Imagine if Urban Meyer invited himself over to Jim Harbaugh’s house, raided the pantry, and kicked up his muddy feet on the velvet ottoman.

That’s about what happened earlier this month at a prep football camp in Michigan, where Meyer and Harbaugh were the featured speakers.

The unofficial title of Meyer’s speech: Winning the big game.

In true blue territory and with Harbaugh off to the side — strangely, he took no notes — the Ohio State coach did not explicitly remind that his rival is 1-5 against the Buckeyes and Michigan State, or that he has not finished better than third in the Big Ten East. But the message was no more subtle.

“When Bill Belichick comes in, he’ll ask me two very critical questions [about a player]: What kind of teammate is he, and how does he perform in the big game?” Meyer reportedly told the campers at Grand Valley State. “I’m the same way. ... How do you play in the big game?

“I want to see you in your rivalry game. I want to see you on fourth down, when the team needs you. Not when you’re running around in shorts and T-shirts doing vertical jumps. ... The big game, man. The big one. The one that matters. Not the one where you’re up four scores in the third quarter. I want to know [how you are] against your rival, in the big game.”

Whoa. 

As the kids would say, it was an all-time boss move.

And surely it would not go unanswered.

Instead, the funniest thing happened.

Harbaugh did not fire off a backhanded tweet or release a diss track. No, the three-time reigning champion of the offseason did ... nothing.

He took the medicine, then went back to work. It has been his story of 2018, and for the great showman, a welcome new look, the sound of silence ringing loudly. 

Anyone remember the last viral Harbaugh tweet or moment? OK, one not caused by the University of Toledo. (As an aside, UT is an equal opportunity offendee. In addition to Keygate, the university was allegedly less than pleased when neighboring Oregon playfully changed its name to “Oregon, Ohio: Buckeyes on the Bay, City of Duck Hunters” in advance of the Buckeyes’ national title showdown against Oregon in 2015. “The city of Oregon received an unpleasant phone call from the athletic department,” Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said last month.)

The style-over-substance criticism of Harbaugh can be overblown. He is good for college football, and on the whole, good for Michigan. But in this put-up-or-shut-up year, the $7-million-per-year man has made a well-advised retreat from the spotlight, allowing his actions — not distractions — to speak for him.

Harbaugh took stock, then measures this offseason. He canned the celebrity-studded Signing of the Stars showcase. He recruited a difference-making passer (Shea Patterson). He blew up his offensive staff. He hired a new strength coach. He stopped the petty tweets. More than ever, he appears to appreciate the stakes and, yes, the urgency to put up and win the big one.

For the sake of the rivalry, here’s hoping he picked up a thing or two from Meyer’s speech. 

Contact David Briggs at dbriggs@theblade.com, 419-724-6084, or on Twitter @DBriggsBlade.

First Published June 17, 2018, 6:58 p.m.