Harbaugh explains why Michigan running game struggled

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh has not always been forthcoming with answers about this team since taking over in December, but he was at his pregame press conference Monday. 

Among the topics Harbaugh discussed in detail with reporters in Ann Arbor was what problems he saw with the Michigan offensive line, which had trouble making holes for the Wolverine backs to run through. 

"Everybody’s got fingerprints on it.," Harbaugh replied via transcript from MGoBlog.com. "The quarterback does, though he did a good job getting us into the right plays and executing the running game. Receivers are involved, some good, some bad. When it came to the blocking on the perimeter, some good, some close to unacceptable, so we’ve got to get a lot better blocking physically on the perimeter."

Four Michigan backs combined to net 65 yards on 24 carries as the Wolverines lost Utah, and Harbaugh identified the interior line as a place where there was "good, bad and unacceptable." 

"There was missing an assignment, there was missing a man, lined up on a guy and getting ole’d and (running back) De’Veon Smith paid the price for that. That’s just a fact. 

"We were too high. We’ve got to get the pad level down. A couple times our guards got in positions you don’t ever want to be in as a football player. So, they know it. They know it better than anybody. And I don’t think there’s anything about getting pad level down other than the couple times we saw in the game where we had a man completely underneath you lifting you off the ground. You are in a state of no leverage. You’ve lost all your power-producing angles, and maybe that’s the best teacher. So, I think we’ll get better at that. We’ll get the pad level down.”

(H/T MGoBlog.com)