Harbaugh likes how Speight kept ‘shootin’ for the flag’

Ann Arbor — By no means is this a news flash, but Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh made it clear Monday that Wilton Speight will be the starter at quarterback on Saturday in the home opener against Cincinnati.

Speight started the season opener last Saturday against Florida, and while he helped lead the Wolverines to a 33-17 victory, his back-to-back interceptions returned for touchdowns were glaring mistakes.

In an effort to allow Speight to refocus and settle down, Harbaugh sat his quarterback for two series, and John O’Korn took over the offense. Speight finished the game and was 11-of-25 for 181 yards and a 46-yard touchdown pass to Tarik Black.

Harbaugh was impressed with how Speight rebounded.

“There was a lot of good things and there’s things to coach, things to improve,” Harbaugh said Monday at his weekly news conference. “Definitely, if you can’t handle that type of situation when something goes back, it’s the wrong position to be playing, so I thought he did very well.

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“Sometimes that breaks a guy. Sometimes they can bounce back from it the next game. Sometimes they can bounce back in the same game, sometimes they can’t. He kept firing. Very reminiscent – make a golf analogy of a golfer who hits one in the water, takes another one out of his pocket, drops it, and shootin’ for the flag again. I thought he showed that.”

Harbaugh said he will not hesitate to play O’Korn against Cincinnati.

“Very much believe in John,” Harbaugh said. “John will be used again.”