![]() To combat this, Weiss said the Wolverines wanted to establish McCarthy as a run threat early in the Big Ten schedule to influence what opponents might do. Second prong: For quarterbacks transitioning from high school to college, where the complexity of the game intensifies, learning to read defenses at the line of scrimmage is among the most difficult tasks. "You don’t want to be in a position where the first time you need him is on the road in a close game against a ranked opponent," Weiss said, "and the guy has never taken a snap." His total of 60 snaps through the first seven weeks of last season is virtually even with Allar’s tally of 64 snaps entering Saturday’s game against Minnesota. McCarthy played 43 combined snaps in early blowouts of Western Michigan and Northern Illinois before his reps diminished in Big Ten play, though he finished the year with 11 appearances in 14 games. ![]() It wasn’t until this past August that co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss explained the three-pronged rationale behind Michigan’s deployment of McCarthy last season.įirst prong: The primary focus, Weiss said, was to play McCarthy as often as possible for the sake of developing a reliable backup, someone who could spell a potentially injured McNamara without handcuffing the offense. 5 quarterback in the 2021 recruiting cycle whose dynamism was sprinkled in for 11.6 snaps per game against Big Ten opponents. The party line from head coach Jim Harbaugh and his assistants was that an experienced, risk-averse player like McNamara gave the run-heavy Wolverines a better chance to win than McCarthy, the No. While Franklin’s approach might be unpopular with fans, his rhetoric echoes the explanations offered by Michigan’s coaching staff following some of McNamara’s underwhelming performances last season. ![]() Whatever McNamara’s ceiling was, fans were certain McCarthy could exceed it. McCarthy, an uber-talented but unproven freshman whose potential was deified by corners of the fan base to mythical, totemic proportions. The quarterback behind him - the same one who eventually usurped McNamara’s position two weeks into the 2022 campaign - was former five-star recruit J.J. Yet McNamara’s stint atop the depth chart was defined as much by unrelenting questions about his job security as anything he did on the field, where flash and pizzazz were trumped by his unwavering desire to protect the football and ensure the Wolverines dominated time of possession. He played a central role in the program’s restoration by coupling strong leadership with stronger in-game decision-making and advanced Michigan to the College Football Playoff for the first time. ![]() It was McNamara who guided the Wolverines to a win over Ohio State and helped secure the school's first Big Ten Championship since 2004 during his only season as the starting quarterback. The sixth-year senior with more than 9,000 yards of total offense stood alone at the end of the bench, sans helmet because his day was through, and watched the backup lead two fruitless drives in a 41-17 defeat.Īcross the field, Michigan’s version of Clifford - Cade McNamara - spent the game in a sweatsuit while his recovery from an unspecified leg injury continues. ![]() In the fourth quarter of Saturday’s loss to Michigan, after he was knocked from the game with an undisclosed injury, Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford distanced himself from everyone on the Nittany Lions’ sideline. ![]()
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