What Tommy Carr Needs to Show in Michigan's Rivalry Game vs. Michigan State

The true freshman will make his third start in a row and Carr spoke about what he needs to show.

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Tommy Carr is set to make his third start in a row for Michigan when it takes the field against rival Michigan State. Carr showed promise when he was inserted into the Penn State game at halftime, but then showed freshman moments against Indiana in a 13-6 loss.

However, Carr was very impressive against Rutgers last weekend and was a big reason Michigan left Piscataway with a win. Carr's efforts earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Week, and there was no drama this week — Kyle Whittingham named Carr the Wolverines' starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.

While Carr was impressive, throwing for 266 yards and rushing for 54 yards, he wants to have two passes back. Carr missed Andrew Marsh twice on deep shots that likely would've resulted in a touchdown if he connected. Heading into the rivalry game against the Spartans, Carr said he needs to do a better job of connecting with the deep ball.

“Definitely connecting on a few deep balls," Carr told Jon Jansen on 'Inside Michigan Football'. "You know, we got to be able to push the ball down the field, especially how much we run the ball. I feel like if we take a few shots and connect on those, it'll open up the run game. So I got to be better there and then continue to just take care of the ball. That's the key of the game.”

Timing issue, not an arm-strength problem

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Some wondered if the true freshman lacked the arm strength to get the ball to Marsh. So far this season, Carr is 2-for-6 on any passes longer than 20 yards and he hasn't appeared to put the zip on the ball when he's needing ot make a deep throw.

But that's not the case, at least according to head coach Kyle Whittingham. While the Saline product doesn't have a cannon for an arm, where he can throw it three-quarters down the football field, Carr is able to make throws that are around 55 yards. Whittingham said Carr's passes to Marsh didn't connect due to a timing issue.

“We had all the balls that were on target were completed," said Whittingham. "If there's one thing that Tommy didn't quite do as well as we need to in the game is the deep ball. You know, we had Andrew Marsh a couple of times on some deep shots and we just didn't quite get the ball out on time and it was slightly under thrown.

"And so if you're nitpicking and looking for something to improve upon, we need to do a better job as coaches of timing that up and practice those deep shots.”

"It was definitely more timing. He was only about a 40, 45 yard throw. Tommy, he's not a guy that can throw the ball 70 yards, but he can throw it 55 yards with no problem. And so both those balls were right around the 40 yard range. So it was more of a judgment and a timing thing rather than a lack of arm strength.”

Carr knows about the rivalry and will be ready

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On Monday, Whittingham said there are about 55 players on the roster who have never played in the in-state rivalry. Michigan has been bringing in former players to teach them about the impact of the game, and one of those players was Jon Jansen.

Whittingham himself has learned more about the Michigan State rivalry, although he was involved in the Holy War between Utah and BYU, so he knows about rivalry games.

One player who knows all about it is Carr. While he hasn't played in it, he's been around it. Grandpa Lloyd Carr coached in it for a long time, and Carr grew up a Michigan fan, seeing the Wolverines play their annual rival. Carr is going to be valuable in the game on Saturday night, and if he can connect on a few deep shots, Michigan has a chance to impress.

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