0
8 Did not play
8 Saturday vs. No. 20 Iowa25 Nebraska 1-1
8 Lost to Colorado, 34-31 (OT)
8 Saturday vs. Northern IllinoisTHE AP TOP 25
White = win | Black = loss | Gray = off
SOUTHLAND
San Diego St. 23, UCLA 14
USC 45, Stanford 20
UC Davis 38, San Diego 35
Whittier 38, Luther 26
Whitworth 50, La Verne 24
Puget Sound 21, Claremont-Mudd 17
Redlands 35, George Fox, Ore. 19
Occidental 38, CETYS (Mexico) 7
Pomona-Pitzer vs. Lewis-Clark Valley
West Texas A&M 35, Azusa Pacific 16
WEST
Oregon 77, Nevada 6
Washington St. 59, N. Colorado 17
California at Washington
Arizona 65, N. Arizona 41
Oregon St. at Hawaii
Minnesota 38, Fresno St. 35 (2 OT)
E. Washington 59, Lindenwood (Mo.) 31
Portland St. 70, Simon Fraser 7
Tulsa 34, San Jose St. 16
Arkansas St. 43, Nevada Las Vegas 17
EAST
Albany (N.Y.) 45, Bryant 3
Alfred 42, Thiel 0
Boston College 45, Richmond 13
Bowie St. 34, American International 20
CCSU 40, Merrimack 37
Carnegie-Mellon 24, MIT 7
Clarion 48, Shippensburg 28
Coast Guard 27, New England 17
Cortland St. 63, Fitchburg St. 0
Delaware 44, Rhode Island 36, 3OT
Duquesne 44, Walsh 3
East Stroudsburg 24, Wagner 14
FDU-Florham 56, Merchant Marine 48
Franklin & Marshall 35, Lebanon Valley 20
Georgetown 43, Marist 3
Grove City 49, Juniata 28
Hobart 33, Brockport 7
Holy Cross 13, New Hampshire 10
Illinois 31, UConn 23
Indiana (Pa.) 24, New Haven 13
Ithaca 66, St. Vincent 28
Kentucky St. 13, Robert Morris 7
Kenyon 32, Catholic 31
King’s (Pa.) 23, Moravian 20
Kutztown 54, Assumption 16
Maryland 63, Syracuse 20
Mass.-Dartmouth 54, Alfred St. 7
McDaniel 24, Misericordia 14
Monmouth (NJ) 24, Lafayette 21
Morrisville St. 39, Bridgewater (Mass.) 7
Muhlenberg 45, College of NJ 26
North Central 43, Christopher Newport 13
Norwich 22, Salve Regina 19
Ohio Dominican 24, Shepherd 21
Penn St. 45, Buffalo 13
Pittsburgh 20, Ohio 10
Plymouth St. 23, Castleton 17
RPI 52, Allegheny 14
S. Illinois 45, UMass 20
SUNY Maritime 24, Maine Maritime 21
Sacred Heart 30, Bucknell 10
St. John Fisher 23, Buffalo St. 6
Stonehill 33, Bloomsburg 14
Susquehanna 42, Lycoming 26
Towson 42, NC Central 3
Union (NY) 42, Westfield St. 7
Urbana 43, WV Wesleyan 14
Villanova 38, Lehigh 10
W. Connecticut 12, William Paterson 9
W. New England 33, Springfield 17
Washington & Jefferson 16, Wittenberg 8
Wesley 69, Franklin Pierce 0
West Chester 14, Bentley 7
Widener 38, Rowan 28
Wilkes 38, Hartwick 21
SOUTH
Alabama 62, New Mexico St. 10
Alabama St. 38, Tuskegee 31
Alcorn St. 45, Mississippi College 7
Appalachian St. 56, Charlotte 41
Ark.-Pine Bluff 52, Alabama A&M 34
Auburn 24, Tulane 6
BYU 29, Tennessee 26
Berry 31, Maryville (Tenn.) 10
Bridgewater (Va.) 41, Gettysburg 10
Campbell 38, Shaw 14Cent. Arkansas 24, Austin Peay 16
Clemson 24, Texas A&M 10
Davidson 45, Va. Lynchburg 7
Duke 45, NC A&T 13
ETSU 48, Shorter 10
East Carolina 48, Gardner-Webb 9
Elon 35, The Citadel 28
Florida 45, UT Martin 0
Florida St. 45, Louisiana-Monroe 44, OT
Georgia 63, Murray St. 17Georgia Southern 26, Maine 18
Georgia St. 48, Furman 42
Georgia Tech 14, South Florida 10
Howard Payne 48, Austin 34
Huntingdon 69, Guilford 43
Jacksonville St. 41, Chattanooga 20
James Madison 44, St. Francis (Pa.) 7
Kentucky 38, E. Michigan 17
LaGrange 29, Birmingham-Southern 14
Lenoir-Rhyne 68, St. Augustine’s 7Louisiana Tech 20, Grambling St. 14
Louisiana-Lafayette 35, Liberty 14
Louisville 42, E. Kentucky 0
Memphis 55, Southern U. 24
Mercer 45, Presbyterian 7
Middle Tennessee 45, Tennessee St. 26
Midwestern St. 33, Northwestern St. 7
Mississippi 31, Arkansas 17
Mississippi St. 38, Southern Miss. 15
Morehouse 26, Edward Waters 20
NC State 41, W. Carolina 0
NC Wesleyan 31, Emory & Henry 24
North Carolina 28, Miami 25
S. Virginia 34, Montclair St. 21
SC State 34, Lane 0
SE Louisiana at Bethune-Cookman, ppd.
Shenandoah at Methodist, ccd.
South Alabama 37, Jackson St. 14
South Carolina 72, Charleston Southern 10
Southwestern (Texas) 47, Sewanee 7
Stetson 58, Louisiana College 13
Central Florida 48, Florida Atlantic 14
VMI 63, Mars Hill 21
Virginia Tech 31, Old Dominion 17
Virginia Union 36, Hampton 17
Virginia-Wise 40, Chowan 22
W. Kentucky 20, Florida International 14
West Georgia 37, Catawba 9
MIDWEST
Ala. Birmingham 31, Akron 20
Augsburg 36, Ripon 2
Augustana (S.D.) 52, Upper Iowa 0
Aurora 50, St. Norbert 40
Baldwin-Wallace 31, Alma 14
Ball St. 57, Fordham 29
Bethel (Minn.) 42, Simpson (Iowa) 10
Butler 30, Indiana Wesleyan 27, OT
Carleton 41, Macalester 0
Centre 45, Hanover 31
Coastal Carolina 12, Kansas 7
Dayton 42, Indiana St. 35
Indiana 52, E. Illinois 0
Iowa 30, Rutgers 0
John Carroll 21, Wis.-Stevens Pt. 7
Kalamazoo 3, Oberlin 0Kansas St. 52, Bowling Green 0
Kent St. 26, Kennesaw St. 23, OT
Miami (Ohio) 48, Tennessee Tech 17
Michigan 24, Army 21, 2OT
Michigan St. 51, W. Michigan 17
Michigan Tech 29, Hillsdale 14
Missouri 38, West Virginia 7
Mount St. Joseph 41, Geneva 27
Muskingum 31, Waynesburg 20
N. Dakota St. 38, North Dakota 7
N. Iowa 34, S. Utah 14
N. Michigan 30, McKendree 9
Notre Dame Coll. 33, Concord 10
Ohio St. 42, Cincinnati 0
Purdue 42, Vanderbilt 24
Quincy 38, Central St. (Ohio) 8
S. Dakota St. 38, LIU 3
St. Scholastica 42, Mayville St. 35
St. Thomas (Minn.) 69, Trinity International 3
Tiffin 22, Northwood (Mich.) 19
Truman St. 10, Drake 7
Wisconsin 61, Cent. Michigan 0
Youngstown St. 54, Howard 28
SOUTHWEST
Abilene Christian 66, Arizona Christian 14
Baylor 63, UTSA 14
Hendrix 28, Lyon 20
Houston 37, Prairie View 17
Houston Baptist 58, Texas Wesleyan 13
Incarnate Word 63, Texas Southern 44
LSU 45, Texas 38
Lamar 23, Miss. Valley St. 20, OT
Oklahoma 70, South Dakota 14
Oklahoma St. 56, McNeese St. 14
Ottawa (Ariz.) 38. Western New Mexico 31
SMU 49, North Texas 27
Sam Houston St. 77, Okla. Panhandle St. 0
Tarleton St. 37, Stephen F. Austin 26
Texas Tech 38, UTEP 3
Texas-Permian Basin 60, Wayland Baptist 7
Wyoming 23, Texas St. 14
ROCKIES
Colorado 34, Nebraska 31, OT
Colorado St. 38, W. Illinois 13
Utah 35, N. Illinois 17Utah St. 62, Stony Brook 7
Montana St. 38, SE Missouri 17
Weber St. 41, Cal Poly 24
Central Washington at Idaho
North Alabama at Montana
NAIA
Benedictine 47, William Penn 11
Bethel (Kan.) 34, Bethany 14
Bethel (Tenn.) 49, Bluefield 24
Brian Cliff 13, Dakota State 10
Butler 30, Indiana Wesleyan 27 (OT)
Campbellsville at Southeastern (Fla.), ppd.
Central Methodist 20, Culver-Stockton 13 (OT)
College of Idaho 28, Montana Tech 14
Concordia (Mich.) 17, Kentucky Wesleyan 14
Cumberland (Tenn.) 14, Cincinnati Christian 6
Cumberlands (Ky.) 30, Ave Maria 23 (OT)
Dakota Wesleyan 44, Presentation 0
Dickinson State 34, Jamestown 0
Doane 17, Concordia (Neb.) 10
Dordt 30, Waldorf 9
Eastern Oregon 24, Southern Oregon 21
Evangel 22, Peru State 14
Friends 21, Saint Mary (Kan.) 6
Grand View 20, Baker 3
Keiser at St. Andrews, ppd.
Kentucky Christian 30. Georgetown (Ky.) 27
Langston 21, McPherson 20
Lindsey Wilson 34, Point 9
MidAmerica Nazerene 38, Graclenad 33
Missouri Valley 44, Clarke 6
Montana Western 31, Carroll 24
Northwestern (Ia.) 47, Valley City State 7
Ottawa (Kan.) 35, Southwestern (Kan.) 34
Reinhardt 20, Pikesville 17 (OT)
Robert Morris (Ill.) 34, Taylor 14
Rocky Mountain 53, Montana State-Northern
34
Saint Xavier 45, Lawrence Tech 13
Saint Francis (Ind.) 56, St. Francis (Ill.) 6
St. Ambrose 45, Missouri Baptist 37
Siena Height 20, Olivet Nazerene 18
Sterling 34, Avila 21
Thomas More 38, St. Thomas (Fla.) 14
Webber International 44, Union (Ky.) 18LOSING IT
Eric Christian SmithAssociated PressHouston wide receiver Cole McGowan,
right, can’t hold on to a pass as Prairie
View cornerback Logan Jackson defends.