Michigan’s defense won the day. The scoreboard says 38 points for Michigan, which is a good amount of points, but the Wolverines won the game with their defense. They held the Badgers to 43 total rushing yards, which is their lowest total since they had -26 yards against Northwestern in November 2015. Wisconsin’s leading rusher was freshman Braelon Allen, who ran 5 times for 19 yards. Those overall numbers were aided by -13 yards from backup quarterback Chase Wolf and -21 yards from starting quarterback Graham Mertz, who were sacked a total of 5 times. Wisconsin’s only real sustained success was a drive near the end of the first half when Mertz was 5/5 and threw a touchdown to wide receiver Chimere Dike.
Name: Alan Bowman Height: 6’3″ Weight: 215 lbs. High school: Grapevine (TX) Grapevine Position: Quarterback Class: Redshirt junior Jersey number: N/A Last year: Bowman completed 150/232 passes for 1,602 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions at Texas Tech. TTB Rating: N/A
Bowman has an interesting history. He marched into Texas Tech, completed a lot of passes, got injured some, and then felt like he was probably going to get replaced. So he decided to transfer, and he signed with Michigan. That’s an abbreviated history, but the point is that he is by far the most experienced option at quarterback for the Wolverines. He has thrown 33 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, and 713 total passes in his college career. Compare that to Michigan’s lone quarterback with college experience, Cade McNamara, who has 5 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and 71 pass attempts – literally 10% of the attempts that Bowman has.
Because that’s the case, one would think that Bowman would be a shoo-in for the starter’s job. In the words of Lee Corso: not so fast, my friend.
I believe Bowman is a decent quarterback, but McNamara has spent the past two years in this offensive system and working with these receivers. Jim Harbaugh recently said McNamara is the clear #1 quarterback going into fall camp. Could things change between now and September 4? Sure. Will they? I honestly don’t have any idea.
You might also notice that I have not yet ranked second-stringer J.J. McCarthy, so why is the third quarterback so high here at #41a?
Well, McNamara didn’t last long during his redshirt freshman season, hurting his shoulder almost immediately after usurping the starting job from Joe Milton. And McCarthy is a true freshman. Not only does Bowman provide a veteran presence and competition to the quarterback room, but he could find himself thrust into a prominent role even if he’s technically the third-stringer. Another injury to McNamara and/or some bumpy spots for a freshman could see Bowman taking snaps in Michigan Stadium.
The quarterback situation is perhaps the most intriguing story of the 2021 season for Michigan, outside of Jim Harbaugh’s job security. Bowman could be a Jake Rudock and start the entire season, or he might end up like John O’Korn and never really find his footing.
Former Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman announced on Twitter that he is transferring to Michigan.
Bowman was a product of Grapevine (TX) Grapevine in the 2018 class, ranked as a 3-star, the #37 pro-style quarterback, and #899 overall. (Note: Joe Milton was the #9 pro-style QB in that class.) Aside from Texas Tech, he also had offers from the likes of Cincinnati, Illinois, SMU, some Ivy League schools, etc.
