JJ McCarthy of Michigan only attempted eight passes against Penn State last weekend, and he was fine with it.
The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines faced No. 10 Penn State in Happy Valley last weekend in their toughest test of the season. Junior quarterback JJ McCarthy was expected to have a big performance on the road in order for Michigan to win, but it quickly became clear that the Wolverines had other plans for how they would attack the Nittany Lions.
McCarthy finished the afternoon by completing 7-of-8 passes for 60 yards and no touchdowns. If Michigan fans had seen into the future and knew that would be McCarthy’s stat line before Saturday’s game, it would have been difficult to imagine the Wolverines walking out of Beaver Stadium with a dominant victory – but that’s exactly what happened.
Instead of relying heavily on McCarthy and the passing game, the Michigan offense switched to an all-out rushing attack just after the 7-minute mark in the second quarter. In fact, the Wolverines finished the afternoon with 32 consecutive rushing attempts, winning 24-15.
During a recent appearance on the “In The Trenches” podcast, McCarthy stated that he was perfectly fine with the gameplan.
“I kind of started to get the sense of how the game was going to go, and Coach Moore was very vocal with that with me,” McCarthy told reporters. “Just being on the same wavelength as him was huge.” I just sort of shifted into, “OK, where can I add the most value to our team?” How can I become a more effective leader? ‘How can I ensure that everyone goes out there and does what we’re trying to do?’ And, at the end of the day, not making mistakes.The first rule of being a quarterback is to not lose a game for your team. So, with the way we were going and the way we were approaching the game as an offense, it was really stepping up as a leader.”
Although Michigan won, McCarthy’s chances of winning the Heisman Trophy took a hit due to the lack of production through the air. McCarthy is unconcerned.
“I’m not concerned with myself and my statistics, or what it will look like to the voters out there for all of these awards.” All I care about is winning the football game – the success of my team and the success of my teammates.”
In addition to facing a tough opponent in Penn State, the Wolverines learned just hours before kickoff that they would be without their head coach. As part of the ongoing sign-stealing saga, the Big Ten conference suspended Jim Harbaugh for three games late Friday. Although University of Michigan officials attempted to file a legal challenge to the Big Ten’s decision, Harbaugh was ultimately suspended for Saturday’s game.
McCarthy’s message was to keep his mind on one thing – something we hear a lot from Schembechler Hall these days.
“What distinguishes this team is that we are internally motivated.” However, when it comes to extra motivation, such as our coach’s absence, it only adds to our determination to succeed. So I believe the main point was that nothing is changing. We just got a little more excited to go out there and dominate, but we were still doing what we had been doing since the winter. Mind on one track.”
Although it is unclear whether Harbaugh will be on the sidelines against Maryland this weekend, the Wolverines will be ready for the opportunity to make college football history. When asked what it would be like to be the quarterback for the Michigan team that wins 1,000 games, McCarthy said it is something he has considered.
“I honestly considered it at the start of the year.” Just an incredible opportunity to be a part of this team 144 that gets to do that and represent all previous Wolverine teams. It’s an incredible honor, but we can’t get to 1,000 without all of the winged helmets who have put in the blood, sweat, and tears this year. “All we’re doing is putting on a show for the University of Michigan.”
