Harbaugh answers Rolovich’s coach-on-coach shootout challenge
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh placed the marker cones on the Pearl High School football field in preparation for a number of agility and speed speed drill, June 8, at a Michigan Satellite Camp at Pearl High School in Pearl, Miss. Harbaugh said he’d be open to a coach-on-coach quarterback challenge with Hawaii’s Nick Rolovich before Saturday’s nationally-televised game in Ann Arbor.
Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh said he’d be open to a coach-on-coach quarterback challenge with Hawaii’s Nick Rolovich before Saturday’s nationally-televised game in Ann Arbor.
“Yeah, I’d be open to it,” Harbaugh said in response to a question this morning on the Big Ten Conference media conference call.
Earlier this spring Rolovich, who worked a camp at UH with Harbaugh, challenged the former Michigan and NFL quarterback to a passing competition before their game via Twitter.
I wonder if @CoachJim4UM would be up for a coach's pre game QB battle in the Big House 9/3/16? https://t.co/i2JlLTkYsA
— Nick Rolovich (@NickRolovich) March 10, 2016
Today Harbaugh said, “Quarterback shootout? Interesting. I’ll see what he has in mind. Yeah, I’d be glad to talk to Nick about that. Sounds like a challenge, huh?”
Harbaugh then said, “I think I know what competition he is talking about. So, that would be interesting. Yeah, I’d be open to it.”
For the game, the Wolverines are 40.5-point favorites.
Harbaugh said, “I had a great time (at the Hawaii camp), so did our whole staff. I have great respect for Coach and his entire staff.”
Of the camp, Harbaugh said, “It was great day of football. That’s the best way to describe it. Nick and I were teamed up most of the day for drills and talking football. It was a real memorable day for me.”
29 responses to “Harbaugh answers Rolovich’s coach-on-coach shootout challenge”
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Hope we learned more about Michigan than they learned about us during the camp. I love the challenge, go get um Rolo.
Aside from the publicity and revenues that come with it, I do not for the life of understand why our program keep choosing to take on the big programs replete with blue chip players. It just sets us up for failure and in this case national embarrassment. Sure, our team will be big time underdogs and a close battle would be a win even if we lose. But to set them up early in the season is just foolish. Others may say it is best to hit these teams early in the season for tactical reasons but our team is not exactly on the same level. Just being honest here. Further, these coaches are not just coaches. Many of them are top-notch and even former NFL coaches like this one. We need to play more of the teams that are within our league and when we’re ready we can take on powerhouse programs. We’re just not there yet. I will be rooting for our team like many here. But let’s be classy and stop bashing the team or coach. I think we’re going in the right direction. But Rolo needs to get more aggressive in recruiting our local talent. Too many of them are headed to these very same powerhouse programs such as Notre Dame who have even stolen one when we actually got one. Go Warriors!
Money….nuff said.
Agree. Fools gold
@ nodaddy – I think the players themselves love these games too. It’s a chance to be on national tv and a chance to play against one of the best. Nothing to lose. It has little impact on the Conference standings. Our Warriors can hold their own.
We play big programs for the payday, 500,000-1,000,000. We need to do this to stay alive and pay for other sports programs because of title ixx. We play earlier in the year because most school have to play their conference games after the first four weeks. All MWC schools play payday games, this is how Boise St surprised so many schools back in the day. Before conference championships we used to get a marquee game late in the year but those days are gone. We need big payout games and the Big schools need easy wins, just the way it is. Dont forget we need to pay for the Tennessee martins to come here for an easy win too.
I think for the UH to be competitive for a national ranking we have to beat good teams consistently and on the road. JJ could not do it and either can ROLO. That said, give Rolo credit for trying. He knows he is in a weak conference and will get his wins later.
good one allie! UH needs to get the heck out of the mountain west!But first Rolo needs to get some wins. Michigan is just using us for …..warm up.
I don’t know but when I played sports I wanted to play the best to test my skills. No fun playing average teams.
AD needs to sacrifice the Football teams for bounty games so he can give Ganot a raise then fire him at the end of this season or next when the fans start to catch on.
Money is the biggest challenge for our program. It defines everything from recruiting to coaches. If we can stay healthy, playing big programs should be better for our kids when we get into league play. You don’t get better playing weaker competitors.
I don’t agree. The coach is the biggest challenge for the UH program. Success breeds success and failure breeds more failure. It is a given UH players will never stack up to all the players from Alabama but how do you make do with what you got and with incredible discipline and good strategy, stark eeking out wins resulting in always close to winning the conference championships. Only a handful of coaches have the experience at the Div1A or NFL level who started off with lemons and had the capability and creds to make lemonade with a miraculous turnaround. People need to be honest that right now UH football is a one big loser and these big money games do nothing to improve the level of UH football except to show that UH players don’t even have enough discipline to not get set home early from Australia for breaking team rules. UH desperately needs an experienced “cleaner” to turn things around at UH and there is not much more time before the damage becomes so permanent that UH football will be nothing more than a failed Div1A team. Once a team is permanently branded a LOSER, no top blue chip recruits, including many coming out of Hawaii, will ever again play for this team. This passing challenge for the two coaches is nothing more than a waste of time diversion to mask the complete slaughter UH will experience against Michigan. And if key UH players get injured, that will almost guarantee a Chow type of record for Rolo’s first season. What made UH successful in the past was UH had the right coach, JJ and a couple of key “money” players like Rolo and Ashley Lelie that won many games for UH. From this passing competition, pretty sad that the current best quarterback on the UH football team is the coach who has been out of the game for many, many years?
I agree with you and in some aspects do not. I think its about momentum..so I share your concerns insofar as we are becoming a perennial punching bag for talented programs. I agree that this will and already has affected recruiting to some extent…but football is not all schemes and talent…like many things their is a spiritual element that it has and if cultivated properly teams often play above what others think their talent level can achieve. Whether Rolo is the guy to do this, remains to be seen. But I certainly agree that this program is running out of time and resources and anyone who has been around for a long time can easily see this.
I will agree that it will be difficult (not impossible) to gain a win at Michigan this year. However, one must realize that these games were scheduled years in advance. It is hard to accurately determine how competitive a game will be 2 years from now. This game vs Michigan is here now and it provides an opportunity for Hawaii to play larger than we are expected to. I cannot believe any self respecting athlete enjoys beating up on weaker competition week in and week out. This is a chance for David to slay Goliath and Id like to believe our team is stoked to play up to the tougher competition.
You are correct control. The decision to play Michigan was made way before Rolo even got here. It was made during the Chow days! Maybe he thought that they would be of the same caliber as Michigan by now??
inverse – dude – lighten up man. The sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day. Actually two hurricanes are coming but you know what I mean right? No more Grumpy Old Man okay?
PCWarrior the reason why I personally am not patient when it comes to UH football performance is because Hawaii taxpayers pay an obscene amount of money to the UH football coach. Yes, Rolo is not getting paid as much as McMakin or even Chow and a part of his income is coming from private sources in the form of hosting a TV show but football, even at the college level is the one place where taxpayer should expect high performance and accountability. If they cannot meet that performance then either shut down the program, which means shutting down almost all of the UH athletic program or get someone who can get the job done. Problem with Chow was to many people including the SA where making excuses for him way to much when the writing was clearly on the wall that he was total failure as a Div1A head coach. When they stop paying the UH head coach job an obscene amount of Hawaii taxpayer money and stop constantly begging the State Legislature for millions of Hawaii taxpayer money to bail out the bankrupt UH athletic program is the day no more “grumpy old man” Same thing with the Oahu rail project. Instead of most Hawaii residents voting and demanding to hold people accountable, what do most everyone do? They bury their head in the sand and pretend the problem does not exist as reflected by how low voter turnout was in the last election.
One player sent home is a sign that there is a discipline problem with the team? It tells me that one player messed up and the coach disciplined him. No problem.
Coach to Coach Quarterback challenge? Unless there are some major proceeds from this challenge that go to charity, both coaches should simply grow up.
The whole country knows that Hawaii can not match up with these guys but what the heck. If you going to loose may as well get the money. May be good for the guys too. At least they can say we played the big guys and it was fun even if we got our butt kicked.
Its good to play the big boys once in a while. We beat BYU when they were no. 7? We beat U Dub when they were 25th? We lost, but didn’t we give ND and SC heartburn one time before? I don’t think we will beat Michigan this week, but no one thought Appalachian State would either. Go Bows!
If some of you think it’s an automatic loss then why play the game?
Maybe the Wolverines may want to come to Aloha Stadium in 2021.
C’mon Rolo, win the quarterback challenge. At least UH can fly home 1 – 1 for the weekend.
What is this some kind of PR thing?Rolo and Harbaugh rekindling some precious memories in the training camp?lol.
The Michigan Wolverenes are a whole different Animal compared to “The Rainbow Warriors” !
I don’t know what’s the strategy here,but hey! “What the Hell have you got to Lose!” Warriors IMUA!
Sure… we’re playing Michigan for the Moola that Manoa needs desperately.
But… hopefully there won’t be any season-or-career ending injury on either team.
this is a great way to connect with Michigan. Friendly competition and professional camaraderie. Michigan, like other big schools, will always take the best players but maybe Coach Rolovich will build a relationship and this may benefit both Teams.
Being underdogs by 40+ points is daunting; however, I would consider it a victory for our Warriors to keep the game 30 points or less. Wishing for no serious injuries as well. Let’s make history, Warriors!!
Pacific-Storm. Strike fast with all the fury you can muster.