Published Oct 11, 2022
Jim Harbaugh recognizes the stage is never too big for J.J. McCarthy
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Josh Henschke  •  Maize&BlueReview
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It seems like each week a new question about how Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy will be able to handle a situation arises. Each week, McCarthy seems to answer each one with flying colors.

This next question, of course, will be his toughest yet. As will the next week, so on and so forth.

But an opportunity to defeat a top-10 team doesn't come around often. When it does, this is how legacies are made depending on how you play and the outcome of the game.

For U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh, he never seems to see his quarterback rattled by any situation. He's consistent and, most importantly, he wins games.

That's all Harbaugh wants to see from his quarterback.

"He's shown no signs of going out there and being timid," Harbaugh said on Inside Michigan Football this week. "He's playing his game. Which is exactly what we want him to do. Keep being him and his preparation has been right on the mark. He has great concentration and focus in meetings and in practices. In the games, he's been really good. He understands, he's got some real playmakers to get the ball to. He's a playmaker, too. It's just been good. Continue that J.J.

"I don't feel like there's the big stage is going to frighten him in any way. He'll just go out there and have at it and that's what we want him to do. Just go out, compete, have at it and play his game."

This week's big stage is Michigan Stadium as the Wolverines welcome No. 10 Penn State for the biggest game of the season so far.

As for McCarthy and the rest of his team, Harbaugh believes a good week of preparation is the perfect combatant to big-game jitters that any player faces during the week of a big game.

"There's no doubt before the ball is kicked off before you take the first hit in any game, there's butterflies," Harbaugh said. "Especially in a big game, a maize out against a rival opponent, those emotions are going to be sky-high. That's great and that's where you want them. Football is played by emotional people. You feel good and the confidence comes, I believe, in the practice and preparation and getting to know your opponent as well as you possibly can."