Harbaugh References Lion King, Downplays Michigan State Matchup [VIDEO]
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
If you pegged Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh as a Disney kind of guy, consider yourself correct.
In his press conference leading up to the in-state rivalry game Saturday, Harbaugh referenced a Lion King line when asked about the physical nature of how the Wolverines have lost to Michigan State the past few years. We could all probably take some advice from Rafiki, the baboon from the Lion King who took Simba under his wing.
"Simba gets hit over the head, and he (Rafiki) tells him, 'Yeah, the past can hurt. You can either run from it or embrace it and learn from it.' I think that's exactly what he said, so those seem like very wise words."
Michigan fans will remember that this isn't the first time Rafiki has been referenced in Ann Arbor. When Rich Rodriguez was first hired as Michigan head coach, he referenced the same Lion King clip, where the babboon hits Simba with a stick, then preaches about learning from the past.
And the past hasn't been pretty recently for Michigan, at least in terms of the rivalry with the school about 70 miles away.
Michigan has a 68-34-5 record against the Spartans all-time, but Michigan State has won six out of the last seven matchups.
This week's will be the most high-profile matchup the two teams have had in years. The College Gameday set will be on campus in Ann Arbor, and the teams are five spots away from each other in the AP poll. Michigan State has dropped to No. 7 after being ranked second a couple weeks ago. And Michigan, coming into the season unranked, has ridden three straight shutouts to a No. 12 ranking.
"I'm sure there's gonna be attempts made to build the game up and et cetera, but we're working and not worrying," Harbaugh said. "We've just been down there going about our business."
The Spartans could arguably be the best opponent Michigan has faced all season: The Wolverines lost to Utah in the first week of the season, and has played one other ranked team since then (Northwestern, who they blanked 38-0 on Saturday).
"It's a trophy game," Harbaugh said, as he batted down every question by reporters about the importance of the rivalry. "We really want to get the best grades, we want to win the most awards, we want to excel at sports. This is a game that has a trophy associated with, so it's an award. Want to win it."
