Three Wolverines Who Came Up Big In Madison
In what was expected to be a near four hour slug-fest, the No. 9 Michigan Wolverines spent the majority afternoon bullying the Wisconsin Badgers in Camp Randall Stadium. The result was a 38-17 victory for the Wolverines - their fifth on the season and their first in Madison since 2001.
Offensively, the Michigan passing attack - which looked like a liability heading into Saturday - was the most productive it had been all season at a time when the Wolverines needed it most. Defensively, the Wolverines spent much of the afternoon in the backfield - notching 5.5 sacks and holding the Badgers to just 43 yards rushing yards all afternoon.
Though it was certainly a total team effort, there were three Wolverines in particular who put together impressive performances on Saturday.
1. Cade McNamara
Cade McNamara has taken a lot of heat for the starting quarterback of a 5-0 team, but he was a big part of Michigan's impressive victory on Saturday.
After several lackluster performances to begin the season, questions began to emerge about the Michigan passing attack and whether or not the Wolverines could succeed with McNamara behind center. Those concerns were amplified during a second half performance against Rutgers that saw McNamara complete just 1 of 5 attempts for 7 yards - in a one score game.
While I still have some concerns about McNamara moving forward, Saturday proved that he's more than capable of leading Michigan to a Big Ten championship in 2021. He wasn't always accurate, but he stood in the pocket and made plays with his arm all afternoon. By the time the dust had settled in Madison, McNamara would finish with season highs in attempts (28), completions (17), yards (197) and tie his season high in touchdowns with two.
Personally speaking, I still believe that JJ McCarthy has the much bigger upside and I hate the idea of having him on the sideline. That being said, Cade McNamara is doing everything that's being asked of him and, as a fan, you really can't ask for anything more than that.
2. Roman Wilson
AP Photo/Morry Gash
Everybody knew that Michigan was going to need production from the passing game on Saturday - and Roman Wilson certainly helped deliver on that need.
The sophomore wideout had a very relatively slow start to the 2021 season compared to his freshman campaign in 2020. Leading up to Saturday's matchup against Wisconsin, Wilson had just three receptions for 64 yards on the season. On Saturday, he snagged a season high six receptions for 81 yards - including a phenomenal 38 yard acrobatic reception.
As arguably the fastest weapon available on the Michigan roster, it was nice to see Wilson's involvement in the offense increase on Saturday. If he can continue that level of production for the rest of the season, the Michigan passing attack should take a big step forward.
3. David Ojabo
This guy is quickly becoming one of the scariest defensive ends in all of college football - second only to maybe Aidan Hutchinson. Maybe.
The 6-5, 250 pound product hailing from Scotland had a career day against the Badgers, notching a career high 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble. Ojabo's size, speed and athleticism were on full display all afternoon as Wisconsin struggled to hold a very hungry Michigan defense.
In what is becoming somewhat of a theme for the Michigan Football program, Ojabo is starting to look like the next great defensive end product to come out of Ann Arbor.
