Amid Michigan’s forgettable season, CFB insider reminisces over J.J. McCarthy’s brilliance
The Michigan Wolverines (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten Conference) are having a nightmare of a season after winning last year's championship. Sherrone Moore's first year as coach of the program has been bumpy with losses to Texas, Washington and Illinois.
Last year, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was discussed as being a "system QB" in a run-first scheme that did not demand too much from him as a thrower. This season, the Wolverines are experiencing an identity crisis at QB — with only six total passing touchdowns between all three of their starters, and Davis Warren leads them with just 444 passing yards.
FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt talked about how McCarthy was not a system QB, but the glue that kept Michigan's operation together.
"If you actually dive into the numbers you see that J.J. was brilliant on third down not just good not just adequate he was brilliant on third down and namely on third long," Klatt said on 'The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast' on Wednesday.
"When you go back and look at the numbers he was unequivocally the best QB in the country on the third long not even close. And so what they were able to do is continue to lean into their philosophy and their style knowing he bailed them out time and time again and he never got credit for it."
Structural Struggles
Moore has tried to maintain the same run-first philosophy that Jim Harbaugh had when he was at Michigan, but it simply hasn't worked. McCarthy wasn't a spectacular athlete but was good enough to deliver critical throws when it mattered most in a way that the current QB room can't.
"They're trying to use the same philosophy," Klatt said. "This is not a team that blew people out a year ago....you are creating a small margin for error where you have to do everything right. So it matters that you're able to hold on to the football because you're playing a style where you're not able to come back from behind."
The Michigan Wolverines will face in-state rival Michigan State Spartans on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.