Cool exchange between Jake Thaw and Harbaugh re:4th quarter punt in Rose Bowl
Harbaugh: “This guy made a game-saving fumble recovery”
— Tony Garcia | Detroit Free Press (@RealTonyGarcia) January 12, 2024
Thaw: “I’m never gonna be able to look at it like that.”
Harbaugh: “Jake, if you don’t pick that ball up and have the presence of mind to stay out of the end zone…you don’t secure the ball, we lose that game.” pic.twitter.com/hYE1uxPTv0
Harbaugh really has his players' backs and it's clear they love him back.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:19 PM ^
He doesn't have the same energy as someone like Dan Campbell, but he is every bit the player's coach. My favorite story is when Wilton Speight's first career pass as a starter was an interception, and he went to the sideline and instead of being mad at him, Harbaugh just laughed.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:20 PM ^
Some podcast said this play and being troubled by it was the reason he entered the portal (statement was made not as speculation, but portrayed as that Thaw said it himself)
Anyone that knows him please tell him not to transfer for that reason!
January 12th, 2024 at 3:20 PM ^
I'm sad he's gone into the portal like, 3 times.
January 12th, 2024 at 4:28 PM ^
Have you seen him anywhere on the depth chart other than punt returner? Maybe he wants to be an every down player. Nothing wrong with that.
January 12th, 2024 at 4:46 PM ^
We're super thin at WR with Clemons leaving. Not sure where he is on depth chart, but seems like he'd get decent playing time.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:21 PM ^
Even cooler that they were at Mott visiting patients a couple days after bringing home the trophy.
btw I don't know anyone who is down on Jake Thaw. That play just about put me in the cardiovascular center but stuff happens and it all worked out.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:37 PM ^
Never mind. Evidently my comment was out of bounds, per El Fuego's post below. Removing so as not to further subject people to it.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:55 PM ^
Why be this way? As a person?
January 12th, 2024 at 4:21 PM ^
I didn't feel I said anything that bad and feel that my intent was misunderstood but clearly I was wrong so I removed it because I do not wish to be a bad person.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:24 PM ^
Who wouldn't want to play for that guy? Who wouldn't want their son to play for that guy?
January 12th, 2024 at 3:24 PM ^
I hope Jake Thaw doesn't let that eat him up over the years. It looks like he hasn't quite let it go (which is totally understandable), but he's too young to carry that around with him forever. Plus, his team won the game and that's the key thing to focus on.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:38 PM ^
Can the mods please let this poster change their profile name? Should they want to of course.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:25 PM ^
100%! If he doesn't have the presence of mind to get back and secure that ball, to fall on it and take the hit, we lose that game. I hope this kid realizes someday, it was a 'Big Boy' play.
Now, If it goes into the end zone, prior to him securing, and he falls on it there, by rule we get it at the 20 yard line, seeing he never had possession.
BUT! Fortunately he didn't play it that way, because the chances are that someone beats him to the ball from that team in red and we lose.
Big play to secure that ball. Humble kid. I wish him much success wherever he lands.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:26 PM ^
Not you too, Jim... ugh. I feel like Don Quixote here. :)
If he had fumbled the ball, staying out of the end zone would have been crucial. He didn't, though -- he muffed it. Muffs are essentially ignored for the purposes of spotting the ball. If the ball had gone into the end zone and had been recovered by Thaw, it would have been a touchback. If he had retreated into the end zone after recovering the ball in the field of play, and was tackled there, the correct call would still have been touchback because he called for a fair catch, meaning the ball is dead when he recovers it, so nothing that happens after that point is relevant.
If Alabama had recovered the ball, disaster. But any Michigan recovery was fine.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:33 PM ^
So if he recovered where he did and fumbled it into the end zone when he got blasted, no TD or safety (say it went out the back of the end zone) for Bama because the ball is dead once he has possession? That’s good to know for the future, but I sure as hell would not have wanted the refs to have to think about that during the game. So what he did, at the very least, took all ambiguity out of the play.
Also, that would be not nearly as nice a thing for coach to say. “Don’t worry about it Jake because it was entirely unlikely your presence of mind mattered at all out there” doesn’t have the same supportive ring to it as what coach actually said.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:37 PM ^
Given how quickly they were on him, I don't think they would award him possession though. So assuming they recover it in the endzone, it would be Alabama TD.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:39 PM ^
I think the objection is that Harbaugh referenced staying out of the end zone. Praise for presence of mind (and ability) to recover it is still warranted.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:37 PM ^
But he did recover it!
January 12th, 2024 at 4:29 PM ^
If he had retreated into the end zone after recovering the ball in the field of play, and was tackled there, the correct call would still have been touchback because he called for a fair catch, meaning the ball is dead when he recovers it, so nothing that happens after that point is relevant.
It seems like you understand the rule, so am I right that you meant to say "If he had retreated into the end zone after recovering the ball in the field of play... the correct call would have been to mark him where he recovered the muff [not a safety, but not a touchback] because he called for a fair catch, meaning the ball is dead when he recovers it, so nothing that happens after that point is relevant"?
January 12th, 2024 at 5:50 PM ^
Sorry, yes, you are 100% correct. Recover in the field of play, retreat into the end zone, it’s Michigan ball at the spot where possession was attained.
Great job, me, for calling out people for not understanding the rule and then typing it wrong. :)
(Thanks for the correction).
January 13th, 2024 at 10:20 AM ^
But you had the presence of mind to respond to the comment. YOU SAVED THE POST! Actually, I do appreciate the rule explanation. There is a lot to understand based on calling for the fair catch of which I am not familiar. Nice job. The Michigan difference.
January 12th, 2024 at 4:57 PM ^
It sounds like you have done the research. However, I have zero confidence the refs don't screw that up. I’m still quite happy he did what he did and we won the damn game.
January 12th, 2024 at 5:05 PM ^
Yeah, glad you aren’t a zebra! A fair catch is negated the second that ball hit the ground. Otherwise, Alabama would have been penalized for tackling Thaw.
January 12th, 2024 at 5:24 PM ^
It has nothing to do with the fair catch. As soon as he muffs it, neither team can advance the ball. At that point the only thing that matters is who recovers it and where. Alabama in the endzone would be touchdown, Michigan in endzone would be touchback, outside the endzone the recovering team gets the ball where they recovered (what happened).
January 12th, 2024 at 5:51 PM ^
Yep, exactly this.
Otherwise, you could call a fair catch, let it bounce, and then run past defenders who have slowed up.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:27 PM ^
This one legitimately got me a little emotional. I'm aware Jake Thaw has been beating himself up over this, and when Harbaugh stops smiling and is so genuine with him to try to get him to be proud of the thing he did...
Whoever is cutting onions in here needs to stop!
January 12th, 2024 at 3:28 PM ^
Theoretically, a clean catch gives us a shot to win in regulation
Realistically, it would have been a huge longshot.
In the end, aside from taking a cumulative million years off of our lives, no harm, no foul.
January 12th, 2024 at 4:34 PM ^
It still would have been at the 5 yard line. The smart play from there would still be to kneel and let the clock run out.
Now if he had not fielded the punt and let it go into the end zone, there would be some option to explore winning in regulation. Maybe you hand it off to Blake, and if he gets out to the ~30 you start to try to win the game.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:30 PM ^
I felt so bad for the kid on game day. Once I read his twitter post about entering the portal, I was heartbroken for him. We all make mistakes during our lives, but for kids this age, it's devastating when they happen in a huge game on National TV. In my e-mail sign off I have the Miles Davis quote "If you hit a wrong note, it's the next note you play that determines if it's good or bad". Jake had a mistake but his second note was absolutely perfect.
If I were Harbaugh, I might reach out to Chris Webber and have Webber give him a call.
January 12th, 2024 at 5:00 PM ^
I can’t recall the details, but there was some college basketball player who made a crucial mistake that did cost a big game. He later shared that Weber called him and told him that he’d have an amazing life if that was the worst mistake he ever made. I have used that perspective a number of times for others and myself.
January 12th, 2024 at 5:16 PM ^
Why have C-Web cal? Hell, just have him talk to JJ! Two pick sixes in the semi finals last year…that’s TWO massive fuck ups!
January 12th, 2024 at 5:35 PM ^
Good point
January 12th, 2024 at 3:31 PM ^
Just awesome!
KEEP HARBAUGH IN ANN ARBOR!!!
January 12th, 2024 at 3:32 PM ^
There was some rule questioning on Twitter. It sounded like even if he had touched it and picked it up in the endzone, it's still a touchback, not a safety. Can anyone verify this?
January 12th, 2024 at 3:39 PM ^
I hope Jake Thaw withdraws from the portal. He should stay at Michigan. He is a National Champion. Come on back Jake!
January 12th, 2024 at 3:46 PM ^
Wow, who wouldn't want to play for such a supportive coach?!?!
January 12th, 2024 at 3:46 PM ^
The thing that stands out the most is that he took a tremendous hit and held on to the ball that would have been a safety or a recovery TD for Bama
January 12th, 2024 at 3:53 PM ^
Does anyone have any insight or speculation into why our special teams looked so bad during Rose Bowl? Was it the time off in between games?
January 12th, 2024 at 3:58 PM ^
That and pressing too hard and cascading error on top of error. It was a one off.
January 12th, 2024 at 3:56 PM ^
Stop hitting me in the feels. Damn it.
January 12th, 2024 at 4:00 PM ^
He looks so happy as our coach. I can't imagine he's intent on leaving.
January 12th, 2024 at 4:04 PM ^
What do we have to do to keep this young man from transferring? Jake hopefully you read this but you are a true Michigan Man. We want you right here.
January 12th, 2024 at 4:38 PM ^
Maybe he wants to be an every down WR. Nothing wrong for a player to seek PT as opposed to being a long shot. (I haven't seen him on any offensive or defensive depth chart.)
Thank you for your service, Jake :)
January 12th, 2024 at 4:15 PM ^
Wellll it would've been a touchback.
January 12th, 2024 at 4:51 PM ^
... this is true if the refs make the right call and if he recovers the ball in the endzone. But, with Bama gunners bearing down on him, he simply had to recover it ASAP, which was before the ball crossed the goal line. Whether he retreated into the endzone shouldn't have been relevant since he called a fair catch, so the ball is marked where it was recovered.
January 12th, 2024 at 4:20 PM ^
God I fuckin love Harbaugh. THIS is a coach you'd want your son to play for. Please stay.
January 12th, 2024 at 4:32 PM ^
I'll go out on a limb and say any of the (few) people who criticized him for that mistake have never fielded a punt at all, much less one in a close game against Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
January 12th, 2024 at 4:35 PM ^
I'm kind of worried about Thaw. His comments on Twitter when announcing entering the transfer portal made it seem like he's still really hard on himself for the play. I hope he is able to talk to someone who can help him work through processing that. Returners occasionally fumble the ball, it happens...it happened earlier that game with a teammate. All players make mistakes from time to time.. even Blake Corum makes mistakes. Can't beat himself up over this and I hope he can learn to frame the play in a positive way as Harbaugh has.