JJ McCarthy had a strong run in his first season as the starting quarterback for Michigan. Despite the loss to TCU — punctuated by a pair of pick-6 mistakes –, McCarthy led the Wolverines to a 13-1 record, an undefeated B1G championship and a win on the road against Ohio State.

According to PFF, McCarthy also led all quarterbacks with his performance in one area. That area was McCarthy’s rating on play-action passes with the QB drawing a 92.9 PFF grade for the 2022 season.

In terms of total numbers, McCarthy threw for 2,719 yards and 22 touchdowns with 5 interceptions while completing 64.6% of his passes. He also added 306 yards rushing and 5 more touchdowns on the ground.

McCarthy’s work in play-action passes is not surprising, considering the potent ground game the Wolverines have utilized the past few seasons. With Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards returning for 2023, look for Michigan to lean on the ground game early and unleash McCarthy’s work in the play-action passing attack as games roll on.