The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2023 THE WOLVERINE 37 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Five Best Players 1. Sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy He kept Michigan in the first half at Ohio State Nov. 26, throwing 2 long touchdown passes, before continuing to guide the offense and accounting for 2 more scores (1 rush- ing, 1 passing) in the second half of the convincing 45-23 victory over the Buckeyes. He connected on 3 passes of 20-plus air yards, per Pro Football Focus (PFF), including 2 of the touchdowns. That came one week after leading the Maize and Blue on two late field goal scoring drives to eke out a 19-17 win over Illinois. In the Big Ten championship game Dec. 3, McCarthy connected on 11 of 17 passes for 161 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception against Purdue. 2. Sophomore running back Donovan Edwards "The Don," as he's referred to by FOX play-by-play broad- caster Gus Johnson, has stepped up since junior Blake Co- rum suffered a season-ending injury against Illinois. Ed- wards was out with a right hand injury versus the Illini, but he gave it a go with a large cast on in each of the next two games. Carrying the ball only in his left hand, he combined for 401 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns with 3 catches for 13 yards against Ohio State and Purdue. His two long touchdown runs against the Buckeyes (75 and 85 yards, re- spectively) sealed the victory. His 60-yard dash and 27-yard touchdown run in the second half versus the Boilermakers also led the Maize and Blue to their second-straight Big Ten title en route to game MVP honors. 3. Senior nickel back Mike Sainristil The smallest player on Michigan's defense made some of the biggest plays against the Buckeyes and has been solid all season. The 5-foot-10, 182-pound converted wide receiver finished with 7 total tackles and 2 pass breakups — both in the end zone, includ- ing one to save a touchdown and force an Ohio State field goal at- tempt — in the Ohio State game. During the three-game stretch, he accumulated 15 stops and al- lowed just 1 touchdown on 20 targets in coverage, per PFF. 4. Freshman tight end Colston Loveland Ten of his 18 targets on the year have come in the final three games, and so have 6 of his 12 receptions, 120 of his 199 receiving yards and both of his touchdowns. The 6-foot- 5, 237-pounder from Gooding, Idaho, was on the receiving end of a 45-yard touchdown pass from McCarthy against Ohio State and hauled in a 25-yard scoring grab over two defenders versus Purdue. He also set career highs in catches (3) and receiving yards (50) in the victory over Illinois. 5. Freshman cornerback Will Johnson He set a career high with 4 tackles against Illinois, then shattered it the following weekend with 7 in Columbus. In the latter game, he earned the opportunity to go up against Ohio State's stud receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, and head coach Jim Harbaugh said by the end of the game he noticed the Buckeyes moving the wideout away from Johnson. The Detroit native kept the momentum going in the Big Ten championship game, notching 2 key second-half interceptions, including one stop when Purdue was threatening to score deep in Michi- gan territory. Key Moment Down 31-20, Ohio State was driving and faced a third- and-4 on the U-M 9-yard line. Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud targeted his open tight end Cade Stover in the corner of the end zone, with Sainristil in coverage. The Michigan nickel back was trailing Stover but caught up at the last second and poked the ball out of the tight end's hands in textbook fashion for a touchdown-saving pass breakup. The Buckeyes settled for a field goal to cut the deficit to eight points, but those were Ohio State's final three points of the contest. Best Highlight Edwards ran for the aforementioned 75-yard touchdown and got another huge hole just a few offensive plays later, following an interception by the Michigan defense (gradu- ate edge Taylor Upshaw). Running right again, Edwards found a huge seam and was into the clear in an instant, once again outrunning the Buckeyes, this time for an 85-yard pop. That put the Wolverines ahead 45-23, which was the final score of the beatdown. Bold Prediction There are some NFL Draft decisions to watch for Michigan — with Corum, on the offensive and defensive lines, and at cornerback, most notably — but the Wol- verines are slated to return most of their production in 2023. That's the source of much excitement surrounding the future of the program. The Wolverines have some budding stars, exemplified by the fact that four of the top five players of the last three contests are underclassmen. Chief among those stars is McCarthy. It's entirely possible that the sophomore could be the lone returning starting quar- terback out of the teams currently ranked in the top seven by the College Football Playoff. We'll make the bold prediction that Mich- igan will be ranked preseason No. 1 or No. 2 and favored to win the Big Ten enter- ing the 2023 campaign, regardless of what occurs in the College Football Playoff. — Clayton Sayfie Superlatives For Michigan's Three Games From Nov. 19 To Dec. 3 Loveland, a true freshman, totaled 6 receptions for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns in the last three games. He had a 45-yard TD catch against Ohio State and a 25-yard score over two defenders versus Purdue. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL