Column: Like It Or Not, Michigan Football's Offense Is On The Field

It has not always come easy for the 2021 Michigan Wolverines en route to a 7-0 start. However, you are what your record says this time of year. Michigan has stared down every test on its schedule to this point and has not blinked.

The latest step came in a 33-7 drubbing of the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday in Ann Arbor.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff have set the program up to play meaningful November football games. That is an annual expectation, but that would have unanimously been praised as progress by any metric before this year started.

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Michigan felt like it could win doing what it had in earlier games this season. Northwestern is arguably the worst team in the Big Ten caught in a rebuilding year, so the Wolverines played the hits and ran the ball down its throat. The result was 294 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns each from running backs Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum.

If it ain't broke...

The undefeated start to the season has moved the goalposts and has people thinking bigger, as they should. Performances set a bar and change expectations. Michigan is out to compete for Big Ten Championships and more.

Its goals are still in play from that standpoint.

However, one elephant in the room seems to dominate the discourse surrounding the Wolverines.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara went 20-for-27 with 129 yards on Saturday. He has given Michigan everything it could ask for this season. He is poised and manages the offense well. He is a leader that sets a tone for his peers in the building. He leads drives that end in points.

He also only completed a single pass in the second half.

Saturday's performance once again made what is behind him on the depth chart a topic of conversation.

The calls for freshman J.J. McCarthy (3-for-5, 34 yards, two rushes, 36 yards on Saturday) increase every time points and yards are left on the field. McCarthy's role develops more each week, mostly as a change-of-pace running threat at quarterback. We have seen bits of his tantalizing arm talent throughout the year, but it has not materialized into an extended look in meaningful snaps.

Harbaugh has described missed offensive opportunities as "leaving some meat on the bone" a few times this season. There was a handful of them against Northwestern, whether it be a pair of deep shots McNamara did not connect on or balls that came out a tad too slow.

Northwestern deserves some credit for taking away the shots down the field. Sophomore safety Brandon Joseph is an NFL-caliber player and helped take away the deep ball. We have seen Michigan strike through the air with big plays this season, but the connection was not there on Saturday. It happens. The other guys are trying to win, too.

McNamara averaged 4.8 yards per attempt against Northwestern, which is a pedestrian mark no matter which way it gets sliced. He has received a lot of heat for that, but it reads as more indicative of the game that was called by offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. It seemed Michigan's game plan on Saturday was to attack outside the numbers and take the check-downs that were there.

Losing junior wideout Ronnie Bell to an ACL tear set back the wide receiver room more than Michigan would care to admit. Everyone that is left behind has had some sort of moment this season but rarely has someone put it together for an extended period of time. Gattis also coaches the wide receivers and wears that responsibility, as well.

Whether it falls on Gattis or players, Michigan cannot have what occurred at the end of the first half on Saturday. The Wolverines had two trips deep in Northwestern territory in the final 2:33 of the second quarter. One ended in a 20-yard field goal that the Wildcats followed up with a 75-yard touchdown on its next offensive play. The ensuing possession ended in a fumble at the Northwestern two-yard line.

Michigan got away with it Saturday. They will not be so lucky against better competition. They know this.

This offense is what it is going to be eight weeks into the regular season. They want to bully opponents at the point of attack and strike for big plays when the opportunity presents itself. They are content to take what the defense gives them, even if it means taking the long way down the field. If the big play is there, they will try and take advantage. McNamara has mostly shown he is more than capable of leading that sort of attack.

McCarthy is the future at quarterback and has about one "wow" play in every game he suits up in. This is still a true freshman passer. A chunk of his highlight plays happened because his talent bailed out a rookie decision.

For example, on a fourth-and-three with just over four minutes to play, McCarthy was forced to scramble out to his right and buy himself some time before zipping a pass to senior tight end Carter Selzer for the first down. However, it came after he missed his second read over the middle of the field, which was wide open. Impressive nonetheless.

The talent is there, but the game is still slowing down for him. It is also why we are still only getting doses of him. McCarthy is going to be too good to keep off the field at some point. Development takes time.

McNamara has not done anything to lose his job. The argument can be made that he has not done enough to secure it completely, which is fair. What he has put on film caps the potential of what the offense can be in November. However, the floor remains higher.

Michigan needs more out of McNamara to be a serious threat in the Big Ten East. That said, we quickly forget this is a staff trying to stack wins and build as much goodwill as possible coming off of last year. They will take the victories over style points every time.

It is incumbent upon this coaching staff to continue to put McNamara in short-yardage situations and develop some sort of quick passing game to get the offense in rhythm. Things could get dicey if the run game gets thrown off schedule. Balance is going to be key moving forward.

The time for auditions is over. If there is a master plan to unleash McCarthy this season, it certainly does not feel like it will happen before the calendar flips to November. He and McNamara have co-existed in their current dichotomy, which will continue as long as Michigan wins games. A self-destructive performance or injury could change that, of course. The hope is that if/when the time comes to play McCarthy more, they are not kicking themselves for not having him ready sooner.

The Wolverines have a game next week against a Michigan State team that is always hungry for a shot at them, especially with both teams ranked inside the top ten. It will be the highest-ranked meeting between the two teams since 1964.

Is what Michigan does offensively going to be enough to win in East Lansing? It might be.

The potential of McNamara leading the Wolverines to a win over the Spartans sets his team up nicely for a potential 10-plus win season. Pulling that off while easing McCarthy in would be a massive coup if they can pull it off. Given how the plan has played out, it sort of has to happen this way now.

It is going to take a heck of an effort from everyone on that Michigan sideline to beat MSU, but there is still meat on the bone.

Get eating.

We are two months into the season. Keep up or get left behind.

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