As the Michigan football team 
went through its normal Monday 
walkthrough last week, Andrel 
Anthony noticed he was playing a 
bigger role than usual.
“I definitely realized I was going 
to have a big part in this game,” the 
freshman receiver said a week later. 
“I didn’t know it was going to be that 
big, but I knew I was going to have a 
shot, an opportunity, to make a play 
and capitalize on that.”
That’s exactly what he did. 
Six catches, 155 yards and two 
touchdowns later, Anthony emerged 
as a bright spot in the Wolverines’ 
37-33 loss to Michigan State on 
Saturday.
The East Lansing native wasted 
no time making noise in his 
homecoming. On Michigan’s third 
play from scrimmage, he caught a 
crossing route in stride from junior 
quarterback Cade McNamara — his 
first career reception — and turned 

the corner before the Spartans’ 
secondary could catch up. A few 
seconds later, he trotted into the end 
zone to cap off a 93-yard touchdown 
— the second-longest in program 
history.
“Being able to be put in a position 
by the coaches and stuff like that, 
players believing in me, Cade giving 
me opportunities, stuff like that, it 
meant the world to me,” Anthony 
said. “Yeah, I’m a true freshman, but 
(coaches) really believe in me. That 
meant a lot to me.”
Anthony 
hauled 
in 
another 
touchdown in the second half, this 
time from freshman quarterback 
J.J. McCarthy. Michigan coach 
Jim Harbaugh spotted Anthony 
and McCarthy voluntarily working 
out on the practice field together, 
along with freshman running back 
Donovan Edwards, following the 
Wolverines’ road trips to Wisconsin 
and Nebraska. Anthony and Edwards 
used the time to rep different routes 
with 
McCarthy, 
who 
practiced 
high and low throws to their back 
shoulders.

When Anthony saw the ball leave 
McCarthy’s right hand on Saturday 
afternoon, he had a flashback to those 
freshman sessions. 
“I was like, ‘OK, this is just like 
after the Wisconsin game when 
we got back,’ ” Anthony said. 
“The connection we have already 
is amazing, and it’s just going to 
continue to grow.”
For Michigan, the timing of 
Anthony’s emergence is critical. With 
senior receiver Ronnie Bell out for 
the season and sophomore receiver 
Roman Wilson nursing a wrist injury, 
Anthony filled the void in a big way on 
Saturday.
Bell, in particular, played a 
significant role in getting Anthony 
ready for the moment. From the time 
Anthony stepped foot on campus, the 
duo studied the playbook together 
and stayed in the gym for their own 
lifts after teamwide weight room 
activities.
“He always told me he believes in 
me, and it meant a lot to me because 
I looked up to him in high school,” 
Anthony said. “I was like, ‘Ronnie 

Bell believes in me?’ ”
Since arriving as an early enrollee 
in January, Anthony has focused on 
becoming a better playmaker. He 
was known as a deep threat in high 
school, but he’s since added nearly 
10 pounds of muscle while retaining 
his speed and explosiveness. The 
additional strength has helped him 
make plays on short and intermediate 
routes while also improving his 
ability to make contested catches 
— a major focal point of Michigan 

offensive coordinator Josh Gattis’s 
coaching.
Still, Anthony’s blocking struggles 
kept him off the field early on 
this season. Given how much the 
Wolverines run the ball, wide receiver 
blocking is at the top of the priority 
among the team’s receivers. Anthony 
said coaches got on him about 
blocking during spring practices and 
fall camp, which forced him to focus 
more on that area.
A few months later, Anthony 

feels he’s come into his own. And his 
teammates see it too.
“He’s been having a very good 
last couple weeks of practice,” 
junior 
receiver 
Mike 
Sainristil 
said. “He’s been very detailed. He’s 
just been practicing very well and 
understanding that, with guys like 
Roman not playing and Ronnie hurt, 
he has to play a higher role and step up 
in the offense.
“That’s just who he is. He finally 
had the chance to showcase it.”

JULIA SCHACHINGER//Daily 
East Lansing native Andrel Anthony had two touchdowns on Saturday against Michigan State.

We’ve said it so many times:
This week is the real test.
We said it about Washington. 
And Wisconsin. And Nebraska. And 
Michigan State.
Each week, we 
unpacked Michi-
gan’s win with a 
footnote that the 
game wasn’t the 
test we thought it 
would be. Until the 
Wolverines 
went 
to East Lansing. 
The 
game’s 
importance had been touted all week. 
It would be the in-state rivals’ first 
top 10 matchup since 1964. A win for 
either team would create a new mea-
suring stick for success and cement 
conference — and even national — 
championship potential. 
Through the first half, it looked 
like coach Jim Harbaugh would 
clinch the biggest win of his Michigan 
career. Then, the Wolverines hemor-
rhaged a 16-point third quarter lead, 
and the visions of a championship 
season got a little dimmer. 
After the game, Harbaugh sat 
dejected at the podium with little to 
say. 
“That didn’t go the way we wanted 
(it) to,” he said.
Once again, facing its tough-
est competition, Michigan failed to 
deliver. 
Now, all eyes turn towards Penn 

State, when we will learn if this team 
truly is different from the past.
Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, 
Michigan knows how to win. It’s 
come up in big moments, built up its 
passing game when its run game is 
stopped and constructed an efficient 
two-quarterback system out of a 
starter that’s largely considered to be 
just “good enough.” 

In each consecutive game this 
season, it’s looked like the Wolver-
ines have added another dimension 
to their offense, staying true to a 
rush-centered strategy anchored by 
Corum and Haskins while exploring 
the other weapons in their arsenal. 
On Saturday, that dynamic, top 10 
team made uncharacteristic mistakes. 
It wasn’t so much that it was simply 

bested but that its miscues accumulat-
ed. Michigan wasn’t playing at it’s best. 
Now it’s about how it responds. 
“This season’s not over,” sixth-year 
center Andrew Vastardis said after 
Saturday’s game. “Not even close.” 
Yes, the season isn’t over. The Wol-
verines have four more games left, 
but two — against the Nittany Lions 
and Ohio State — will be among their 

toughest of the season. Theoretically, 
Michigan could finish with a record 
of 11-1 with a shot at the College Foot-
ball Playoff. Or it could be 8-4 with an 
appearance at an insignificant bowl 
game. 
If history is any indicator, it’ll be 
closer to the latter. Last season, an 
initial 49-24 win against No. 21 Min-
nesota inflated fans expectations. But 

after a loss to the Spartans the fol-
lowing week, the Wolverines never 
recovered and ended the season 2-4. 
The year before, a string of midseason 
Big Ten wins buoyed their hopes only 
to be dashed in back-to-back blowouts 
against Ohio State and Alabama. In 
2018, Michigan beat its first eight con-
ference opponents, still to lose to the 
Buckeyes and Florida. 
Yes, this team can win, but can it 
recover from a loss? 
“It’s a learning experience,” Vas-
tardis said.
Maybe it will be. Players and 
coaches have continually repeated 
the mantra that this Michigan team 
is different. And they’ve backed 
those assertions. This Michigan 
team looked different when, facing 
mediocre preseason expectations, it 
beat Washington. It looked different 
when it beat Wisconsin on the road. 
It looked different when it came out 
ahead in a fourth quarter dogfight 
against Nebraska. 
As the Wolverines rose in the 
rankings, so did the stakes. Fans that 
originally would have been satisfied 
with an 8-4 season are looking, real-
istically, at a floor of 9-3. 
But, if this Michigan team is dif-
ferent, it won’t be because of a 7-0 
run. It’ll be because it learns how to 
recover.

Managing Sports Editor Lane 

Kizziah can be reached on Twitter 

@KizziahLane.

SportsWednesday: Is this Michigan team different?

LANE

KIZZIAH

While Michigan State celebrated 
a game-clinching interception on 
Saturday, Jim Harbaugh stalked the 
sidelines. He paced up and down, 
seemingly unsure what to do after 
Michigan relinquished a 16-point lead 
and its chance at a marquee victory. 
Two days later, the pain of the 
loss partly subsided, Harbaugh again 
resembled his passionate, fiery self. 
“Resolve is to get back to work and 
get prepared for this next opponent,” 
the Michigan coach said on Monday. 
“That’s the way I woke up today. 
Determined. Attack with the new 
resolve that it’s a new season. A new 
day, a new week, a new four-game 
season. Let’s get at it.
“My approach, very similar to a 
fighter. You get up, referee wipes your 
gloves and you come back even more 
determined, with even more resolve 
to prepare, to work harder, to find a 
way to finish and to win.” 
The players appeared to match 
Harbaugh’s 
mentality. 
Monday 
afternoon, the Wolverines gathered 
for a players-only meeting inside 
Schembechler Hall, a decision put forth 
by the appointed leadership council. 
According to junior receiver Mike 
Sainristil, it’s the third such meeting the 
team has had this season. 
The intention? 
“Just being able to re-center our 
focus as a team,” Sainristil said. 
Individually, each player spent 
the past two days decompressing 
in different ways. Junior defensive 
end Mike Morris took 48 hours to 
get the loss out of his system, but has 
since switched his focus to Indiana. 

Sainristil watched film on a select 
number of plays, which prompted a 
realization:
“We have a lot left in us as a team,” 
Sainristil said. “We’re still trending in 
the right direction. There’s a lot left on 
the table for us. There’s big things still 
to come.” 
Sainristil 
and 
the 
remaining 
contingent of Michigan’s veteran 
players have stressed the importance 
of setting an example. None of 
the freshmen have dealt with the 
aftermath of a loss. The sophomores 
haven’t been on a team that handles 
a loss well.
As a part of the leadership council, 
Sainristil has helped to curate the 
team’s new rallying cry. 
“We’re still in this,” Sainristil said. 
“There’s no need to worry. We just 
have to bounce back and take this past 
weekend for what it is, go over film 
and just correct our mistakes. Learn 
where we can get better.” 
There are, of course, several tangible 
areas in which the Wolverines can 
improve. Even before this weekend, 
Michigan had plenty of flaws; the 
Spartans merely magnified them.
Harbaugh 
specifically 
noted 
three realms that the Wolverines are 
focusing on this week.
The effort starts with Michigan 
remedying its shambolic defensive 
substitutions. 
Mike 
Macdonald’s 
defensive system is predicated on 
rotations, which is meant to keep 
players fresh. On Saturday, that plan 
collapsed in the face of Michigan 
State’s up-tempo offense, leading to 
multiple flags and rampant confusion. 
“Usually we’re off the field very 
quickly, we do it at a timely pace,” 
Morris said. “This week, it just didn’t 
happen. Their pace was too fast. It 

was just happening way too fast, it just 
didn’t match up.” 
On the offensive side of the ball, 
Harbaugh stressed the need for 
cleaner run-blocking to ensure that 
the running backs aren’t hit on the 
line of scrimmage. Michigan State 
held the Wolverines to a season-
low 146 rushing yards, eliminating 
Michigan’s true bread and butter.
The culmination of those offensive 
woes is the inability to finish inside 
the red zone. On Saturday, the 
Wolverines only mustered a field goal 
on four separate trips to the red zone, 
an issue that Harbaugh lamented as 
“a big one every week.” 
As the season reaches the home 
stretch, it’s imperative that the 
Wolverines build upon those three 
aspects. Ultimately, Harbaugh is 
confident that they will progress, 
rather than wilt, moving forward.
“I’ve seen the team for a long 
time now, the way they respond,” 
Harbaugh said. “Whether it’s a 
setback or chatter, I know how they’re 
going to respond…which is with more 
resolve, more determined to prepare 
and get ready for our next ballgame.” 

Michigan’s plan to move forward after 
crushing loss to Michigan State

True freshman Andrel Anthony 
shines in return to East Lansing

JARED GREENSPAN
Daily Sports Editor

DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Editor

JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily 
After its loss to Michigan State, Michigan 
coach Jim Harbaugh has a few specific 
areas he looks to improve in.

JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily 
The Michigan football team could still salvage its season after Saturday’s loss against Michigan State if it learns from its mistakes.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com 

Cade McNamara started off with 
a bang.
On Michigan’s first third down 
of the game, the junior quarterback 
completed a pass to freshman receiv-
er Andrel Anthony for 93 yards and 
the Wolverines’ first touchdown — 
the first of the freshman’s career. 
Although the Wolverines ulti-
mately fell to Michigan State, 33-37, 
McNamara had the best game of 
his own career by almost any 
measure. Going 28-for-44 for 
383 yards, he topped his career 
best in passing attempts, pass-
es completed and total yards. 
He completed over 125 more 
yards than his previous sea-
son high against Nebraska, 
when the passing game really 
emerged. 
McNamara’s presence has 
grown on the field throughout 
the season, evidenced not only 
by his growing stat sheet but 
also how comfortable he looks 
in the pocket. Even beyond the 
highlight-reel 
touchdowns, 
he advanced Michigan with 
throws an earlier iteration of this 
offense never would have been able 
to complete. 
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh 
utilized freshman quarterback J.J. 
McCarthy as well, despite McNa-
mara’s strong performance for the 
majority of the game. The fresh-
man tallied three completed passes 
on four attempts for 23 yards and a 
touchdown. Collectively, the duo’s 
406 passing yards bested the Spar-
tans’ 196. 
Still, the quarterback duo exhib-

ited some uncharacteristic errors 
that ultimately gave Michigan State 
the upper hand. 
“We were confident we could 
move the ball,” McNamara said. “It 
was a combination of good pass pro 
today — we just came up short and 
that’s on me. I didn’t execute good 
enough for us to win this one.”
Perhaps the most blatant example 
came from McCarthy in the fourth 
quarter. With 7:12 minutes on the 
clock and Michigan up by three, 
McCarthy was brought back onto 
the field. At 1st-and-10, McCarthy 

and sophomore running back Blake 
Corum fumbled the exchange, and 
the ball was recovered by Spartan 
defensive end Jacob Panasiuk. The 
ensuing drive resulted in a Michi-
gan State touchdown and ultimately 
handed the Spartans the game.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh 
caught a lot of flak for the choice of 
McCarthy over McNamara after the 
game. When asked about the play, he 
simply remarked that “it did not go 
smoothly” and that McNamara was 
“working through some stuff” at the 

time.
Even if the misstep was the final 
nail in the Wolverines’ coffin, it was 
hardly the only one.
McCarthy 
had 
fumbled 
in 
the previous possession as well, 
although it didn’t result in a turnover. 
In Michigan’s last-ditch attempt at a 
comeback, McNamara didn’t fare 
much better. 
Down by four with 1:15 minutes 
left and the ball at the 33-yard line, 
McNamara returned to the field. 
After a roughing the passer call 
gave the Wolverines 15 free yards, 
he threw a pass that was 
intercepted by Michigan State 
corner Charles Brantley, extin-
guishing Michigan’s last hope 
of a comeback. 
Combined, McCarthy and 
McNamara went 16-for-22 for 
252 yards in the first half and 
15-for-26 for 154 yards in the 
second. Neither could execute 
in the red zone, as evidenced 
by Michigan’s four field goals. 
And, for that, McNamara 
feels responsible. 
“I think we had a couple 
plays, there was a few plays 
that stand out, there’s not 
many,” McNamara said. “I 
think I needed to do better. I just 
can’t do that at the end of the game. 
I’ve gotta check it down or some-
thing.”
Though he couldn’t finish the job 
on Saturday, what was once a glaring 
weakness of this offense — its pass-
ing game — has transitioned into a 
strength. When called upon, McNa-
mara moved the ball through the air 
to keep the Wolverines in the game 
and to the precipice of beating a top 
10 team.
He just couldn’t finish the game.

Despite career game from McNamara, 
quarterbacks still struggle

LANE KIZZIAH
Managing Sports Editor

Wednesday, November 3, 2021 — 11

JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily 
In future weeks, the Wolverines will once again 
demand that McNamara prove himself. 

