Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara continues to earnt the respect of his teammates and coaching staff. Sitting at 8-1 on the year, McNamara's poise and leadership from the quarterback position is one of the many reasons why the Wolverines are in the hunt for not only conference title aspirations, but College Football Playoff contention as well.

Saturday's game against Penn State was another poised performance by McNamara, who continues to prove on the field why he is trusted by the coaching staff and teammates alike.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Harbaugh once again praised his quarterback and acknowledged the growth he's made this season.

"He's done nothing but be outstanding as the starting quarterback," Harbaugh said. "This past game I think was also just another step, another in his evolution, his growth as a football player. Fourth-quarter comeback, those are special. The physical play; talk about being knocked down, us knocking them down, them knocking us down, that was our quarterback, and getting right back up."

He also made time to give credit where credit is due in regards to the play of Nittany Lion quarterback Sean Clifford.

"I gotta say Sean Clifford really was impressive in the football game," Harbaugh said. "The amount of times we knocked him down, it was multiple, and some really tough, aggressive hits. For him to bounce back the way he did, for him to come back and make some of the throws that he made, that was really impressive."

While McNamara has split a good number of snaps with back-up freshman J.J. McCarthy without complaint, Saturday's game was the first game all season that McNamara led the Wolverines from start to finish.

While that might not necessarily be the expectation moving forward, Harbaugh is always making it known that no starting position is ever handed to anyone. It's always earned.

"That's just the way the game went," Harbaugh said about McCarthy not playing against Penn State. "I know, like (media memeber) wants a story here of some definitive thing. Cade had a great game. Cade was playing well and we rolled with Cade. As far as long-term who's going to be, that prediction...everybody rents that position. Nobody owns a position, from any position on the field to the head coach. You lease at best."