Against Penn State, the Wolverines decided to run the football over 30 straight times to conclude the game, resulting in a 24-15 victory for the Maize and Blue. A week later, U-M struggled to put down Maryland before returning home and claiming a gritty 30-24 win over Ohio State. Since “The Game,” it has been confirmed that Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy was dealing with some kind of injury; however, Kirk Campbell confirms it has since healed up, and McCarthy is back to 100 percent. Today, he added context to the impact of JJ’s injury on his performances leading up to the Ohio State win and Big Ten title game.
Michigan football quarterback back to 100% following injury
Kirk Campbell is still in his first season as quarterbacks coach for Michigan football, though it appears that his job has been made quite a bit easier since he has JJ McCarthy under center. Still, the Wolverines’ junior quarterback struggled for a few weeks, specifically in games against No. 10 Penn State and Maryland. Since then, info has emerged regarding McCarthy’s injury status, though it sounds like everything is going well on that front right now.
Kirk Campbell explains the impact of JJ’s injury issues
While JJ McCarthy should be back to 100% against Iowa this weekend, QB coach Kirk Campbell made sure to note on Wednesday that his injury did impact a few games leading up to Michigan’s win over Ohio State last weekend.
“Absolutely (it had an impact),” Kirk Campbell explained Wednesday. “Whenever you’re not 100 percent, especially with the lower body as a quarterback, it’s going to be hard to finish a throw. I just thought that it was definitely bothering him. Now he’s 100 percent, and we’re ready to rock (for the Big Ten title game).
“It definitely affected his game a little bit. He’s a warrior; he’s a stalwart. He was going to battle and he was going to go out there and play no matter the percentage he was.”
JJ McCarthy has a chance to cement Michigan football legacy this fall
Despite the injury, JJ McCarthy was named the Big Ten Quarterback of the Year today, becoming the first Michigan football quarterback to ever achieve the feat.
“That is a compliment to (JJ McCarthy),” Campbell said. “Super proud of him and his work. Obviously, the first player in Michigan history to ever do that. He’s a special, talented player. He invests in the meeting room in the offseason, and for him to be rewarded with that is just special. So happy for him and his teammates, too. They’re a large part of that. The receivers, O-line blocking for him, and the running backs. That is a huge accomplishment for JJ right there.”
This weekend, Michigan football and JJ McCarthy face yet another legacy moment. With Jim Harbaugh returning to the sidelines for the Big Ten title game, McCarthy has a chance to earn his third straight conference championship ring, sending the Maize and Blue to yet another College Football Playoff with a shot at winning the program’s first national title since 1997.
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