J.J. McCarthy is pretty good. Discussions often begin and end with the quarterback play, and McCarthy played pretty well against a very good defense. I have seen some people being critical, but here are the numbers: 36/50 (72%), 375 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions over the past two weeks against Maryland and Iowa. He’s not putting up Baker Mayfield-type numbers, but he’s completing a ton of passes and mostly taking care of the ball. The only real qualm I have is he holds on to the ball a second too long sometimes. He did it last week against Maryland, and he did it once again against Iowa. It should have been a fumble against the Terrapins, and it was definitely a fumble against the Hawkeyes.
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The running back room is back to full strength. It was nice to have Donovan Edwards back in uniform even though he still looks a little gimpy on that bad ankle. He turned in a nice performance with 5 carries for 29 yards and 4 catches for 21 yards and 1 touchdown. One of the best runs of his career came early against Iowa when he showed great patience on an inside zone play before bursting through the hole. One of my issues with him has been his hurrying through the hole and/or getting too close to his blockers, but if he can develop the patience that Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum have shown over the past couple seasons, look out! Corum was the real star of the game, though, with 29 carries for 133 yards and 1 touchdown. That’s no small feat against a very tough, disciplined defense.
Jim Harbaugh and tight ends. I wonder how deep Michigan could go into the tight end well before they got to someone who wouldn’t play well. Michigan hasn’t really missed a beat since Erick All was lost to injury before the Maryland game. I think All is a plus player and he’s made some big plays for Michigan – mainly the game winner against Penn State in 2021 – but Luke Schoonmaker has stepped up to catch 11 passes for 117 yards and 1 touchdown over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, there are scholarship guys on the bench while Max Bredeson runs out there as a walk-on and looks perfectly capable.
The pass rush cometh. Last week I talked a little bit about the lack of organic pass rush from Michigan’s front four. Defensive end Mike Morris had 2 sacks in the first four weeks, and he doubled that total against Iowa. Late in the game, he lined up as a wide 9-technique – just like Aidan Hutchinson last year – and tore through the outside shoulder of Iowa right tackle Connor Colby. When 292 pounds can get a running start, good luck stopping the momentum. Meanwhile, outside linebacker Eyabi Okie (formerly Anoma) is earning more snaps. I’m not sure what the story is, but he was listed at 270+ pounds at UT-Martin last year and now he’s listed at 244. Maybe he lost weight or someone was fudging the numbers, but reports about his lack of athleticism and pass rush are curious based on what we’ve seen. As he gets more comfortable with the defensive scheme at Michigan, it appears he’s going to play more and more. He managed 3 assisted tackles, half a sack, and a quarterback hurry.
Spencer Petras is so hot and cold. Iowa’s quarterback has a way of looking impressive and terrible on back to back plays. He throws way too many passes into the dirt. I don’t think I’ve seen a passer at Michigan who has thrown ugly passes more frequently since Denard Robinson, so I can’t imagine being an Iowa fan and thinking, “This is the best pocket passer we can find?” But then he unleashes some pretty deep balls, and that would be so infuriating if you’re a Hawkeye. He finished 21/31 for 246 yards and 1 touchdown, while taking 4 sacks. Michigan tamped down star tight end Sam LaPorta pretty well (5 catches, 24 yards), but #2 tight end Luke Lachey had a huge game with 4 catches for 84 yards and 1 touchdown. Michigan might have a hard time defending teams with a couple effective receiving tight ends this year, but there aren’t many teams with those types of weapons.
Hooray for the win. I expected a victory, but it’s always a little tense when Michigan goes to Kinnick Stadium. Iowa scares me going all the way back to my early days as a Michigan fan when it seemed every game with the Hawkeyes was a nail-biter. There were some blowouts over the years, but I could never understand how Iowa – out in the middle of nowhere – could muster a roster that could keep up with the mighty Wolverines. I learned my lesson quickly, though, and I think I have a healthy amount of trepidation about playing Iowa, especially at their place. Michigan set the tone for the game early, but Petras and Iowa got some momentum late to make it at least a little bit interesting. 5-0 and on to Indiana.
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