The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 37 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Five Best Players 1. Junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy The 6-foot-3, 202-pounder threw just 8 passes for 70 yards in a 24-15 win over Penn State Nov. 11 and still lands on our top spot, because of how outstanding he was in the previous two games, a 49-0 victory over Michigan State Oct. 21 and a 41-13 win over Purdue Nov. 4. Against the Spartans, he completed 21 of 27 pass at- tempts for 287 yards and a career-high 4 touch- downs. He was a bit off on a few throws versus the Boilermakers but still connected on 65 per- cent of his attempts (24 of 37), carrying an of- fense that struggled to run the ball totaling 335 yards through the air. 2. Sophomore cornerback Will Johnson The second-year stud eased his way into the season while recovering from knee surgery, play- ing sparingly early on, but he's been at his best down the stretch. For whatever reason, recent opponents have been testing him, and he's risen to the challenge. According to Pro Football Focus, he was targeted 15 times in the last three games but allowed only 6 receptions for 55 yards and no touchdowns with 2 pass breakups. He had an interception against Purdue, his second of the season. 3. Senior right guard Zak Zinter The Michigan offensive line has had some is- sues run-blocking at times, but Zinter has still shined in that area. His 77.7 PFF run-blocking rat- ing ranks second among Big Ten guards (minimum 350 snaps). He's also fourth in pass protection (77.5) and leads the conference's guards with a 78.6 overall grade. Zinter has routinely sprung Michigan touchdowns, including when he pulled and pancaked a defender on senior running back Blake Corum's 3-yard touchdown run to put the Wolverines up 7-3 over Penn State Nov. 11. 4. Senior running back Blake Corum Corum doesn't quite have the numbers he tal- lied a season ago, but he's been a key piece of the offense, especially in goal-line situations. He's rushed 21 times from the opponent's 5-yard line or closer, totaling 17 touchdowns. Those 17 scores are more than any other player in the country, and he leads the nation with 18 rushing touchdowns — the next best are two players with 15. Corum punched in a goal-line touchdown against Michigan State, 3 versus Purdue and 1 against Penn State, before sealing the win over the Nittany Lions with a 30-yard score. 5. Senior edge Jaylen Harrell The 6-foot-4, 242-pounder has totaled 10 pres- sures in the last three games, and he got in Pur- due quarterback Hudson Card's face before he threw and Johnson picked him off. Harrell leads the team with 21 pressures and 5.5 sacks. His 87.6 PFF pass-rush grade ranks fourth among Big Ten edge rushers (minimum 130 snaps). Key Moment Penn State had the momentum after a touch- down late in the second quarter to pull within five points Nov. 11 in State College. The Nittany Lions had the ball with a chance to take the lead coming out of halftime, but six plays into the first drive of the third quarter, on third-and-2, Michigan sophomore defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny forced a fumble on quarterback Drew Allar, who was running a draw up the middle, and senior safety Makari Paige pounced on it. The offense proceeded to pick up a third-and-2 and a fourth-and-1 on a possession that chewed 8:04 off the clock before kicking a field goal to make it an eight-point game late in the third quarter. The pressure was on the Nittany Lions, who weren't able to mount a comeback in a 24-15 loss. Best Highlight Junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been pin- point with his accuracy this season, with one of the best examples being his second of a pair of 22-yard touchdown passes to sophomore tight end Colston Loveland in a 49-0 win over Michigan State Oct. 21. Late in the second quarter, Mc- Carthy used a three-step drop and had a clean pocket, before opting not to hit senior wideout Roman Wilson on an underneath route and in- stead firing a dart over the middle to Loveland. The pass whizzed by a linebacker trailing Wil- son, then zipped past the linebacker guarding Loveland, right into the tight end's hands at the 1-yard line, before he walked in for the score to go up 28-0. "Oh, my goodness," NBC analyst Todd Black- ledge said on the broadcast. "What a beautiful throw. Right past the ear of Cal Haladay." Bold Prediction Michigan received a boost of confidence for its run game, posting 227 yards and 3 touchdowns on 46 carries against Penn State, and rushing 32 straight times to close out the game. That will be the beginning of a resurgence for the ground game. The Wolverines will still rely on junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy as the straw that stirs the drink, but they will run for 175-plus yards in each of the final two regular-season games. — Clayton Sayfie Superlatives For Michigan's Three Games From Oct. 21 To Nov. 11 Senior right guard Zak Zinter and the offensive line paved the way at Penn State Nov. 11 for Michigan to control the game with 227 yards on the ground. Senior running back Blake Corum led all rushers with 26 carries for 145 yards (5.6 per carry) and 2 touchdowns. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL