Sherrone Moore showed he's a heck of a coach; if Jim Harbaugh leaves, his replacement is obvious

Sherrone Moore, Michigan football's acting head coach, didn’t hesitate.

Didn’t waver.

He had one philosophy against Ohio State: Go for it, be aggressive and go grab this win.

Which is exactly what the Wolverines did.

“Coach Moore said from the get-go that he's going to call the most aggressive game he's ever called,” Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy said after Michigan’s 30-24 monumental win over Ohio State. “For the big boys, for Blake (Corum), for myself – that’s just music to our ears.”

So when Michigan faced a huge fourth-down play in this epic game, Moore didn’t hesitate.

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Not once. Not twice. But three times in the first half.

And all three worked.

“It goes back to the kids, how they prepare, how they attack things, and how they work,” Moore said. “I'd be doing them a disservice if I try to be conservative. When they're going out there running 150s in the summer – blood, sweat and tears – working their tails off in the weight room, doing everything they can, they put their trust in me as a play caller on offense to be aggressive in these games. That's what they want. So that's what we gave them.”

Filling in for Jim Harbaugh, who was sitting out his sixth game because of suspension, Moore handled the biggest moment of his coaching career with confidence and conviction.

Moore was bold and unwavering – the steady hand this program needed at a crucial moment – and he simply outcoached Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who lost his third-straight game to Michigan.

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Making all the right calls

Moore seemed to push all the right buttons, while Day pushed just enough buttons to lose.

Moore’s first big decision happened in the first quarter. It was fourth-and-goal from the 1. Moore could have played it safe and gone for the field goal, and nobody would have blamed him.

But he stayed true to his word. He sent the offense back out, and Blake Corum ran behind his right guard, right tackle and fullback.

Touchdown Michigan.

“All I know is this team is as good as any team in the country,” Moore said. “I think they just prove it every week.”

Moore had another big decision early in the second quarter. The Wolverines were up, 7-3, and they faced fourth-and-1 on the Ohio State 39-yard line.

Moore went for it again.

Corum went over the top. He didn’t run for the first down. He soared for it.

All those decisions started adding up, giving the Wolverines the lead.

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And Moore was quick to credit the entire team.

“Coach (Harbaugh) said last night, ‘This is the ultimate team,’” Moore said. “Team 144 is the ultimate team in every way, shape and form – offense, defense, special teams.”

Meanwhile, Day faced his own decisions, none of which seemed to work.

Michigan brought in Alex Orji, an extremely athletic backup quarterback. He had two runs for 22 yards, pushing the Wolverines downfield, setting up a 50-yard field goal by James Turner, giving the Wolverines a 17-10 lead.

“It was planned,” Moore said. “We’ve always got different things, different wrinkles, to keep people off balance.”

Late in the second quarter, Day was faced with his biggest, strategic, in-game decision. The Buckeyes pushed into Michigan territory and faced 4th-and-2 with 40 seconds left. Instead of going for it, instead of trying to score a touchdown, instead of being aggressive, Day played it safe.

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He elected to go for the field goal, letting the clock bleed down.

But that failed miserably – at least from Ohio State’s perspective – when Jayden Fielding missed a 52-yarder.

Of course, there is a flip side to that decision. If Ohio State had gone for it and failed, the Buckeyes risked giving the ball back to Michigan with about 30 seconds left.

So I get the decision. But again, in hindsight, it didn't work out and was emblematic of this game: Moore was playing to win. Day played it safe and lost his third straight.

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Setting the tone with J.J.

Harbaugh, famously, pounds on McCarthy’s shoulder pads before games.

But Moore did something, too. He told him something important. And how he handled McCarthy was significant.

“I told him before the game, ‘When the game matters in some critical situations, I'm gonna put the ball in your hands,'" Moore said. "'Because I know you're gonna make a great decision. You're gonna help us win and you're gonna find one of your dudes.'"

Then, McCarthy did just that, finding one of his dudes – Roman Wilson – on a 22-yard touchdown that was so tight it looked like he was threading a needle.

“He'll tell you that he saw the guy that almost picked it but he didn't," Moore laughed. "He just launched it. ... I knew he'd make a play."

Think about the adversity this team faced, just in this game.

Zak Zinter, the heart and soul of the offensive line, went down with a broken tibia and fibula.

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And Will Johnson, the team’s best defensive back, had a lower leg injury.

But this team didn’t blink.

The credit starts with Harbaugh, of course.

For how he’s coached his coaches, for how he coaches his players, and the culture he has created.

Clearly, Harbaugh made the right call, making Moore the acting head coach.

Moore just carries himself like a head coach. He even sounded like one, giving all the credit to the players.

“I don't lose sleep over these guys," he said. "They work too hard. They attack everything, every day.”

But Moore deserves credit, too.

This young, talented coach just outdueled Ryan Day – all day long.

What an impressive performance.

Whenever Harbaugh decides to leave Michigan, his replacement is pretty dang obvious.

Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sherrone Moore is the obvious replacement if Jim Harbaugh leaves U-M