The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 19 A BURNING COMPETITIVENESS McCarthy made himself a Heisman Trophy contender this season, but he's certainly not caught up in that hype. He comes across as completely genuine in his big-picture indifference toward hardware. "It's a tremendous honor, but at the end of the day, I could care less about that," McCarthy offered. "I don't really care about trophies. I care about champion- ships, and that's the same thing this entire team cares about. It's a tremendous honor, but we're still going to focus on our goals, and getting better every single day." He also cares, like Harbaugh, about those third-down situations. McCarthy and Michigan quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell study and drill relentlessly to make certain he can deliver. "I take a lot of pride in that third- and-long," McCarthy admitted. "Coach Campbell and I do a great job all week, just dissecting what teams do in those situations. I just feel like that does a lot for the offense, when you're able to con- vert on those downs. It's extreme prioritization of those situations during the week." He also drills against throw- ing the football to the other team, and it's been drilled into him not to do so. That showed through- out his career, with McCarthy carrying just 10 interceptions in 35 games enter-