Bowl win sold Stribling on Harbaugh’s methods
Ann Arbor – Michigan cornerback Channing Stribling says he gained a new respect for coach Jim Harbaugh while the team was in Florida preparing for the Citrus Bowl. Michigan defeated Florida, 41-7, on Jan. 1.
“We thought, ‘OK, we’re in Florida, we get to go to the beach,’ ” Stribling said on “The Huge Show” on Wednesday.
“He said, ‘No, we’re going to stay as a unit, we’re going to do everything together and after that, we’re going to stay in our rooms and chill.’ I’m like, ‘Man, come on now. We’re in Florida.’ I’m a southern guy (Matthews, N.C.), so I’m thinking I’m warm, I can go to the beach. He said, ‘No, we’re going to prepare for this and after that we’ll see.’
“After we won – it was a convincing win – I never questioned him again.
“He’s a smart guy. I know looking at their team, they got to do whatever, and a couple guys unfortunately got in trouble. I said I’ll never question again. Anything he wants us to do, we all said we’ll do it.”
Stribling, a 6-2, 180-pound senior, will start for Michigan this season opposite Jourdan Lewis.
Stribling had an interception in the Citrus Bowl as Michigan’s defense limited Florida to 273 yards of total offense.