Kornacki: Harbaugh Has Walked in Rudock's Shoes
9/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 23, 2015
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Jim Harbaugh has walked in Jake Rudock's shoes. He knows what it's like to come in as the starting quarterback at Michigan with high expectations and start slowly.
That personal history Coach Harbaugh shares with his starting quarterback surely ties into the support Harbaugh has given Rudock, whose first three starts have brought mixed reviews.
"When it comes to the precision of the passing game and timing, that's something we're all working at together," said Harbaugh. "He's thrown to 13 different receivers. That's good, and we spread the ball around. The timing in the passing game, the precision, the detail required takes time on task.
"Be clear: Jake Rudock's the best quarterback and not by a small margin. He's our best quarterback, and when it comes to precision in the passing game and timing, that's something we're all working together at. And it's the responsibility of everybody. So, that's divisive when you pull out just one name.
"I hope that's clear. He's our best quarterback."
Rudock's numbers after starts against Utah, Oregon State and UNLV: 59 completions, 91 attempts, .648 completion rate, 582 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions.
Care for an interesting comparison?
Harbaugh's line after his first three starts in 1984 against Miami (Florida), Washington and Wisconsin: 39 completions, 79 attempts, .494 completion rate, 482 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions.
Both Rudock and Harbaugh had five interceptions after three starts, and Rudock's other statistics are better.
"Hopefully, that's a good indicator -- all the stats that you just threw out," Rudock said. "But at the end of the day that biggest stat line is that win or loss. And as long as we keep winning, I'll be alright with whatever the stats are."
The Wolverines (2-1) are coming off consecutive wins against Oregon State and UNLV heading into Saturday's (Sept. 26) home game with Brigham Young.
"It does take time," Rudock continued. "Obviously, you want to hit the ground running, hit it immediately. You want to complete 95 percent passing -- you want to hit everything. You don't want to miss anything or throw any interceptions. But the game speed is a little bit different, and it takes a while to get everybody on the same page."
It's true that Rudock, a graduate transfer from Iowa, started two seasons in the Big Ten before joining the Wolverines. But it's also true that Harbaugh was in his third season of working in Bo Schembechler's offense when he became a starter. The point of comparing their statistics is to show that getting down the timing in a passing game takes time.
Harbaugh went on to become an All-American in 1986 and was a first-round pick by the Chicago Bears before embarking on a long NFL career.
What Rudock achieves this year with his teammates and beyond is up to him. But also keep in mind that Rudock, who completed .603 of his passes at Iowa with 34 touchdowns and 18 interceptions for 4,819 yards, also got off to a slow start with the Hawkeyes.
He completed 54 of 88 (.614) for 609 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in his first three games against Northern Illinois, Missouri State and Iowa State.
Rudock was asked to evaluate his first three games at Michigan.
"There's a lot of room for improvement for sure," said Rudock. "And there has been improvement. That's one of the biggest things. But the biggest thing is that it doesn't come overnight. Still, there is improvement that you can see. And that's one of the biggest things Coach Harbaugh and Coach (Jedd) Fisch (passing game coordinator) stress. They just want to keep seeing that improvement and not making the same mistake again."
Michigan receiver Jehu Chesson said something on Monday (Sept. 21) that spoke to the promise he sees in the team's passing game.
"The nature of the position is that you get too much glory when you're doing great and you get too much ridicule when you're doing badly," Chesson said of quarterbacks. "But things are going to click for us. I really do believe it. There are too many guys with a sense of purpose and a sense of hunger, and we have a great leader in Coach Harbaugh. He is instilling that drive and that winning mentality in us.
"So, a lot of guys are excited to play for him. And a lot of guys are excited to have Jake as their quarterback."
Chesson appreciates Rudock's drive.
"We understand how hard he works, leading from the Sunday after the game until the game on Saturday to get the team prepared for it," said Chesson. "It's amazing."
Chesson and offensive guard Ben Braden were asked what Rudock brings into the huddle and then onto the field of play.
"He brings confidence, and he has a great arm," said Chesson. "And in the huddle, he can annunciate every word of the play. If it's misspoken or not gotten across correctly, that's a whole different play you're talking about. He's really good at that, and at getting us out of a bad play if he sees a front he doesn't like.
"He definitely has the skill sets to be the Michigan quarterback and do a good job."
Braden said of Rudock: "He's a real down-to-earth guy. I love that. And as a quarterback, he's a great leader in the huddle. He's always with us, making sure we're okay and seeing if we have any questions in case we're seeing something that he's not. We're always communicating, and I think that's awesome."
Rudock said the support of his teammates and coaches has helped him and his teammates "elevate" their play.
"Coach Harbaugh's support has been huge -- just being able to come to him to help you get through it a little bit," said Rudock. "Some things are harder to shake off than others. He's played this position and being able to come to him is special. And he's so supportive -- especially on game day.
"Coach Harbaugh wants you to be the best you can be and wants you to take that upon yourself. Coach Fisch is very meticulous. He wants everything to be just right. They really work very well together. They want it to go exactly like it should while understanding it's not always going to be perfect but coming as close as you can."
Rudock is rooming with John O'Korn, his teammate at Fort Lauderdale (Florida) St. Thomas Aquinas. O'Korn transferred to Michigan after two seasons at Houston and is sitting out this year while running the scout team offense in practices.
"It's helpful having him there to support me and help me game plan," said Rudock. "He asks me questions at night to better understand the game plan. To have somebody ask you who knows what's going on and has been there is obviously a bonus."
Rudock also wants to learn from mistakes while not dwelling on them.
There were two passes against UNLV that could've been touchdowns. He missed wide open tight end Jake Butt in the end zone and failed to get the ball to tailback Drake Johnson when he was all alone with a full head of steam.
"You're upset when you miss it and miss it by that much," said Rudock. "You maybe saw something different that didn't quite occur. But the biggest thing is to not get down on yourself because it does happen.
"I'd love to take them back -- hit Jake a little quicker -- but the biggest thing is not letting yourself dwell on the past. You have to say, 'Next time, we're going to be fine,' and move on."
Rudock appeared to over-throw Chesson on a potential 41-yard touchdown pass at Utah. But the truth was that Chesson erred in slowing down because he couldn't believe how open he was.
"When he's throwing the ball," said Chesson, "he's trusting me to be in a spot. And I wasn't in the spot I needed to be."
Chesson said receivers are responsible for proper route running and working with the quarterback to assure timing is precise.
When asked about developing that trust required to click together, Rudock said that understanding the speed in practice and game speed are different is essential but then cut to the core.
"A lot of it actually comes off the field," Rudock said. "We watch tape together so I can understand what he's thinking and he can understand what I'm thinking -- and trying as best as you can to make that the same thing."
After practice, media interviews and dinner on Wednesday (Sept. 23) at Schembechler Hall, Rudock and Chesson made plans to get together that night. Trust and timing don't come easily, but Rudock and his receivers are going the extra mile to find it.
