ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — J.J. McCarthy wrote “47” in black marker on his left hand, honoring his late friend and former teammate Ryan Keeler, who wore No. 47 as a defensive lineman for UNLV.
When the second-ranked Wolverines beat the Rebels 35-7 on Saturday, McCarthy threw two touchdowns to Roman Wilson and one of them was on a 47-yard pass.
Keeler’s death in February at the age of 20 was caused by a heart ailment. McCarthy played youth football and at Nazareth Academy High School in suburban Chicago with Keeler
This whole week has been super emotional because that’s been my guy since day one,” McCarthy said. “That 47-yard touchdown was something that you just can’t make up. It was unbelievable.”
The Wolverines (2-0) were without suspended coach Jim Harbaugh for the second game of his three-game, school-imposed suspension for breaking NCAA rules.
That didn’t slow them down.
McCarthy completed his first 13 passes and finished 22 of 25 for 278 yards and two touchdown passes to Wilson, who had four receptions for 89 yards and has five touchdown receptions through two games.
Blake Corum ran for three touchdowns and finished with 80 yards rushing on 15 carries and caught two passes for 23 yards
The Wolverines (2-0) were without suspended coach Jim Harbaugh for the second game of his three-game, school-imposed suspension for breaking NCAA rules.
The Rebels (1-1) were overmatched as expected, struggling to compete with a national championship contender on either side of the ball.
“Today doesn’t define us, but how we respond will define us,” first-year Rebels coach Barry Odom said. “Ultimately, we are in a sprint with this season on how good we can get. I’m excited about the opportunity to get back to work with our group.
“It’s a sprint with no finish line.”
Doug Brumfield was 10 of 19 for 100 yards and Jayden Maiava completed 5 of 7 passes for 68 yards for the Rebels, who didn’t have a player with 25 yards rushing or with 50 yards receiving.
UNLV — like East Carolina last week — avoided a shutout with a late score. Jordan Younge-Humphrey had a 20-yard rushing touchdown with 2:43 left, capping a nine-play, 81-yard drive.
Odom was able to show his players what one of college football’s best looks like up close. The Rebels can potentially learn from the painful experience to help them compete in the Mountain West Conference.
“Nothing has changed in my mind about our football team at UNLV,” said Odom, a former Missouri coach. “I’m excited about where we’re going to go with this.”