Jim Harbaugh knows he has to be patient, and so must Michigan fans

SALT LAKE CITY — Like just about everyone else, Sarah Harbaugh has felt the vibe. Her husband’s return to Michigan, it seems, has been taken to mean something far more than just the arrival of a new football coach. Jim Harbaugh has galvanized a fan base.

"It’s amazing," she said, "because they’re just so hopeful.”

But the coach’s wife knows what comes with it. Crazy-high expectations, and “tremendous pressure.” Maybe Jim doesn’t feel it. Most likely, she thinks, he does. As she stood near the Michigan locker room entrance a couple of hours before kickoff Thursday, she admitted to being nervous and said her husband clearly was, too. He’d begun to shoot her the “dead stare.”

“You know,” she said, “where it feels like he’s looking right through your head.”

It’s why she was hoping for a win — and for something else from Michigan’s fans.

“They’re gonna hopefully be patient,” she said. “Hopefully they won’t have to be patient.”

A 24-17 loss at Utah contained reason for hope but also evidence that patience is going to be important. Afterward, in a crowded bunker of a room beneath the south stands of Rice-Eccles Stadium, someone asked Jim Harbaugh how it felt, after all of the build-up surrounding his return, to finally coach a game.

“It was good, real football,” he said.

And it was a real good indication at something that was at least partially obscured by all of the buzz of the offseason, but was obvious once the good, real football began: Michigan has a challenging rebuild ahead.

Harbaugh has undoubtedly been good for Michigan. He’s quirky and intense and occasionally fun, and no one doubts the guy can coach good, real football. His aggressive recruiting tactics in those first few months ruffled feathers, and he didn’t care a whit. His Photos went viral, and his khakis became a trend — everything he did seemed to trend — and all of it and more combined to create a significant hype. And yeah, hope.

*****

Several thousand Michigan fans traveled for the game, then joined the record crowd of 47,825 at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Early Thursday morning, Tim O’Brien looked up from his breakfast at a hotel a few hundred yards away from the stadium to tell his friends: “I got the USA TODAY newspaper today and looked at it, and guess who was on the cover? The coach was just looking at me!”

O’Brien, who’s from South Lyon, Mich., said he’s more excited than he’s been in recent years because “the Harbaugh hype has escalated” things. But as the countdown to kickoff dwindled, O’Brien wasn’t sure what would happen once the Wolverines took the field.

No. 2 TCU earns opening night win that might pay off at season end

“I think I expect to see a team that’s focused and more determined,” he said. “But we don’t know what to expect.”

“We’re hoping for a win,” said his wife, Katrina. “But we know it’s a new beginning.”

And they know what they want, like the guy in the front row an hour or so before kickoff who kept yelling, over and over again at the Michigan players: “I want to go to the Rose Bowl!” Someone told him the real goal should be to get to Arizona, site of this year’s College Football Playoff championship, but he wasn’t having it: “No! I want to go to the Rose Bowl!”

After Thursday’s first impression, either seems like a far-off destination.

Utah is flawed but fun to watch. The Utes probably won’t win the loaded Pac-12 South, but with a tough defense they could certainly factor into the race. Michigan, meanwhile, is flawed but apparently tougher than last season.

Afterward, several players bemoaned missed assignments and poor execution. But a few minutes later Harbaugh said, “they were being too hard for themselves,” and talked at length about “positives.”

“A lot of good things to build on, things to grow from in a lot of areas,” Harbaugh said. “Already thinking about them, already getting ready to attack them.”

The postgame comments seemed to be an extension of his sideline demeanor, especially as it related to quarterback Jake Rudock, the graduate transfer from Iowa who was named the starting quarterback — well, he was never actually named the starter. As Harbaugh had promised, we only learned Rudock had beaten out junior Shane Morris when he took the field for the Wolverines’ first offensive series.

Rudock made some plays, including a nice touchdown pass to tight end Jake Butt late in the third quarter to pull the Wolverines within 17-10. It came one play after he’d scrambled, then been popped hard on his way out of bounds by Utah linebacker Gionni Paul (a 15-yard penalty that extended the drive). But Rudock was inconsistent. He twice missed open receivers deep — once for a sure touchdown — and threw three interceptions.

Baylor president Ken Starr defends coach Art Briles on Sam Ukwuachu issue

After those and other mistakes, Harbaugh was quick with a pat or a quiet, encouraging word for his quarterback. When it was over, he praised Rudock’s performance.

“There’s a lot of things to coach from it, but there’s positives, as well,” he said.

*****

But Michigan’s real issue isn’t at quarterback. Or at least, that’s only one issue. At least judging from one game, a bigger problem might be the offensive line and the running game, or lack thereof.

Stanford’s metamorphosis into an elite program under Harbaugh was fueled by a physical rushing attack that set up a potent passing game. Michigan employed many of those familiar power formations, two and sometimes three tight ends – but without anything resembling similar results.

The Wolverines managed 76 rushing yards on 29 attempts, an average of 2.6 yards, though they were a little better in the second half. Afterward, Harbaugh said the line played “a little bit tentative in the first half,” and that running backs missed holes, too.

In the end, two plays encapsulated the evening.

Bowl projections: Preseason predictions for the College Football Playoff

Trailing 17-10, Michigan faced third-and-3 near midfield. Rudock fired toward the sideline for freshman receiver Grant Perry, but Utah nickelback Justin Thomas jumped the route and returned the interception 55 yards for a touchdown.

“It’s a gotta-have-it type play,” said Harbaugh, who put his arm around Rudock in consolation after the pick. “He tried to stick it in there and it went the other way — welcome to football.”

Moments later, the Wolverines faced fourth-and-1 from the Utah 35. The Wolverines lined up in a power set, just like we’ve seen so many times from Harbaugh’s Stanford teams. Even after a timeout, there wasn’t much doubt what was coming next. But tailback De’Veon Smith was stuffed for no gain.

*****

Welcome to football. How much of it was Utah and how much was Michigan was hard to decipher.

The Utes’ defense — especially the defensive line — figures to be better than much, if not most of the competition Michigan will face in the Big Ten. But Thursday offered evidence that the Wolverines’ climb to good — and from there, considering the expectations, to great — isn’t going to be quick or easy. It’s why Harbaugh demonstrated plenty of patience on the sidelines, and afterward relentlessly accentuated all those “positives” he’d seen. Michigan fans would be wise to follow his lead.

“It makes me very nervous,” Sarah Harbaugh said, “because he’s their hope.”

Follow George Schroeder on Twitter @GeorgeSchroeder.

GALLERY: BEST OF WEEK 1 IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL