Kirk Campbell discusses J.J. McCarthy vs. Michael Penix Jr. storyline
HOUSTON, Texas – The Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies play on Monday night for a College Football Playoff National Championship in a showdown that features a pair of elite quarterbacks. Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy will show what he can do on a stage that includes Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., the Heisman Trophy runner-up.
McCarthy and Penix will not directly face-off, but college football’s final game of the season will be one of the best quarterback matchups of the year. Michigan quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell thinks it is an interesting storyline, but expects a one-track mind from his starting signal-caller.
“It’s a great storyline and it’s always great to go against other competitors at the quarterback position,” Campbell told The Wolverine. “The opportunity to compete against the best is something that you always want to strive for. But we’re singularly focused, and he’s going to be worried about executing his assignments, and we can’t worry about what’s going on on the other side of the coin when we’re not on the field.
“Great opportunity to compete against the best, but he needs to stay singularly focused on the task at hand.”
Penix has thrown for 4,648 yards, 35 touchdowns and 9 interceptions this year while completing 66.7% of his throws at 9.2 yards per attempt this year, and his ability to maximize every snap has been something that stands out to Campbell and the Wolverines.
“I don’t know him personally, but just seeing how he handles himself during the games, I think he’s got great composure,” Campbell said. “His arm talent as far as deep ball accuracy is through the roof. Tremendous respect for that.
“Then he’s a competitor. He wants to win. I played against him when I was at Penn State. He was at Indiana. I just remember him on the field and I was like, man, that guy has got a bright future, and I think this was his freshman year. I know he went through some injuries since then, but just tremendous respect for that. But what sticks out the most is his composure and deep ball accuracy is as good as I’ve ever seen.”
Composure is something Campbell has seen from his quarterback, too. Michigan and McCarthy did not have their most consistent outing in the Rose Bowl win over Alabama, but were able to put it together late to tie the game and send it to overtime. McCarthy’s ability to deliver in the clutch is ultimate what he gets judged on, and he gets a passing grade from Campbell.
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“Composure from everybody, the players, the staff,” Campbell said. “Then when we had to make the plays, the players made the plays. At the end of the day, we evaluate the quarterback position on making plays in pressure situations. There’s no bigger moment, no bigger stage than what he had to do there. Just super proud of him and the rest of the team for that.”
This week, the emphasis in practice was continuing to protect the football and operate efficiently. Michigan’s best defense could be its offense, and the Wolverines expect McCarthy to extend and make plays when they are presented.
“We always harp on ball control and moving in the pocket,” Campbell said. “Got to extend plays with the legs. Making sure we’re ball secure on every single snap. Can’t win the game if you turn the football over. So always harping on that.
“There’s always areas we can improve on that. Just making sure we can always extend plays with our legs when plays break down. Because not every play is aligned on the page, right? Sometimes they break down. We’ve got to make sure we’re good in that area, as well.”
Monday night’s game from NRG Stadium in Houston kicks off at 7:45 p.m. ET on ESPN. Michigan is a 4.5-point favorite with the over/under set at 56.5 points.
