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Rapid Reaction: Michigan rolls to Week 1 win as QB debate rages on for Wolverines
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Final Score: Michigan 51, Colorado State 7
Brief Recap: Michigan fans got to see how the 2022 team stacks up against Colorado State. There was a slow start at 1st, but things got rolling thanks to the defense.
Cade McNamara scored the opening touchdown of the game, finding Roman Wilson on 61-yard pass that went for 6.
The next 6 point would come from unsuccessful attempts in the red zone that forced the Wolverines to take field goals. Blake Corum then found the end zone followed by another Jake Moody field goal.
The defense also got involved in the scoring, with a 45-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Plus, J.J. McCarthy saw some action and even scored using his legs. Donovan Edwards and Alex Orji scored the final touchdowns for Michigan.
Colorado State’s defense didn’t really threaten Michigan much until the 4th quarter, when all the backups were in. The Rams scored on a 44-yard touchdown pass for their only touchdown of the game.
Key Player: J.J. McCarthy
J.J. McCarthy showed that he may have what it takes to win the QB1 job at Michigan. This became especially clear as the game went on. McCarthy adds a whole other layer to the Michigan offense with his abilities in the running game. He finished with 30 yards passing, but went 4-for-4 on the day. McCarthy also had 50 yards rushing and 1 touchdown.
Key Stat: 50% of passes completed for Cade McNamara
Cade McNamara did not look like his former self. It may end up costing him the starting quarterback job in Ann Arbor because of it. It will all come down to how badly McCarthy wants this starting job. McCarthy has his chance to separate himself in this QB battle in Week 2 as Hawaii comes to town.
Key Concern: 3rd-down Efficiency
Michigan dominated Colorado State, but struggled to get 3rd-down conversions. The Wolverines finished the game going 3-for-10 on 3rd downs. This will not do the offense a lot of favors in the long run, especially against B1G opponents down the stretch. However, there is still a lot of time for Michigan to clean things up.
What it means for Michigan: This game is like the many Week 1 games before it in that it was to iron out the problems that this team has before conference play. There were a lot of positives from this game, but still some negatives at the same time. J.J. McCarthy will have an opportunity to earn the starting job.
The Michigan formula is going to remain the same, and will depend on the run game. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards should fill the hole the Hassan Haskins left. 1 of the mysteries will be the quarterback position for the next couple of weeks, but it looks like the fans have already decided that they like McCarthy over McNamara.
Grant Bricker covers the B1G for Saturday Tradition. His previous stops include the Williamson Homepage and Nashville Post.