The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 55 QUARTERBACKS QUARTERBACKS the only thing that matter is how you perform when the bullets are live. "McCaffrey has the experience and has shown some success in doing that. Unfortu- nately, Mr. Milton hasn't had that. That is a disadvantage, but it does not mean Milton won't be the starter. "The lack of spring football and the lack of all those reps just puts an absolute, over-the- top emphasis on every rep these guys get this fall. If Joe shows up and lights it on fire this fall, in theory, he would be the starter. I don't think that's out of the question. That could happen, but going in, before they even put the helmets on, the advantage is with McCaffrey." Skene also likes McCaffrey's on-field swagger and bravado in his eagerness to make plays. "I think he's gutsy," Skene said. "He's got a willingness to stick his nose in, with the football on the read-option stuff. He's a risk taker, to a degree — an appropriate amount of risk. "I go back to the Wisconsin game last year, before he had his head taken off. That kid's not afraid to tuck that ball and go make a play. A lot of times, quarterbacks are not comfortable doing that. They'd rather get rid of the football and maybe not be the one who is going to take the big blow. "This kid has shown that he's willing to do that. There are a lot of great quarterbacks over the last 10 years of football, with all the read-option stuff, with so much ball carrying by the quarterback, and we've seen some really good ones over the years that do this. They've had tons of success. "I've seen flashes of this w i t h M c C a ff r ey, w h e r e maybe he just tucks it and goes. His running ability is, to me, an indicator of his tough- ness and his grit to go make a play. He's got some decep- tive speed. He's done that in football games, in reps that matter, in big games against big opponents." Skene wouldn't put the brakes on McCaf- frey's scrambling, but might have him get on the ground a little quicker. "I would, to a degree, but part of me says if it's in this guy's DNA to go out there and make plays, you don't want to take that away," Skene argued. "You don't want to take an aggressive-minded player who is out there trying to make stuff happen and turn him into a cautious-minded player to avoid things. "If I were his coach, I would encourage it. I would maybe encourage it a little smarter — when you take off and you see things, go ahead and get down. But I'd be careful about over-coaching him to take that aggressive- ness away. I wouldn't do it." Milton remains highly durable in his time at Michigan. He'll need to turn the intermit- tent big moment into consistently strong play in order to emerge as the top quarterback. "When you think about Joe Milton, yeah, there's a lot of talent," Jansen offered. "Last year when we did see him, there was the touchdown he threw against Rutgers to Giles Jackson in the back corner of the end zone. The one thing we know about Joe is, he's got a strong arm, and he runs like a deer. He is a terrific athlete. "But you've got to be able to throw a catchable ball. You've got to be able to put a little touch on that. You can't always just fire it in there. In that drive, I saw him take a little off the ball and throw a catchable ball. In that route to Giles Jackson, I saw him put some touch on the ball and place it right where it needed to be. "But again, against Rutgers, in the fourth quarter, is that really meaningful experience? Well, it's in front of the crowd, it's in the game — the coaches aren't right back there making corrections. So yes, you can glean some things from it. "But until you see them in game time, un- til you see some scrimmages against Michi- gan's defense, and them putting some pres- sure on him, it comes down to what type of quarterback is he going to be? How has he progressed? What type of learning curve has there been?" Skene appreciates Milton's ability to un- leash the deep ball as much as anyone. At the same time, he points out that is not the end-all for a quarterback. "Milton's got an absolute cannon on his shoulder," Skene observed. "But that's just part of it, right? That's an important luxury to have, that strength to be able to throw a laser. But it's not a requirement. "Some of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play at Michigan didn't have cannons. I think of Brian Griese — he didn't have a cannon. But man, he was a surefire quarter- back who put the ball in a catchable spot. That's all either one of these guys have to do. "Then if you get the opportunity, you can open it up to that raw talent, like Milton has. Maybe you send Nico Collins on a route and you let Joe throw it 65 yards in the air, no problem. That would be fun to watch." Overall, Skene appreciates what Milton brings to the competition. "Big, strong, super athletic, incredibly gifted arm to throw the football," Skene as- sessed. "No doubt, he has the raw talent. How fast can he develop in the actual role to understand the offense, get into some reps in the offense and get into a game to show what he's got? "We all saw the raw talent and physical capabilities of this kid. What is he, 6-5, 240? That's a tight end. He's a full-grown-man tight end playing quarterback, so he's not going to come down easily. PRESEASON ANALYSIS: QUARTERBACKS STARTERS ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The upside is there, but there's plenty to prove as well. Redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey has looked the best in his opportunities to play, but offensive coordinator Josh Gattis may see something in his offense that plays to the strengths of redshirt sophomore Joe Milton. Plus, there is the injury factor, with McCaf- frey suffering significant nicks the past two seasons. He might be looking to hit the turf quicker, while Milton looks to show he has gained the throwing touch to combine with his big arm. DEPTH ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Whoever doesn't win the job out of the aforementioned duo will be on one-play-away status, and therefore fully engaged this fall. If it's Milton, he's been on the field for eight games, while redshirt freshman Cade McNa- mara hasn't been there at all. So while the depth is certainly talented, it isn't deeply tested at this point. X-FACTOR That has to be McNamara, who did enough last winter and leading up to a spring practice that never got off the ground to gain mention. He was a prolific thrower in high school, and Gattis wants to run a prolifically throwing at- tack at opponents. That might prove a strong combo at some point. OVERALL ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ If Michigan opens at Washington, somebody gets thrown into the fire from the opening series. That's probably good, because once the Big Ten season hits, the opening trio of Wis- consin, Penn State and Michigan State (in East Lansing) won't be giving any new-quarterback discounts in the way they come after the QB. The Wolverines have great potential here — but at this point, that's all it is. YEAR-BY-YEAR PASSING STATS Year Passing Yards Touchdowns Interceptions 2019 3,261 25 9 2018 2,804 24 9 2017 2,226 9 10 2016 2,756 20 7 2015 3,090 21 10 2014 2,042 10 18 2013 3,221 21 13 2012 2,591 20 19 2011 2,377 22 16 2010 3,252 23 15