Jim Harbaugh Has Full Confidence In J.J. McCarthy To Make Crucial Plays

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan had a very efficient and balanced offensive attack on Saturday during a 52-7 defeat of Indiana.

The Wolverines scored four times through the air and three times on the ground en route to compiling 407 yards of offense. Michigan threw the ball 22 times and ran the football 42 times, but a ton of run plays came to fruition during the fourth quarter when the game was completely done and over.

In what seems to be a theme this season, star quarterback J.J. McCarthy was out of the game by the end of the third quarter in favor of playing Jack Tuttle against his former team. Although McCarthy played under three full quarters, the junior was sensational once again. He threw just three incompletions and tallied 222 yards in the air with three touchdown passes. McCarthy also had 27 yards on the ground rushing.

Jim Harbaugh mentioned earlier in the week he doesn't think anybody in the country is better than McCarthy and he wouldn't take anyone over his QB to lead the Wolverines. Harbaugh has never sounded more confident in a quarterback than he did after the game against the Hoosiers when talking about No. 9.

"You know how I feel, it's great that everybody else seeing it the same way, one of those once-in-a-generation type of quarterbacks at Michigan," said Harbaugh during the post-game press conference. "He continues to improve, too. So locked in at all times. Like all the guys, like really everybody on our team, they play for each other. He certainly does. He's willing to do anything for anybody on the team."

"It's perfect we've got a quarterback like that. Some people ask me fourth and two, tied ballgame on the two-yard line, what goes into that decision? I know the ball is going to be in No. 9's hands, or it could be in No. 2's hands, or it could be in Colston's hands or in Roman's hands. Mainly, I know, No. 9 is going to make a play. Just have great confidence that the odds are in our favor. Tremendous job by him responding."

Harbaugh trusted McCarthy to execute a play when the game was tied 7-7. It was fourth-and-two at the two-yard line of Indiana's when Harbaugh decided to go for a touchdown. Everyone on the Hoosiers' team thought Blake Corum would get the handoff, but Harbaugh kept it in McCarthy's hands when he hit Roman Wilson for a touchdown.

Not only does he make crucial plays when needed, but McCarthy has made some circus plays this season and Michigan fans are becoming spoiled of seeing them done on a weekly basis. The junior made another Patrick Mahomes vibe type of play. With 41 seconds left in the second quarter, the pocket broke down, McCarthy scampered to his left and found Donovan Edwards for a pass -- but he did so by pitching the ball.

J.J. McCarthy is a magician 🪄

He escapes for a @UMichFootball first down 〽️ pic.twitter.com/qNRadnl0uK
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 14, 2023

The media was curious about what happened during that play and McCarthy described it with perfect detail. His WRs were going to run vertical routes and there would also be a check-down, but with none of those options available, McCarthy had to improvise.

"I believe it was a fast tempo -- play just straight all go vertical.," said McCarthy. "So it's either I got a good matchup and I'm gonna rip it, check the check down. And without any of those two being open we just turned it into scrambled eggs, like we call it so just getting active, you know, getting outside of the pocket waiting for guys to get open, because you can't cover forever. And you know, that play. It's thinking about throwing it with my left hand. And I was like, Nah, that's not me. So I just did the old flip."

McCarthy and Michigan will take on Michigan State next Saturday in East Lansing.

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