Up until 7:30 pm Saturday night, J.J. McCarthy was looking like he would be one of the first QBs taken in the 2024 NFL draft. Then in three throws all of that came crashing down as the dying hopes that desperate Wolverine fans have long had for a notable passing game got bandaged up by a quite impressive light show.
Okay, not really and let’s be fair- this was one game. Chances are still pretty good that JJ will be one of the first QBs off the board come April.
I know at first this performance is a strange combination of frustrating and concerning to Michigan football fans. But the sky isn’t falling. We’re going to break down just what happened on each of the three interceptions as well as what this means for JJ and the Michigan offense going forward.
Interception #1
Up 7-0 with 4:54 left in the first quarter, Michigan football comes out in a shotgun formation. It’s 2nd and Goal from the five-yard line. Michigan is running 12 personnel meaning they have one running back, two tight ends, and two wide receivers on the field. McCarthy is going to motion TE Colston Loveland across the formation and look for him in the flat as the primary passing read on the play.
Bowling Green countered this by playing what looked like a condensed field cover three-zone defense. This means that JJ will likely have some time to throw but the windows are going to be tight and it’s going to be hard for a receiver to get wide open.
Bowling Green did a great job taking away the flat route by Loveland off the initial read so JJ is going to look for Roman Wilson coming across the back of the end zone on a slant route. JJ actually does a great job of looking off the defenders covering Roman Wilson initially. Wilson does get open, JJ just waits a little too long and the defender covering AJ Barner on a hitch route drops underneath the throw and is able to pick it off. It wasn’t an awful read but JJ waited too long and looked like he didn’t see the defender dropping back into the throwing lane.
Interception #2
The Michigan football offense came back onto the field for the first time since the interception and a kickoff return fumble by Max Bredeson that resulted in back-to-back Bowling Green field goals. JJ is able to hit a couple of passes to start the drive and the offense looks to be back in rhythm.
Michigan football is set up with a 1st and 10 from the Bowling Green 38-yard line. They are going to start in split-back shotgun formation with Edwards and Corum lined up on either side of McCarthy. JJ motions Donovan and initially looks to throw to him on a swing route when the ball is snapped but BGSU does a good job reacting to this.
There was a defender crashing down on the route and Edwards wouldn’t have had much room to make a play had he gotten the ball. Bowling Green also brings a cat blitz on the play meaning they have a cornerback rushing the passer.
The extra pressure causes the pocket to collapse. JJ actually made a good read throwing to Cornelius Johnson who is one on one with a safety on a post route. It looked like Johnson had a step on the defender as well. The problem is JJ underthrows the ball not giving CJ any chance to make a catch and leaving Jordan Oladokuk for Bowling Green with an easy interception.
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.