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Michigan LB Michael Barrett explains how defense must adjust when facing JJ McCarthy in practice.

Grant Bricker

By Grant Bricker

Published:

Michael Barrett talked about what it’s like to go up against J.J. McCarthy in practice. His answer was posted on Twitter per Alejandro Zúñiga of 247Sports.

Barrett was on special teams for the majority of last season, appearing in 14 games on the unit. More recently, he made 6 tackles and 1 sack against Colorado State. He stated that containing McCarthy has to do with making sure he doesn’t get to the outside.

*You gotta make sure that your rush lanes are perfect,” said Barrett. “You gotta make sure you have your edges, because if he gets outside and we’re in man coverage, he can beat you with his feet. He’s a fast one, so he can get out of there. He thinks he’ll slip out of a couple of tackles, and we’ll laugh about it, because we can’t really tackle him or touch him in practice.”

It’s a much different task than when the defense is going up against Cade McNamara, that’s for sure. McCarthy adds another layer to the Michigan offense.

“We lust have to make sure that we keep an edge and pocket tight whenever were rushing,” said Barrett. “Don’t pass the quarterback, things like that, so you don’t get to escape on us. But it’s something have to focus on when he’s in there.”

McCarthy will be the starting quarterback against Hawaii on Sept. 10.

Grant Bricker

Grant Bricker covers the B1G for Saturday Tradition. His previous stops include the Williamson Homepage and Nashville Post.