Jim Harbaugh is trying to outdo John Calipari outside-the-box

Random notes:

▪ Watch out John Calipari, Jim Harbaugh is trying to pass you.

Calipari, the Kentucky basketball coach, is known for his outside-the-box methods to promote his program. Calipari has more than 1.7 million followers on Twitter. He has his own website. He started a preseason UK combine for NBA scouts. Last season, he started his own podcast, which featured Harbaugh as a guest.

Guess who’s now in the podcast business. Yes, that would be Harbaugh, the football coach at Michigan. Along with his father, ex-Western Kentucky football coach Jack Harbaugh, Jim has started the “Attack Each Day” podcast with celebrity guests that has already zoomed up the iTunes charts.

This is the same Harbaugh who ruffled feathers, especially those of SEC coaches, for holding satellite football camps in the South. This is the same Harbaugh who took his team to the IMG Academy in Florida for spring practice last year and to Rome for spring practice in March. Not Rome, Georgia, either.

Next up, this week brought the announcement that Michigan’s 2017 football season is being documented for a “Hard Knocks” style series on Amazon Prime later this year.

Hey Cal, the ball is in your court.

▪ As the Bengals and Texans face each other Thursday night at Paul Brown Stadium, is Week 2 too soon for a must-win game? The Bengals looked awful in a 20-0 home loss to Baltimore last week. The Texans may have looked even worse in a 29-7 home loss to Jacksonville. And the Bengals visit Green Bay on Sept. 24. Lose to Houston and the Men of Marvin Lewis are staring down the barrel of an 0-3 start.

▪ By the way, according to ESPN Stats, Baltimore is the first team in six years to win a game without completing a pass in the second half. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was 0-for-2. It didn’t matter.

▪ Speaking of stats, Kentucky’s Benny Snell notched his sixth career 100-yard rushing game last week. Since 2005, only three backs have more. Rafael Little leads the way with 13, followed by Boom Williams with 12 and Derrick Locke with eight.

▪ ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be in the ’Ville this weekend for Saturday night’s Louisville-Clemson showdown. Have a hunch Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson will find a way to remind viewers he won the Heisman Trophy last year.

▪ By the way, Auburn mustered all of 117 total yards in last Saturday’s loss to Clemson.

▪ Interesting game Saturday in Music City where Vanderbilt plays host to Kansas State. The host Commodores are 2-0 with an impressive 28-6 win over Middle Tennessee, who then turned around and beat Syracuse. Ranked 18th, Kansas State is 2-0 with wins over Central Arkansas and Charlotte.

▪ Update: Former Lafayette offensive tackle Jedrick Wills, who had been competing for the starting right tackle spot, did not see the field in Alabama’s 24-7 win over Florida State on opening weekend. Willis got plenty of snaps last week in the Tide’s 41-10 win over Fresno State, however.

▪ It’s full panic mode at Mizzou where head coach Barry Odom fired defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross after just two games. A former defensive coordinator himself, Odom will make the defensive calls when the Tigers (1-1) play Jeff Brohm and Purdue on Saturday.

▪ An ominous sign for Saturday? South Carolina wide recevier Deebo Samuel has already returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Kentucky place-kicker Austin MacGinnis has already made two tackles on kick returns.

▪ Clemson has Dabo. South Carolina has Deebo.

▪ In its last two big games, Ohio State has lost 31-0 to Clemson in a College Football Playoff semifinal and 31-16 at home to Oklahoma. Bet Buckeyes fans are taking that well.

▪ RIP to former UK offensive lineman Brian Denham (1984-89) of Winchester who passed away last Friday far too soon at the age of 51.

This story was originally published September 13, 2017 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Jim Harbaugh is trying to outdo John Calipari outside-the-box."