NEXT UP FOR THE WOLVERINES: NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS
Next up
Matchup: Northwestern (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) vs. No. 7 Michigan (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten)
Kickoff: Time TBA, Oct. 23; Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor.
TV/radio: TV TBA; WWJ-AM (950), WTKA-AM (1050).
Three things we learned
Jake Moody is clutch: There’s a reason Michigan players chose “Money Moody” as one of their kicker’s many nicknames. Moody entered Saturday’s game 8-for-9 on field goal attempts this season, with his lone miss coming against Rutgers on a ball Moody said he struck well but didn’t fly true. In his most pressurepacked game of the season, Moody performed beautifully. He opened the scoring with a pair of field goals in the second quarter, one from 35 yards and the other from 21. And then, with the game on the line after the Cornhuskers stormed back to take the lead in the fourth quarter, Moody connected on two more field goals in the final three minutes.
His 31-yard kick tied the score with exactly three minutes on the clock. His 39-yard field goal won the game for the Wolverines with 1:24 remaining. “The Northville Kid!” coach
Jim Harbaugh said, referencing Moody’s hometown of Northville. “It’s been the confidence, the preparation. Brad Robbins is a huge part of it, and not just because he’s the holder. But his mental fortitude and positive daily, you know, infusion on our entire team, and especially that snap/hold/kick battery. He’s just as rock-solid of a leader as I’ve ever been around. He’s huge with that. Moody is just a straight, calm, cool, collected-kind of guy.” Added running back Hassan Haskins: “Moody’s got all my confidence. I trust him wherever the ball is.”
The pass-catchers stepped up: One week after the coaching staff was delighted with a career-best performance by wideout Roman Wilson, the Wolverines boarded a plane to Lincoln without their newest threat. Wilson suffered an undisclosed injury during the win over Wisconsin and remained in Ann Arbor for the weekend, again calling into question who would rise to the occasion as Cade McNamara’s No. 2 option.
The answer was a by-committee approach
that must have brought a smile to offensive coordinator Josh Gattis’ face. Daylen Baldwin caught six passes for 64 yards and was reliable on swing passes and short routes to move the chains. Mike Sainristil made a stunning catch on a 48-yard heave down the middle of the field. Tight end Luke Schoonmaker matched a career high in yards with 29. And even Joel Honigford, a converted offensive tackle, chimed in, with one catch for 10 yards. McNamara still had plenty of options despite No. 1 wideout Cornelius Johnson being held to a 22-yard catch in the third quarter.
J.J. McCarthy will have to wait: It was reasonable to believe the introduction of McCarthy in a limited role against Wisconsin foreshadowed an impending takeover of the starting quarterback job once McNamara wavered.
He’s more athletic than McNamara, has a stronger arm and carries a five-star recruiting ranking that makes him the future of the program. Things looked bleak for McNamara against Nebraska when he threw the first interception of his career late in the third
quarter, leading to the Cornhuskers taking the lead.
But the junior from Nevada stiff-armed any notion of relinquishing his starting role by responding with the kind of steely toughness reserved for winners. McNamara bounced back to lead scoring drives on three consecutive possessions. His accuracy was fleeting at times, and his final numbers weren’t pretty — 22-for-38 for 255 yards and no touchdowns — but once again McNamara did the thing quarterbacks are supposed to do: He led his team to a win.
“He made some spectacular throws,” Harbaugh said. “And a lot of those throws, you know, stood in the pocket, knows he’s going to release it and get hit. Still put those throws on the money. Pretty, pretty sharp the entire night. The way he was seeing the field and just kind of cold-blooded back there in the pocket when you know somebody is about to hit you and you’re still throwing it to the right spot and not flinching. That says a lot, you know? He’s really doing a heck of a job.”