Best And Worst From Michigan's Massive Win Over Wisconsin

Michigan Wolverines football thrashed Wisconsin in Madison Saturday afternoon, 38-17.

Here are the best and worst from the contest.

RELATED: Offense Notes: Michigan Effectively Opens Up Passing Game In Wisconsin Win

RELATED: Defense Notes: Fast Start, Strong Finish For Michigan In Madison

We're just two days into October and 29 days away from Halloween, but Michigan came out with some trickery to score its first touchdown against the Badgers. Redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara handed it off to redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins, who pitched it back to the signal-caller. McNamara, who notched his second two-touchdown game of his career, then found a streaking sophomore wideout Cornelius Johnson for the 34-yard score.

In 2019, Michigan was down by 27 points when 'Jump Around' came on at Camp Randall at the end of the third quarter, as is tradition. And the Wolverines didn't forget it. They didn't have much to get excited about then, but certainly did so Saturday, joining in on the festivities and providing more juice than the Wisconsin sideline.

Sophomore safety Daxton Hill landed what will perhaps be the hardest hit of the season by any Michigan player. He blitzed off the right side of the defensive formation, with no Badgers picking him up, and was able to get a clean lick on sophomore quarterback Graham Mertz, who left the game at that point with a chest injury and did not return. The fact that Hill was at top speed before lowering his shoulder provided for a ton of force behind the blow.

Michigan sorely missed redshirt junior linebacker Josh Ross when he missed the second half of last week's game against Rutgers with a shoulder injury, and he provided a big boost against Wisconsin, even if he wasn't 100 percent healthy. He finished with three tackles and a half-stop for loss.

Michigan redshirt freshman outside linebacker David Ojabo was a question mark coming into the season. With Kwity Paye off to the NFL, the Maize and Blue needed somebody to step up on the opposite end of the formation to junior end Aidan Hutchinson.

While Ojabo has rotated with second-year freshman Jaylen Harrell at times, it's clear he's been the most productive option at the spot. And Saturday in Wisconsin, he played the best game of his career, leading the team with seven tackles and notching 2.5 sacks, including a strip sack in the fourth quarter.

On the offensive side of the ball, we wouldn't call second-year freshman wideout Roman Wilson a star just yet, but he has the potential to be one down the road. He, too, has rotated with redshirt junior Daylen Baldwin, but he might've just won himself the starting job going forward with his six-catch, 81-yard performance in the win.

His 38-yard catch on third-and-10 was a highlight-reel grab.

Michigan desperately needs wide receivers to step up in the absence of junior Ronnie Bell, who is out for the season with a knee injury, and Wilson is one who can provide some help.

On the ensuing kickoff after junior Jake Moody made a 26-yard field goal with 1:33 to go in the first half, the Wolverines decided to try a squib kick instead of booting it deep. While Wisconsin mishandled it and Michigan almost recovered, the Badgers were able to start at their own 37-yard line, much better field position than they'd been getting.

Three plays later and with seven seconds left in the half, Mertz threw a touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Chimere Dike from 18 yards out, after a chunk play got the Badgers deep into Michigan territory.

Freshman quarterback J.J. McCarthy started the second half and began rotating with McNamara, which was a surprise to many. The Wolverines have been intent on getting McCarthy playing time in blowout wins, but we hadn't seen him while the game was in doubt until Saturday in Madison. McCarthy ran some read-option runs and had a one-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown, before throwing a 56-yard touchdown pass later on in garbage time.

"He’s really athletic, and we thought we’d have some looks for him to be able to pull the ball and try to get the ball on the perimeter," head coach Jim Harbaugh said of McCarthy. "Got one where he had a nice gain, nine-yard gain.

"He can throw the ball really well, too, so we just got to get him in there as much as we can. That’s the thinking."

McNamara played a great game, finishing 17-of-28 passing for 197 yards and two touchdowns. No, his starting job is not in jeopardy, but this new role for McCarthy is a development to watch going forward.

Michigan wore blue pants for the second time this season, third time in program history and first time ever on the road. The Wolverines had worn white pants in all but one road contest under Harbaugh, with the 2017 game at Penn State (maize pants) being the exception. Michigan is 3-0 while wearing blue pants.

There has been a lot of talk about a 'different energy' on Michigan's team this season, but many (including us) were skeptical until we saw different results on the field. The first four wins were great, but this was the real test — would Michigan be able to win as an underdog in a hostile road environment against a team that has had its number?

Check, check and check.

The Wolverines made some mistakes in this game, but were able to overcome the adversity, keep fighting all 60 minutes and come out on top.

Here's Harbaugh on his team:

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