Make no mistake, Jim Harbaugh and Michigan want their typically run-heavy offense to be more balanced this season. That won't stop their quarterback from using his legs.
J.J. McCarthy said last week that he wants to weaponize his running ability to "be an unstoppable force" this year, something he echoed Monday after an offseason of dissecting his film.
"A lot of hours I put in just reevaluating myself and analyzing some of the game-play I've put out there, and most of it's just been decision making, playing faster on-time, more in rhythm, knowing when to run," McCarthy told reporters. "God gave me this great ability to use my legs, gotta use them more."
A five-star recruit in 2021 for his dual-threat ability, McCarthy has a special ability to improvise when he needs to. His athleticism allows him to make plays off-script. Of course, he hasn't had to do much of that behind one of the best offensive lines in the nation the past two seasons. And that won't change this season, with the Wolverines' front potentially better than ever.
"All I'm seeing when I look at that front five is just so much talent, so much opportunity to be great up front once again," McCarthy said.
But when the situation calls for it, McCarthy sounds inclined to show off his speed. And in an offense where he's gaining more command of the playbook and more control at the line of scrimmage, maybe McCarthy puts himself in more positions to do damage on the ground. Behind that offensive line, why not?
McCarthy threw 322 passes last season, for 2,719 yards and 22 touchdowns to five interceptions. He ran it 70 times for 306 yards (4.4 average) and five touchdowns. He had four games where he was credited with more than five rushes: a 41-17 win over Penn State, 29-7 win over Michigan State, 45-23 win over Ohio State and 51-45 loss to TCU. So: 40 points per game, for what it's worth.
For as well as McCarthy played last season, you won't find him atop many national quarterback rankings. He typically checks in from Nos. 6 to 10. One way to change that, not that McCarthy seems all that bothered by it, is by unleashing that dual-threat ability all season long.
"I don't get too caught up in the rankings and stuff like that, because most of them go off of stats and little stuff that's out of your control," McCarthy said. "The only thing I focus on is the best quarterback I can be for this football team because that's all that matters. That's what's going to get the wins. I don't care about being top five or top three or top one, because that's not winning football games."
The Wolverines won 13 games last season with a dominant ground game. They finished seventh in the country in rushing (238.9 yards/game), and ran it about 43 times per game. They only threw it about 26 times per game, one of the lowest marks in the country. They ranked 120th out 131 teams in pass play percentage.
McCarthy said the offense has been "heavy focused on the pass" through the first few practices of camp.
"I feel like in order to get over that hump and bring out the most potential we have as an offense, we gotta be balanced," McCarthy said. "Whether you're a human being or an offense, the more balanced you are, the most successful you're going to be. I feel like it just opens up different levels of the attack, and we've been working on it crazy. We've been more heavy focused on the pass game these first five practices."
That's partly because Michigan isn't in full pads yet, said McCarthy, "so we're not getting into the thick of the run game." But it's clear that Harbaugh wants to build a more dangerous passing attack this year, without sacrificing what his offense does best: run the ball down your throat.
McCarthy is eager to contribute to both.
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