Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh seemed to find his quarterback when redshirt freshman Cade McNamara replaced Joe Milton and led a comeback win over Rutgers, 48-42 in three overtimes. McNamara threw for 260 yards and four touchdowns in just over a half and sparked the team when it was down 17-0.
Milton, meanwhile, completed only five of his 12 passes and didn't lead a scoring drive. He also led the Wolverines to only a field goal against Wisconsin before being replaced by McNamara a week earlier.
"We'll look at it ... the way he played tonight, he's going to be in there," Harbaugh said of McNamara in the postgame.
On Monday, however, he refused to name a starter for Saturday's game with Penn State.
"The way we have this all set up, the timing of everything ... I talk to the media before the players arrive," he said. "I'm not going to make any dramatic announcements as per usual at this press conference."
He did praise McNamara for his performance and his effort since he arrived at Michigan.
"His mindset is very good, very solid," the coach said. "He's very good, confident. ... I've got faith in his ability. He works extremely hard, and he's tough, too. So [he has a] really good mindset in all those areas."
Harbaugh was then asked if he was sensitive to making a quarterback change given his history at the position.
"I'm just coaching it ... evaluating, coaching it," Harbaugh said. "I do the things I think are in the best interest of the team. As always, I'm coaching and learning ... wouldn't say evaluating. Coaching guys, as always.
"There are starters, backups, players developing. All that is happening all the time. Guys developing, learning, coaching. Sometimes somebody is injured, so the next guy up has to be ready to go. … We're practicing every day, trying to improve, getting guys ready to play. To be better, keep improving as a football player — that's a continuous process."
Michigan Football Injury Report
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Cam McGrone left Saturday's game with an apparent leg injury and senior safety Brad Hawkins went out with an unspecified injury of his own. Neither returned, and Harbaugh wouldn't comment on their status for Penn State.
"Nothing to release at this time on McGrone and Hawkins," he said.
Starting tackles Ryan Hayes and Jalen Mayfield seemed close to returning last week, but neither made the trip to Rutgers. Senior defense end Kwity Paye, too, missed the Wisconsin and Rutgers games with an apparent injury.
"Some are possible [to return]," Harbaugh said. "Questionable is the word everybody understands. As of Monday, guys are still working through things. We'll see where we are later in the week."
More Michigan Football Notes
• Harbaugh liked the effort he saw at many positions after watching the film of his team's triple-overtime win.
"A lot of plays were being made in this football game. The feeling was that this was, after watching the tape, one heck of a game," he said. "Both teams, both sides, so many players ... so many in the game just played their hearts out. Just one heck of a good football game."
He said he was "really proud of the guys on our team" for the comeback.
"They kept battling, made plays, and the feeling I had was it was one heck of a game to be playing in," he added. "It just looked like every player out there was having fun playing football."
• After stating in the preseason he believed he had one of the best kicking combinations in the country in junior Jake Moody and fifth-year senior Quinn Nordin, Harbaugh has watched his kickers combine to go 2 for 8 this year.
Nordin (2 for 5 this year) missed all three against Rutgers, though one was the result of a high snap.
"The whole operation — getting that snap, the hold, the kick — those have to be like a battery," Harbaugh said. "They have to go together, so we want to keep striving to get better at that and put the ball through the uprights on the field goals."
He's not planning any changes, however.
"It's a point of emphasis, sure. No announcement to make on that," he said of possibly changing kickers. "Quinn is the field goal kicker, and Jake's doing the kickoffs."
• Harbaugh cited redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins, redshirt frosh tackle Karsen Barnhart, redshirt frosh center Zach Carpenter (first start) and sophomore wideout Cornelius Johnson as players who stood out Saturday on offense.
"Cornelius ... it's just been continuous progress for him starting three, four weeks back, getting better every day, really," Harbaugh said. "I see that with him and several players. He's got a great mindset right now, and his training has been on point every week, practicing well and playing well in the games.
"Hassan was really running the ball and making yards where there were no yards to be made. There is talk about yards after contact ... this was yards after no-yards-to-be-made.
"He played great. It was great to see, and I thought the other running backs did, as well. But lot of tough runs out of Hassan. It was very, very impressive yards he was making when there were little to be made."
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