Why has Michigan struggled in night games under Harbaugh?
Night Game W/L
L Utah 17-24
W Minnesota 29-26
W Rutgers 78-0
L Iowa 13-14
L FSU 32-33
L MSU 10-14
L PSU 13-42
Overall record: 2-5
Outside of the Rutgers game (who lets be honest is terrible) I don't think U-M has played one good game at night under Harbaugh. If not for some good fortune in Minneapolis they could be sitting at 1-6. Harbaugh is 24-3 in games that kickoff at 3:30PM or earlier, and could easily be 26-1 if not for "trouble with the snap" and "the spot." I get going on the road and playing in hostile environments under the lights is challenging, but there is a marked difference in U-M's play and execution at night. Might be time to change up how they prepare or the routine for night games? I'm at a loss.
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:28 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:32 PM ^
I put the losing score first in games Michigan lost and the winning score first in games they won. Pretty clear.
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:45 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:28 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:28 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:09 PM ^
lack of beta carotene makes our players have trouble with night vision
October 22nd, 2017 at 9:47 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:24 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:31 PM ^
October 23rd, 2017 at 7:45 AM ^
You could also add a H/A column to show that many of the games are on the road. Dumb thread / dumb execution. Did I miss the Fire Beilein section though?
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:28 PM ^
Scheduling too many vampires.
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:30 PM ^
Too small of a sample size to know anything.
Life is odd. College football is odder.
October 22nd, 2017 at 9:10 PM ^
I looked at his night game record at Stanford. In games started after 5 pm local time, he was 14-4. Two of those losses were in the very first month he coached there. In 2009-10 he was 10-1 (incl. 5-0 in games started after 6 pm), with the only loss being a 5pm start at Autzen to an Oregon team that ended up losing the NC game by a field goal.
October 22nd, 2017 at 9:29 PM ^
Boom.
October 23rd, 2017 at 2:22 AM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:31 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:44 PM ^
I don't think it's coincidental at all, but I think you're still right on the reasoning for why we have lost. More often than not night games are big games. Two of those games appear to be BTN flexes for margainal match ups, and those happen to be our only wins. Everything else was a prime time setting for a big game.
EDIT: Scrolling down it appears I'm late to the party. But for those of you reading this thread from the top down, definitely give me credit for this idea.
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:32 PM ^
but what if they get sleepy around 7:00 PM EST? Maybe they should get more sleep.
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:52 PM ^
You blow your horn in jest, Horatio, but I've actually had some complaints from real live players about the early, early morning practices. So if that's the routine or happens frequently then the early schedule the players are on might indeed affect how they play in late games, and that lack of proper sleep in general, if that's happening, will definitely have negative effects Not that I think such a thing is a major factor in a disaster like last night.
Edit: Now that I think about it that may have been during camp, can't remember for sure.
Also it's not fair of Maizen to count the Utah game as a bad game considering the obvious bunch of factors that I shouldn't have to list.
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:32 PM ^
Wasn't OSU's loss to OU this year a night game? And their loss to PSU last year as well? And their loss in the playoffs to Clemson? Sure seems like when Meyer loses, which isn't often, it's commonly at night.
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:08 PM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 2:02 AM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:32 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:34 PM ^
utah -- first game with a previously 5-7 team, with a qb on campus for a month
minnesota - won with a backup qb
rutgers- rivalry game
iowa - crucial drops/shaky officiating/conservative play calling and at iowa (tough place to play) while losing starting qb to broken collarbone
fsu - down a first round heisman finalist and a NFL tight end and a bad special teams play in the final seconds against a great program
msu - outcoached first half followed by monsoon with a back up quarterback
psu - got beat by a better team, again with our back up qb
happy?
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:49 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 11:06 PM ^
October 24th, 2017 at 8:48 AM ^
I didn't just read that did i? Please tell me that is a typo.
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:32 PM ^
Small sample size and night games are disproportionately against good teams and away games because UM is so averse to hosting them.
Not a trend. More like big games or close games; kick time doesn't matter.
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:33 PM ^
Suppose every game under Harbaugh was a night game? Are we winless? Are we a three win team in 3 years?
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:34 PM ^
Well, in a world where television rules, the perceived quality matchups are the ones that end up in primetime and this was - on paper - definitely one of those. That seems to be simply how it works now. I am not sure what you can really do other than prepare a team simply to play the opponent on the schedule, unless you're worried about crowd noise or some part of the aesthetic that you would want to simulate. I know we have people on the board who did in fact play, so their answers might be interesting here, but I don't know how you would account for time of day in prep for the game.
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:08 PM ^
I can see this in him, he likes his games at noon. Battle Rhythm.
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:35 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:52 PM ^
Yep, we've become predictable. For the most part we'll beat the teams we should and lose to the teams we should. Never thought that's how it would be under Harbaugh given his history of pulling off upsets. For some reason, it seems we got a completely different guy.
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:14 PM ^
For some reason, it seems we got a completely different guy."
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:24 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:54 PM ^
So far he has not seemed up to the task of taking everyone's best shot. Not sure why exactly, but it really sucks knowing that we have no chance of pulling off an upset in Madison or home against OSU.
October 22nd, 2017 at 9:24 PM ^
It's frustraing to see what has happened the past two years. How Michigan managed to screw up a season after having 11 NFL draft picks is crazy, and then go into this year trying to shove a round peg into a square hole on offense.
I'm hoping to see some of these things get fix, but at this point I'm numb to the fact that I really don't think they're going to get to the national contender level. And I'm sure some will now say "well don't be a fan" or "go root for another team" when that's clearly not the point.
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:52 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:12 PM ^
sad but true- never upset anyone (except our fans)
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:40 PM ^
Time at Cracker Barrel. Sometimes milk just isn't enough to keep your focus.
Or something. Or nothing. I'm in that latter camp. I doubt it matters. Team practices under varied lighting conditions, indoors and outdoors. 0.02
Re PSU loss: maybe it was the stench of pig slog from the neighboring farms cited by some attendees. Ditto for Iowa.
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:40 PM ^
Easy answer Our toughest games are usually at night.
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:40 PM ^
In the last decade, Michigan sucks versus teams that have Ohio and/or State in their name.
Weird but true!!!
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:43 PM ^
sad (and weird), but true
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:46 PM ^
may be onto something.
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:34 PM ^
Michigan is
3-5 v s PSU
2-8 vs MSU
1-9 vs OSU
and 0-3 in bowl games (MSU, KSU, FSU)
The answer? Schedule Alcorn State & the Ohio Bobcats, Now!
October 22nd, 2017 at 9:36 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:51 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:42 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 7:55 PM ^
So essentially if it's at night and on the road we're going to lose. Lovely.
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:14 PM ^