JJ McCarthy of Michigan Remains Focused On Team Success Despite Winning Awards.
JJ McCarthy of Michigan only tried 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 strong 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 concluded 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 fathom the Wolverines walking out of Beaver Stadium with a commanding victory – but that’s exactly what occurred.
Instead of relying primarily on McCarthy and the passing game, the Michigan offense switched to an all-out rushing effort right after the 7-minute mark in the second quarter. In fact, the Wolverines concluded the afternoon with 32 consecutive running attempts, winning 24-15.
During a recent appearance on the “In The Trenches” podcast, McCarthy expressed his thoughts on the game.
“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 moved 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 gets 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 things were going and the way we were approaching the game as an offensive,
“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.”
at addition to facing a formidable opponent at Penn State, the Wolverines discovered just hours before kickoff that they would be without their head coach. As part of the ongoing sign-stealing incident, the Big Ten league suspended Jim Harbaugh for three games late Friday. Although University of Michigan administrators attempted to file a legal challenge to the Big Ten’s decision, Harbaugh was ultimately suspended for Saturday’s game.
McCarthy’s admonition was to keep his attention 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 simply adds to our determination to succeed. So I believe the key point was that nothing is changing. We just got a bit 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 replied it is something he has considered.
“I honestly considered it at the start of the year.” Just an incredible honor to be a part of this team 144 that gets to do that and represent all previous Wolverine teams. It’s an incredible achievement, 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.”