JJ McCarthy: 'All we know is beating Ohio State right now'

Last season was a special one for the Michigan Wolverines on the gridiron. The Wolverines went 12-1 in the regular season, 8-1 against Big Ten opponents, and made the College Football Playoff as the No. 2 seed. But arguably more importantly, Michigan finally beat Ohio State. That victory is something that meant a lot to the program, and Michigan backup quarterback JJ McCarthy said beating Ohio State is “all we know” right now.

The victory over Ohio State was a giant one. At that point in the season, Michigan and Ohio State were both 10-1. Entering the matchup, everybody knew that the winner of that Big Ten contest would likely be sitting in a fantastic position to make the CFP. Well, the Wolverines won and made the CFP. But for McCarthy, Michigan simply winning that game means more than any other traditional game.

“For us, the whole 10-year stretch of us not winning – that’s all we know is beating Ohio State right now,” McCarthy said, via Wolverine Digest of Sports Illustrated. “So we’re going to keep that going.

“For me, that rivalry is very personal…and I won’t dive too deep into that. That was just one of those games where you definitely want to win it a lot more than the other ones. Of course, you want to win every game the way that you want to win every game – but that one was super, super nice to win.”

McCarthy is still committed to Michigan

As a freshman this past season, McCarthy played in 11 games, completing 34 of his 59 pass attempts for 516 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. he also added 27 rushing attempts for 124 yards and two more touchdowns. Throughout the season, McCarthy served as Michigan’s backup quarterback behind Cade McNamara.

McNamara threw for 2,576 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions this past season, adding one score on the ground.

Despite sitting behind McCarthy this past season, McCarthy remains committed to Michigan, and he doesn’t plan on changing that. Next season, Michigan will have anew offensive coordinator, as Josh Gattis has left. But head coach Jim Harbaugh remains with the Wolverines, and McCarthy believes that staying where he is will be the best for him long-term.

“I’m a Wolverine and will be for the entirety of my college career,” McCarthy said. “I came here to find out what being a Michigan Man is all about, and after one year I know it’s the best place for my development as a scholar, football player, and most importantly as a human being.”