"Sometimes people that are standing on third base think they hit a triple" - When Jim Harbaugh threw a jab at Ryan Day after Michigan's 42-27 win 

Jim Harbaugh got his first win over Ohio State at Michigan in 2021 after losing his previous six to the long-term rival. The Wolverines defeated the Buckeyes 42-27 in Ann Arbor to end an eight-game losing streak in the rivalry that started during Urban Meyer’s days.

In his postgame press conference after what was the 117th edition of "The Game", Harbaugh was questioned on the motivating factor for his team to seal the win. The coach made it known that his Wolverines were spurred on by Ohio State's trash talk.

“I know that probably things you're thinking of are the same as I'm thinking of,” Harbaugh said (Timestamp- 0:13 onwards). "But let's move on with humble hearts, take the high road. But there's definitely stuff that people said that spurred us on even more. Sometimes people that are standing on third base think they hit a triple, but they didn't.”

Harbaugh's words were a jab directed at Ohio State coach Ryan Day for his words in the previous year. In August 2020, Bucknuts.com reported that Day, after a dispute with Harbaugh during a Big Ten coaches’ teleconference, told his team they would “hang 100” points on Michigan in their upcoming matchup.

Harbaugh seemed to suggest Day inherited a successful Ohio State program built by predecessors like Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer, implying he didn't build it himself.

Jim Harbaugh subsequently confirms his words were a “counterpunch” at Ryan Day

Jim Harbaugh's comments after the victory over Ohio State stirred a lot of controversy among Buckeyes fans and the media. With many questions around the phrase, a year after it was said, Harbaugh confirmed it was a “counterpunch” aimed at Ryan Day in November 2022.

“It was definitely a counterpunch by me, to the comment that they were going to hang 100 on us, etcetera. Kind of like Sugar Ray Robinson,” Harbaugh said on the "Stoney & Jansen with Heather" show on 97.1 The Ticket. “But, the fact is, I think Ryan Day’s a great coach. I think he is a tremendous football coach, truth be known, that’s how I feel. You can see it week after week, you can see it with his team, as good a coach as there is in football," he added.

Harbaugh would go on to win the subsequent two games against Ohio State, before rounding up his time in Ann Arbor with a national championship victory. He then left college football to join the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024, leading them to an 11-6 record in his first year and a spot in the playoffs, where they lost to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card round.

Edited by Veer Badani