The day after every Michigan football game this season, Maize & Blue Review will give its three final thoughts on the events that took place before turning the page to look towards the week ahead.

Here are our three thoughts from the Wolverines' 51-7 victory over Colorado State

It's difficult to add anything further to what Brandon said about the quarterback situation in his column and we're both in lockstep with our opinions.

At this point, we know what Cade McNamara is as a quarterback and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that J.J. McCarthy has the "license and ability," to steal words from Jim Harbaugh, to make the offense much more dynamic by making plays with his feet.

McNamara didn't play the worst game of his life but he didn't exactly give anyone confidence heading into McCarthy's start against Hawaii, either. Of course, you can absolutely make the argument that his receivers didn't do him any favors during the game and I would be inclined to agree. Multiple dropped balls hurt the completion percentage, no doubt. Much has been said about McNamara's postgame comments and it all will be looked at through a microscope until a final decision has been made. It's not wise for a team captain to undermine the head coach, whether he meant it to come off like that or not. Looking at this situation from afar, it really feels like McCarthy is in the driver's seat to wrap this thing up by week two.

The start against Hawaii has a feel that McCarthy is heading into this third interview with a company and he's set to sit down with the president and hiring manager of said company. After this interview is over, if the formalities don't change, he's going to be offered the job when all is said and done.

I think Michigan fans can look back and be thankful for McNamara's efforts in helping lead the program to a Big Ten title last season. However, it's clear that the offense has the capabilities of becoming more dynamic and allowing the playmakers to make plays with McCarthy at the helm.

Considering what Michigan was returning on defense and what it had lost from the year prior, I didn't expect the defense to take much of a step back this season. While we have to consider the quality of the opponent the Wolverines will face in the first three weeks of the season, what the defense was able to do as an entire unit should be an extremely encouraging sign for the future.

The defense did exactly what it said it wanted to do leading up to the season-opener. The defense wanted to be aggressive, they wanted to pressure the quarterback and the onus was on creating more turnovers.

Check, check and check.

The pass rush was a major win for the defense as it had pressures from a variety of players and angles. Braiden McGregor, who had to bounce back from a shoulder injury he suffered in high school, showed flashes of being an athletic, bendy type of defensive end that could cause some havoc in the backfield. Of course, seeing Eyabi Anoma get his first sack with the Wolverines on the first snap he saw on the field was also an encouraging sign. There is plenty of athleticism across the defensive line, which allows the group to throw multiple looks out there on any given drive. That allows the Wolverines to trot out a rested EDGE player consistently. Other standouts include Jaylen Harrell, Mike Morris and Derrick Moore.

Will Johnson was indoctrinated into collegiate football pretty quickly after getting beat on a long touchdown throw in the late stages of the game. That tape will be invaluable to a player like Johnson, who has all the talent and tools in the world to be an excellent player for the Wolverines in the future. He will bounce back as he continues to learn how to be a collegiate defensive back.

Junior Colson had a fantastic day. Leading both teams in tackles with 10, including 5 solo, the expectations of him having a big season during his sophomore campaign are off to an excellent start.

Michigan is still looking for its tough, run-between-the-tackles type of back but what Donovan Edwards was able to do on a few runs to pick up the tough yards was encouraging.

Let's be honest, the Wolverines didn't do anything fancy with the running game. It's going to be straightforward until Big Ten play begins, that's when the playbook starts to open up a bit. However, what Blake Corum and Edwards were able to do on the ground, both had good days.

Corum added 76 yards and a touchdown, averaging 5.8 yards per rush. Edwards added 64 yards and a touchdown, averaging 5.3 yards per rush. Both having very similar days on the ground.

Not to mention freshman CJ Stokes, who showed some flashes of what he can do with his quick first step and impressive burst. Despite only adding 36 yards, he also averaged 5.8 yards per rush, which speaks to how well the offensive line is coached on all levels, not just with the starters.