Michigan Football: Why J.J. McCarthy Threw 3 Interceptions

Interception #3

With one minute remaining in the third quarter, Michigan football is going to leave the first-team offense on the field to try and finish the day strong. The Wolverines come out in a 12-personnel shotgun formation on 2nd and 5 from the BGSU 35-yard line.

Bowling Green is going to bring a double linebacker blitz, rushing six defenders while Michigan football only has five blockers. McCarthy is initially looking to take a shot deep and by the time he recognizes the pressure he is going to have to roll out of the pocket to avoid a sack.

McCarthy showed a lot of athleticism outrunning the BGSU defender and keeping the play alive. He actually had Colston Loveland open downfield on the scramble drill. It’s hard to tell if JJ might have just been looking to throw the ball away or if was trying to complete a pass to Loveland, but he ended up overthrowing Colston and leaving the ball in a spot where Avi McGary was able to make an impressive catch and interception for Bowling Green.

What This Means Going Forward

Honestly, not very much. I know the temptation is to feel extremely let down after a poor performance from JJ. After all, that’s our guy and he, for the first time in seemingly forever, had some legitimate national buzz and Heisman lore surrounding the play of a Michigan QB.

But again, it was just one game. It was also a night game and you never know how having to hang out all day and play affects someone. McCarthy definitely didn’t play great. He made some poor reads and didn’t execute on throws we know he can make.

But at the end of the day Michigan football is 3-0 and managed to survive non-conference play without their head coach. Aside from the four turnovers by the Wolverines, this was honestly their best non-conference performance.

The defense and the run game looked great. The challenge going forward is getting all the talent this team has to start clicking at the same time. JJ has still made vast improvements from last year and all the work he put in over the Summer will continue to showcase itself over the course of the season.

McCarthy needs to not let this game affect him, use it as motivation, and not put the pressure of this team’s success entirely on himself. If he can do that, he and this Michigan offense will not only be fine but take this team to new heights this year.