Make it 5-0 for J.J. McCarthy, who continues to thrive in his first season as Michigan's starting quarterback. He was at his best when the Wolverines needed him most last weekend, throwing three second-half touchdowns at Indiana to turn a 10-10 game into a 31-10 win.
McCarthy finished with career highs in pass attempts (36), completions (28) and yards (304), though he also committed his first turnover of the season on a red-zone interception in the third quarter. His only blemish of the afternoon was a reminder of where he can take the next step as a quarterback.
"The next thing for J.J. is really trusting his running ability," Jim Harbaugh said Tuesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show.
The interception, as Harbaugh pointed out, came on a throw into tight two-man coverage when Indiana "had five underneath defenders playing man-to-man with every eligible receiver and then two deep safeties."
"And with J.J., that should never happen. No team should expect to be able to play that coverage against J.J. McCarthy, because as soon as he pulls it down and starts running with it, everybody's covering somebody and he can run for a long time," Harbaugh said. "So that probably is the next thing. He just starts feeling that open lane or feels that two-deep, five-under (coverage), for him to just pshew, come out, I'm gone and beat teams, pick up big yardage and first downs that way."
McCarthy rushed four times for 26 yards against Indiana, including a "couple of nice runs where he picked up a first down, one on third down," Harbaugh said. His season-high in carries is five; his season-high in yards is 50. There are more plays out there for McCarthy on the ground, which will only make things harder for opposing defenses in the weeks ahead.
"I mean, that's hard to stop," said Harbaugh. "You hear a lot of defensive coordinators talking about that: 'It's hard to stop a dual-threat type of guy.' And J.J. is definitely a dual-threat guy."
Other highlights from Harbaugh's interview on 97.1 The Ticket:
On Michigan's second-half rally against Indiana: "If you're gong to make it to the promised land, if that's what's in store for you as a ballclub, then you have to have some second-half moments that are defining, that show you can finish and play well when the pressure's on, that you're not going to fold under that kind of spotlight."
On Saturday's game against No. 10 Penn State: "We all know it's a big week, big game. Needed no reminder. But if we needed a reminder, we just turned on the TV yesterday, watched some of the NFL games and every commercial break: 'No. 10 Penn State at No. 4 Michigan!' And I'm sure they'll be more as the week goes. But guys know, we know, excited about it and looking forward to the challenge."
On the 1997 national championship team being honored this weekend: "Gritty, tough, just like their coach. The players that were on that team had those defining fourth quarters, those defining second halves. They were able to finish and do what needed to be done. They played with a tremendous confidence, but they weren't cocky, they didn't take anybody for granted. And people that got in their way, they gave them 60 minutes of rage."
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