ANN ARBOR, Michigan — Michigan’s season opener was supposed to be the Cade McNamara show, the incumbent’s opportunity to impress Jim Harbaugh and his staff in their two-week open test for the starting quarterback job.
And while McNamara showed up for work, threw for 136 yards and scored a touchdown, it was JJ McCarthy who impressed more in his limited time on the field during the Wolverines’ 51-7 win at Colorado State.
“He was electrified when he came in, no question about it,” said head coach Jim Harbaugh. “I thought he did a really good job of going through his reads too. It was great to see him super calm, cool and collected.”
Harbaugh uttered the phrase “electric” twice during his 14-minute postgame press conference to describe McCarthy, who completed all four of his passes for 30 yards and ran for 50 yards three times, including a 20-yard touchdown run in the third Quarter.
“It’s slowing down (for him),” Harbaugh said. “Really good players have the ability to do that. They get adrenaline there, but the game slows down around him.”
McNamara helped Michigan score a touchdown of their own by completing a 61-yard pass to Roman Wilson on the game’s second drive, but missed shots early, suffered from a few drops and a stumbled receiver in the red zone. The Wolverines finished the first half just 2-4, converting drives to the red zone into touchdowns and leaving points on the board.
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“There were a few drops,” Harbaugh said, defending McNamara’s 9-for-18 tag. “You can never deviate from a criterion. I think we all agree on how we’re going to do this – we have a lot more information after two weeks than we did two weeks ago.”
Still, McNamara seemed troubled by the way Michigan’s quarterback competition was being played out in public, and told reporters after the game that he was caught off guard by the idea of the alternate start. McCarthy will start next Saturday’s game against Hawaii (8pm BTN) and have an opportunity to earn the Week 3 starting job.
“It was quite unusual; It was kind of a thing I wasn’t expecting by the end of camp,” McNamara said. “I thought I had my best camp. I thought I put myself in a good position. And that was a decision that the coach left with.
Harbaugh said he will judge both quarterbacks on their ability to move Michigan’s offense and score points, make a series of throws and show leadership on the field. While McNamara was able to tick several of those boxes on Saturday, McCarthy’s playmaking ability in the limited snaps he’s had on the field has people asking for more.
Michigan’s coach raved about McCarthy’s improved patience, willing to check a pass when needed and read opposing defenses. His touchdown run, Harbaugh says, was a designed quarterback read option, and McCarthy executed it perfectly, running into the end zone almost untouched.
“I don’t think anybody laid hands on him,” Harbaugh said. He has this electric kind of ability when he runs with the football. I thought he did really well.”
As for McNamara, he’s likely to get more playing time against Hawaii next week – Harbaugh has said he hopes to use both in games like last year’s. But the way seems clear for McCarthy, the former five-star recruit who sat on the bench in Michigan’s 12-win season and Big Ten championship last year.
Read more about football in Michigan:
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Overheard Outside The Locker Room: Defense Eats And ‘Tough As A $2 Steak’
Video recap of Michigan’s win over Colorado State: QB analysis and more
The Colorado State coach will let Jim Harbaugh take care of Michigan’s QB debate