Published Jan 6, 2024
Stats? J.J. McCarthy only cares about "winning football games"
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Trevor McCue  •  Maize&BlueReview
Senior Editor
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@trevormccue

Michigan Football will face a tough test when it faces Washington and Heisman runner-up Michael Penix. There is no debate, Penix is an excellent quarterback who had an incredible season for the Huskies. Leading up to the National Championship, people highlight Penix, but some are questioning Michigan quarterback J.J McCarthy. The phrase "Stuff the run and dare McCarthy to beat you" is nothing new for Michigan fans. Neither is Michigan winning.

McCarthy is 26-1 as a starter leading Michigan. His head coach, Jim Harbaugh, has called him the greatest quarterback in Michigan Football history. A win Monday and McCarthy becomes the winningest quarterback in college football and a National Champion. And that's all McCarthy is focused on. Winning.

"I've always been someone that chases purpose, not fame," McCarthy said during Media Day Saturday. "I could care less what the media says about me or the light they put me in. All I really care about is winning football games."

There has been this narrative that Michigan can't trust McCarthy to win with a game on the line. With Michigan's success the last two years, there haven't been many opportunities, but there was last week against Alabama in the Rose Bowl.




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Down 7 with 4:41 remaining, McCarthy led Michigan on a game-tying drive. McCarthy was 3-4 for 60 yards and a touchdown passing and had a 16-yard first-down run. But McCarthy wasn't worried about proving he could do it; he was more concerned with the fact that he needed to.

"Obviously, we had numerous chances of making sure that game didn't come down to the wire like it did, and I'm excited to get in the film room today and look at that and correct our mistakes and learn from all the mistakes we made."

Michigan beat Alabama 27-20 in overtime, earning their bid for this National Championship game. For McCarthy, that's what matters, it's all that matter.

"But at the end of the day, it's about winning football games no matter what it takes, and I could not care less what comes of it, what other people think about me or what they rate me amongst the other quarterbacks in this class right now. All I care about is winning games."

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