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College Football

Grading Michigan’s QBs: McNamara, McCarthy look plenty good against WMU

Adam Biggers

By Adam Biggers

Published:

Cade McNamara was serviceable during Michigan’s 47-14 season-opening win over Western Michigan.

During his second start, McNamara completed 9 of 11 passes for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns — highlighted by a 76-yard connection with WR Ronnie Bell. During the late stages of the third quarter, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh gave the nod to true freshman JJ McCarthy, who completed 4 of 6 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown.

McNamara looked good. Considering the circumstances, McCarthy looked really good; he threw a ball from hash-to-hash for roughly 45 yards, linking  with WR Daylen Baldwin for a 69-yard — in total — touchdown connection. It was the play that will probably create a QB discussion as the Wolverines look to find a star under center.

Both QBs played well. Considering that Saturday was McCarthy’s debut, his grades will be curved to an extent. However, McNamara is also relatively new — so his grades will also be skewed a little bit. A hero, of sorts, for Michigan during 2020, McNamara has a high ceiling to go with with a decent arm. McCarthy clearly has the better arm, but he needs some seasoning before becoming leader of the Wolverines.

Cade McNamara: B+

McNamara’s 76-yard TD toss to WR Ronnie Bell was, perhaps, the play of the game. Bell later left the game with an apparent knee injury, which will be discussed later as more details emerge. McNamara doesn’t have a rocket arm like other QBs — even compared to McCarthy — but he completed 9 of 11 passes for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns during Saturday’s win over Western Michigan. Playing roughly 2.5 quarters, the redshirt sophomore looked comfortable in the pocket and didn’t appear to force any throws. Again, he didn’t display a “wow” factor but did what he was supposed to do against the Broncos — and that was set the tone for a big win for Michigan, which finished 2-4 in 2020.

The first score of Michigan’s season, McNamara hooked up with RB Blake Corum for a 14-yard touchdown during the first quarter. It was the type of play that the Wolverines needed in order to feel good about themselves and realize what they have at their skilled positions.

JJ McCarthy: A-

The true freshman gets a slightly better grade than the starter because it was his college football debut. The 69-yard link with  Baldwin certainly set one of the greatest high school quarterback’s wheels in motion. Dodging a tackle and rolling out to the hash, McCarthy showed that he has a powerful arm, one that will guide the Wolverines in the near future. Let’s settle down on the “JJ should start” talk, but let’s also take a look at his potential. Considering the fact that he was playing against prep kids one year ago, McCarthy’s debut was impressive — even if it was during clean-up time.

Going 4-for-6 for 80 yards and a touchdown, the true frosh set himself up for being a true contender for Michigan’s starting QB role.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slSCzDQBg78

Michigan has a clear starter, at least for the time being, in McNamara. But it also looks to have a nice back-up plan in McCarthy, who should pressure McNamara for No. 1 reps as the season progresses — at least it looks that way  based off Week 1’s performances. Don’t expect McCarthy to take the throne this season, but it’s evident that the Wolverines have a pair of serviceable QBs.

Again, this is after Week 1 against WMU. More needs to be seen before making a definitive prediction.

Adam Biggers

Adam Biggers brings his expertise on the Michigan beat to Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.