Harbaugh chides 'guarantee' question: Higdon 'confident' in Michigan

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh knows a guarantee when he hears one — or makes one — and what he heard from senior running back Karan Higdon was not in that category.

Harbaugh, who made a bold guarantee before the Ohio State game in 1986 when he was the Wolverines’ quarterback, on Tuesday took exception to how Higdon was questioned during Monday’s media availability. He strongly suggested Higdon was baited into making some version of a guarantee heading into Saturday’s Michigan-Ohio State game on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

Higdon was asked Monday if he would go as far as his coach, Harbaugh, did in 1986 when he guaranteed Michigan would beat Ohio State. He considered the question for a moment before answering.

“Yeah, I do. That’s how I feel,” Higdon said. “I believe firmly in my brothers and this team and this coaching staff, and as a captain, I’ll take that stand.

“Why not?”

It was lukewarm as far as guarantees go.

“I didn’t think much of the way the interviewer was interviewing him,” Harbaugh said Tuesday on the Big Ten call. “What Karan was saying was, yeah, he’s confident, he believes in his team, believes in his teammates, his brothers and his coaches. That’s real and that’s genuine. I kinda thought the reporter was pretty silly with, ‘Do you guarantee? Do you guarantee? Do you guarantee?’

“Karan is our captain. He’s one of our brothers. We’re ready to go to battle.”

achengelis@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @chengelis