The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 41 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Five Best Players 1. Junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy The Wolverines' first two games featured a leveled-up McCarthy, who's now a first-rounder in multiple NFL mock drafts. He completed 48 of his 55 passes for 558 yards and 5 touchdowns in wins over East Carolina (30-3) and UNLV (35-7), with his 87.3 completion percentage leading the nation through two weeks. The 6-foot-3, 202-pounder struggled mightily in a 31-6 victory over Bowling Green Sept. 16, though, throwing 3 interceptions and some other questionable passes. Still, he's been U-M's best overall player thus far. 2. Senior wide receiver Roman Wilson A touchdown machine, Wilson became Michigan's second player ever to register 6 touchdown receptions in the first three games of a season, joining Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard, who had an identical number to open the 1991 campaign. Through Week 3, Wilson and Vanderbilt's Will Sheppard stood tied atop the country with 6 scoring catches. Wilson was second on the team with 209 receiving yards, behind graduate Cornelius Johnson (224). 3. Graduate defensive back Mike Sainristil The two-time captain has been lauded by countless teammates and coaches for his leadership and guidance for younger players at all positions, but primarily the defensive backs, many of whom are under his wing. He's held down the fort in the secondary, with sophomore cornerback Will Johnson, senior safety Makari Paige and junior safety Rod Moore, who has yet to appear in a game, missing significant time. Sainristil had the Wolverines' first interception of the season in the opener and added 9 tackles, 2 stops for loss, 1 sack and 1 pass breakup, playing both nickel and corner. 4. Senior running back Blake Corum The 5-foot-8, 213-pounder hasn't put up gaudy numbers by his standards, but he's been productive in nonconference play, shaking off the rust after recovering from a knee injury suffered at the end of the 2022 campaign. He ranked tied for second in the nation with 6 rushing touchdowns and now has 37 for his career, checking in sixth in U-M history. The Marshall, Va., native rushed 37 times for 254 yards, averaging 6.9 yards per carry, in Michigan's 3-0 start to the sea- son. For comparison, Corum had fewer rushing yards (235) in three nonconference outings last season, when he finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting. Corum broke out for a 101-yard rushing night against Bowling Green, marking his 13th career 100-plus yard game. 5. Senior edge Jaylen Harrell Constant activity and relentless pursuit have defined Harrell's impressive start to the season. Through three weeks, he was tied for sec- ond in the Big Ten with 2.5 sacks. He forced a fumble that was recovered by the Wolverines against Bowling Green and got pressure to help cause an interception by senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins in the same game (Jenkins has also been great, an honorable mention along with sophomore position-mates Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham). Harrell totaled 9 tackles in U-M's first three games. Key Moment Michigan committed plenty of miscues in the first half of a 31-6 win over Bowling Green, leading 14-6 at halftime. The defense took matters into its own hands in the third quarter, though, forcing back-to-back turnovers. Senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins sniffed out a screen pass and got an in- terception deep in Falcons territory, leading to a U-M touchdown, and senior edge Jaylen Harrell jarred the ball loose before graduate linebacker Michael Barrett recovered. U-M got a field goal out of the opportunity. Those two huge plays helped the Wolverines cruise to victory. Best Highlight Junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy was 15-for-15 on play-action passes through three games this season, and his best completion came after fak- ing the handoff to senior running back Blake Corum. McCarthy climbed the pocket and hit senior wideout Roman Wilson in stride. Wilson turned up the U-M sideline and raced past defenders for the 47-yard touchdown to go up 28-0 in the third quarter of a 35-7 victory over UNLV. Bold Prediction Michigan coaches have spoken of splitting touches more evenly between senior Blake Corum and junior Donovan Edwards in the backfield. However, Edwards has been up and down as a runner this season, with 27 carries for 96 yards and no touchdowns. Corum has been much more effective, and we predict he'll have to carry 25 or more times at least once in the Wolverines' first three Big Ten games, against Rutgers Sept. 23, Nebraska Sept. 30 and Minnesota Oct. 7. — Clayton Sayfie Superlatives For Michigan's Three Games From Sept. 2 To Sept. 16 Through three games, junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy had a pass efficiency rat- ing of 195.9, which ranked No. 8 nationally. He completed 56 of 68 passes for 716 yards, 7 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in U-M's 3-0 start. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN