Michigan Football Will Need Mid-Season J.J. McCarthy To Beat Ohio State

Michigan will need everything from its quarterback if the Wolverines are going to take down the Buckeyes for a third year in a row.

Although J.J. McCarthy didn't play a full game until game nine against Purdue, he was still one of the top quarterbacks in the entire country. For what he's done at Michigan in 2023, McCarthy was viewed as a Heisman candidate and a possible top 10 pick in the NFL draft. 

But between an obvious injury and the Wolverines going back to their roots of running the football, McCarthy's stock may have dropped a little after the past two weeks. To his credit, McCarthy was nearly perfect against Penn State going 7-for-8 for 60 yards.

But last week against Maryland, the junior gunslinger appeared off a little. He completed a season-low 52.2% of his passes and threw a crucial interception in the red zone -- the first INT since Week 3 against Bowling Green. McCarthy also missed a wide-open Cornelius Johnson which would've resulted in a touchdown.

While his ankle/leg is a concern, McCarthy reassured everyone that he's feeling really good and the treatments are working.

"Really good," said McCarthy on Monday. "Yeah, last week was a little bit rough. But I'm doing fantastic right now. Treatment has been great. And yeah, we'll be ready to go."

McCarthy lost Roman Wilson after the second drive of the game a week ago, but the hope is he will be back for Ohio State. The junior believes he just needs to get back into rhythm, but he's confident in the ability of his teammates and himself to score touchdowns. 

"Getting more into rhythm," McCarthy said. "I feel like that's gonna be great. With the touchdowns and all that, I feel like I've just been saving them up. We're scoring, we're winning. And that's all I care about."

McCarthy had critics last year during this time as well. He was a first-year starter and with how much Michigan ran the ball, people didn't know if McCarthy could lead a team to victory in a big game environment. But the then-sophomore showed his critics why he was a five-star recruit. 

During The Game in 2022, in Columbus, McCarthy threw for 263 yards and three scores against the Buckeyes' defense. He noted that having a year of experience under his belt for this game is huge. He now knows how to control his emotions and he thinks that will give him an edge on Saturday. 

"I think experience is one of the greatest edges you can have as a player," said McCarthy. "Going into last year, that first drive, all those emotions that were creeping in — it was something I've never felt before. So now it's predictable and, therefore manageable. I’ll know how to handle my emotions and get them down to where they need to be. And yeah, I’d say it does a lot for me. That's for sure."

J.J. McCarthy / Christopher Breiler

Another, what seems to be, an obvious reason McCarthy has been hampered by an injury is the fact Michigan didn't utilize McCarthy's running ability a week ago against Maryland. After Sherrone Moore called 32 consecutive run plays against Penn State -- J.J. ran the ball eight times for 34 yards -- he didn't run against the Terps. 

But like McCarthy said on Monday, the Wolverines need to pull out all the stops to beat the Buckeyes. McCarthy has been a huge part of the offense all season long. After relying on his arm to win games earlier in the season, Michigan also started to utilize his legs to give it extra ammunition.

While McCarthy doesn't know what Coach Moore will ask him to do on Saturday, McCarthy is going to be ready to do whatever it takes for the team to win the game. 

"Who knows what Coach Moore wants and expects out of me," said McCarthy. "I would just predict that we're gonna do anything and everything to win this football game — whether it's me running the ball or just throwing the ball. I feel like things will arise from scrambling and taking off. But no matter what he asks of me, I'm just gonna go out there and execute."

Acting head coach Sherrone Moore was asked about McCarthy's off game against Maryland. He assured reporters there would be no handcuffing on what McCarthy does. 

"Let him be him,' said Moore. "Let him be him. When you got a really good player, can't put the handcuffs on, you gotta let him play. Let him you know -- he made the mistake and you learn from it, and you [McCarthy] won't make it again. So that'll be huge for us as we go down the stretch."

Not only does Ohio State have the No. 2 defense -- behind Michigan -- the Buckeyes have the top-ranked passing defense that allows 144 yards per game. The Wolverines are going to need McCarthy's A game against the improved Ohio State defense. 

But like Moore said on Monday, Michigan is excited for the challenge. 

"I mean, besides our defense, I think it's the best one," said Moore on Ohio State's defense. "Obviously, I think Penn State was up there I think Purdue's was up there. But the stats speak for themselves. And you see it on film. They're good at every position. They're deep at every position. So it's gonna be something we got to prepare for mentally and physically. Something we're excited for."

Michigan will host Ohio State on Saturday at Noon on Fox.