Say what you want about his limitations. Cade McNamara has Michigan undefeated and ranked No. 6 in the country entering a pivotal clash with Michigan State. So Jim Harbaugh is sticking with him, no matter what you say about J.J. McCarthy.
"I've been happy with the offense, I've been happy with Cade," Harbaugh said Tuesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show. "He's doing a lot of things. I know people think they're experts at quarterbacks and corners, too, because it's obvious when you see a guy get beat or not. But Cade's doing a lot of things right. Getting the ball to the right places, playing with accuracy, leading our team. Points per possession. You want to avoid turnovers."
With McNamara under center, Michigan ranks outside the top 100 teams in the nation in passing offense. His freshman counterpart is clearly more explosive. But to Harbaugh's point, the Wolverines are No. 9 in the country in points per drive, fueled by a dominant rushing attack, and McNamara has thrown just one interception and taken just two sacks in 217 pass attempts dating back to last season.
"And some of the things you don't see in the running game is the quarterback getting us in the right play. We don't have a lot of sacks, a lot of times that's the quarterback getting us in the right protection," Harbaugh said. "So he's earned the starting job and he's doing a very good job."
McCarthy has flashed his five-star talent in limited action. He's responsible for some of Michigan's longest pass plays this season and he's a constant threat with his speed. He can do a lot, and Michigan is starting to ask him to do more. That will continue in the final month of the season, with McNamara retaining the job as QB 1 -- for now.
"We talk about it, J.J. McCarthy also being utilized more and more," Harbaugh said. "More is starting to come onto his plate because he's earned it. He didn't earn the starting job back in training camp, but he's gone in, he's played well, he's earned more. Continue to put more on his agenda. And I think that's something that's also ultimately tough for an opponent, to think that all things are possible."
As for Saturday's clash with No. 7 Michigan State -- the first top-10 meeting between the Spartans and Wolverines 1964 -- Harbaugh said Michigan will prepare with the same level of focus and "the addition of, this is a huge game."
"This is Michigan State. This is a rivalry game. A lot of implications in terms of the championship, playoff picture, all those things. So you gotta turn it up," he said. "Everything we've been doing, always gotta turn it up another notch on the dial."
