J.J. McCarthy Tosses 5 TDs In 49-13 Victory On ESPNU
Playing on a national stage with the ESPN U crowd in attendance, Michigan commit J.J. McCarthy put together a dominant five-touchdown performance to secure IMG Academy's 49-13 win over Venice on Friday night.
Though week one marked his first game with his new team, McCarthy showed that he has the moxie to lead an offense full of future college stars against a team that made the playoffs a season ago. To that extent, McCarthy was the brightest star of the night by going 23-for-37 for 333 passing yards and five touchdowns in the lopsided victory.
Breakdown of McCarthy's Season Debut
Early on, McCarthy was a little overzealous and made a couple overthrows early on, but he was pretty on target for the most part. Maybe that is the curse of having such a strong arm, but the Michigan commit put a little too much heat on a few passes and missed a couple receivers over the top. It didn't take McCarthy long to settle in, though, and soon he was stringing together reception streaks and really began to move the IMG offense.
For most of the first half, McCarthy spread the ball around and kept the Venice defense guessing. IMG has a lot of playmakers, so the highly touted passer made sure to get everyone involved in the team's season opener. In the first quarter specifically, McCarthy led multiple scoring drives and finished that stanza with 130 passing yards and two touchdowns for his efforts.
IMG entered halftime with a 21-6 lead, and the nation's No. 1 team kept its foot on the gas pedal in the second half. McCarthy really settled into the offense and felt confident enough to let it fly on a couple occasions. The blue chip passer showed that he can use his feet to either extend the play or run for a first down, and he expertly evaded the pass rush to connect with tight end Jake Renda for a long touchdown early in the third quarter.
After that, IMG Academy pulled away, but McCarthy made a couple superb plays before he exited the game for good. Similar in nature to his third TD, McCarthy shifted around the pocket before slinging the ball to the back of the end zone where only his receiver could make the catch. As impressive as touchdown No. 4 was, McCarthy topped that effort shortly thereafter with the same type of highlight play. It was a well-known fact that McCarthy spots a cannon on his right shoulder, but the Michigan commit really hammered that point home on Friday night.
While it wasn't a totally peerless performance with a couple overthrows early on, McCarthy still acquitted himself well on the national stage and helped his team pick up a big season-opening win.
What were your main takeaways from McCarthy's play? Which pass stuck in your mind the most? Let us know!
