No Michigan football QB controversy: 'Everybody rents that position'
Michigan football has two capable quarterbacks, and both have been instrumental in wins this year. While true freshman J.J. McCarthy had played in every game before Penn State, Cade McNamara has been the clear No. 1. He’s started every game this season and thrown for 1,883 yards with 12 touchdowns against only two interceptions.
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The redshirt frosh was at his best with the game on the line Saturday, completing a 47-yard touchdown pass to tight end Erick All for the game winner. All did most of the work with the run after the catch, but McNamara finished with 217 yards and three touchdowns on a cold and windy day in a winning performance.
He earned head coach Jim Harbaugh’s seal of approval Monday after improving U-M to 9-1 overall. The Wolverines will try to make it 10-1 with a win at Maryland Saturday.
“He’s done nothing but be outstanding as the starting quarterback,” Harbaugh said of McNamara. “This past game was also just another step in his evolution, his growth as a football player. A fourth-quarter comeback — those are special.”
McNamara took some hits, including a sack/fumble PSU turned into three points late in the fourth quarter. He continued to bounce back, showing his resolve.
“The physical play … talk about being knocked down,” Harbaugh said. “Us knocking them down; them knocking us down … he kept getting back up.”
Harbaugh lauded PSU quarterback Sean Clifford’s resolve, too, after being hit a number of times but bouncing back to make big plays.
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“It was a real battle out there,” Harbaugh said. “Both sides really battled in this game. Both teams. I thought it was a credit to football.”
McCarthy, meanwhile, stayed on the sidelines for the entire game for the first time all year. One reporter asked if that meant anything for the long-term quarterback battle for the two, both of whom have three more years of eligibility.
“That’s just the way the game went … [people] want a story here of something definitive. Cade had a great game,” Harbaugh said. “Cade was playing well, and we rolled with Cade.
“As far as long term, who is going to be, that prediction? Everybody rents that position. Nobody owns the position. Any position on the field, even the head coach. It’s a lease, at best.”
Meaning the two will continue to battle to make Michigan football better in the short term and long term for the foreseeable future.
