The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, November 30, 2022 — 15
Sports
Against Ohio State, J.J. McCarthy delivers on his promise
JARED GREENSPAN
Managing Sports Editor
COLUMBUS — As the minutes
ticked down to the biggest game
of his life, J.J. McCarthy — the
19-year-old quarterback lauded for
his Björn Borg-like poise and wed-
ded to his meditation regimen —
struggled to remain calm.
“I was a little amped up,”
McCarthy conceded afterwards.
“I’ve been waiting to play this game
for so long.”
On college football’s greatest
stage — an undefeated showdown
at the Horseshoe against No. 2 Ohio
State, with drastic championship
implications at stake — McCarthy
gathered himself and delivered.
He authored a brilliant, legacy-
building, four-touchdown perfor-
mance, vaulting No. 3 Michigan to
a resounding 45-23 victory.
“He was just on fire in every
way,” Michigan coach Jim Har-
baugh said.
This past week, Harbaugh kept
his message simple. He wanted
McCarthy to “have at it” come Sat-
urday, and McCarthy responded by
mirroring Harbaugh’s sentiment,
saying that he just wanted to be
himself.
And for the first time since
being anointed QB1 way back in
September, McCarthy did look like
himself. He resembled the five-
star recruit whom Michigan fans
pinned their hopes on during the
program’s nadir in 2020, the player
they clamored for throughout fall
camp.
That vision — those aspirations
— built to the moment that trans-
pired Saturday.
After the game, McCarthy sport-
ed a freshly-minted “2022 East
Division Champions” hat, the tag
still clinging to its exterior. Smil-
ing, he greeted a question about the
Wolverines’ passing game with a
sigh.
“That was pretty good,” McCar-
thy said. “We were just waiting for
it to come out. We knew what it
was. It was just great it came out at
this time.”
The quarterback of the Michi-
gan football program is subjected
to scrutiny inapplicable to most
other positions, and locales, in col-
lege football. Not even McCarthy,
heralded as the precocious wun-
derkind, would be immune.
And much of that criticism was
warranted, too. McCarthy unseat-
ed senior Cade McNamara in part
because of his arm talent, and yet
the Wolverines’ vertical passing
game proved virtually non-existent
throughout the season. Before Sat-
urday, they had just six completions
for more than 30 yards on the sea-
son.
All year, McCarthy insisted that
things would change — he refuted
any notion of a disconnect, reason-
ing that the plays were working in
practice, which provided a larger
sample size. He stuck to that nar-
rative last Saturday after Michigan
eked out a victory over Illinois, win-
ning in spite of its passing game.
Then, his words felt hollow.
Now, they feel ingenious.
“We just kept hitting and hitting
and hitting, and something’s gotta
give,” senior receiver Cornelius
Johnson said, grinning. “Today,
when it mattered most, in front of
millions of people, we were able to
connect.”
It mattered not only because of
the stage, but also because of the
circumstances. Standout junior
running back Blake Corum, still
plagued by the left leg injury he
suffered last week, did not see the
field after the first drive. Missing its
bellcow, Michigan’s offense sagged
through its opening three drives;
McCarthy looked jittery, bailing in
clean pockets and overthrowing
open receivers.
Then, lightning struck.
On a third and nine early in the
second quarter, McCarthy made a
difficult throw across his body with
pressure in his face. Johnson did
the rest, catching the ball along the
sideline and high-stepping out of a
shoestring tackle all the way into
the endzone, good for a 69-yard
score.
On the ensuing drive, McCar-
thy and Johnson connected again.
Johnson dusted his defender with a
double move, and McCarthy found
him wide open in the middle of the
field for a 75-yard touchdown. At
once, Ohio Stadium hushed, the
Buckeyes trailing.
“We have trust in ourselves and
the mindset that they can’t run with
us,” Johnson said. “… We watched
hours of film throughout this week,
and it’s beautiful to see it all play out
in a good way for Michigan.”
Just as Michigan watched hours
of film on Ohio State’s defense,
the Buckeyes did the same when
studying the Wolverines’ offense.
Conscious of Michigan’s run-heavy
identity, Ohio State packed the
box, shoving in an extra defender
instead of deploying a deep safety.
Early, the strategy seemed to be
working — the Wolverines had 10
rush yards on five carries and just
three points through three drives
as a result.
But on consecutive strikes to
Johnson, McCarthy took advan-
tage.
It almost felt like Ohio State was
daring him to throw the ball. He
felt that way, too.
“A little bit, yeah,” McCarthy
said. “Especially at first when they
were stopping the runs for two,
three yards a carry and the safeties
were playing so low. That excited
me even more.”
He channeled that excitement
into a machine-like performance.
Michigan set a definitive tone on
the opening drive of the third quar-
ter, anchored by McCarthy. On his
first designed run of the afternoon,
McCarthy dragged a defender for
19 yards and, on the following play,
he placed a beautiful ball for fresh-
man tight end Colston Loveland,
converting a 45-yard touchdown
off a trick play.
A drive later, McCarthy put the
Wolverines in the driver’s seat. On
third and two from the two yard
line, he powered his way across the
goal line, pinballing his way into
the endzone.
The Horseshoe fell silent.
“I fight coach for more of those
plays,” McCarthy said. “Just give
me the ball when we need to get
some gritty yards, and I’m gonna
go get them.”
As the game wound to a close
and the inevitability of Michigan’s
win set in, McCarthy turned his
attention toward the stands. From
the sideline, he waved to a sud-
denly-sparse crowd — Ohio State
fans, once boisterous, had beelined
toward the exits.
Postgame, McCarthy — relent-
lessly humble — wouldn’t take
credit for the scene.
“I’m not worried about personal
achievements,” he said when asked
about his four touchdowns. “I’m
just happy for every one of our
guys. I couldn’t do it without the
other ten guys on the field.”
But against Ohio State, in the
biggest game of Michigan’s season,
the Wolverines couldn’t have won
without McCarthy.
In one afternoon in Columbus,
Sainristil encapsulates his journey
COLUMBUS — In the spring,
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh had
a big request for Mike Sainristil:
become a defensive back.
Heading into his fourth year as
a Wolverine, Sainristil had always
played receiver at the college level.
He’d proven his ability to make
blocks, reel in difficult passes and
make a positive impact on the
offense overall.
But as much as Sainristil could
do on offense, Harbaugh believed
the Michigan defense needed him
more.
“Figured it was gonna be tough
to replace (defensive back) Dax
Hill, and just felt like Mikey had the
skill set for it,” Harbaugh said Sat-
urday. “And he was smart enough
to be able to do that.”
Saturday, in the biggest game
of the third-ranked Wolverines’
season — and perhaps the biggest
game the program has had in years
— Sainristil epitomized his journey
in a single afternoon. By the end
of Michigan’s 45-23 win over No.
2 Ohio State, he proved Harbaugh
right, and proved any doubter
wrong.
But not right away.
The Buckeyes targeted Sainris-
til on their first drive of the game.
He was the link in the Wolverines’
armor that Ohio State thought to
be weakest. At first, the Buckeyes
appeared to be right. On a cross-
ing route in the endzone, receiver
Emeka Egbuka found himself mul-
tiple steps in front of Sainristil, giv-
ing Ohio State an early 7-0 lead.
But, it was par for the course for
Sainristil.
“Definitely,” Sainristil said Sat-
urday when asked if he knew he’d
be targeted. “With the way Emeka
Egbuka has been playing this year,
we knew that was a guy that they
wanted to get the ball to in certain
situations.”
But it’s not just Egbuka; Sain-
ristil has found himself a target
for opposing offenses on multiple
occasions this season. Standing at
5-foot-10 and 182 lbs, Sainristil isn’t
a big body, and he can struggle to
match up against tight ends and
bigger receivers coming over the
middle. It’s nothing he isn’t aware
of himself.
“I won’t be surprised if I’m start-
ing to get attacked again,” Sain-
ristil said Nov. 1. “Just with the
opponents we have coming up. But
like I said, I’m just going to make
sure that I do my job.”
His size, paired with his lack of
experience prior to this season at
defensive back, puts Sainristil at a
disadvantage. It’s been part of his
journey.
Since fall camp, Sainristil has
embraced this. It’s not the situation
he wants to be in, but it’s been his
reality.
“Games are gonna go along and
I’m gonna be put in different situ-
ations I’ve never been in simply
because I’m on a new side of the
ball,” Sainristil said Aug. 23. “So
will I ever be 100% comfortable this
year? Who’s to say. But you know,
I’m gonna play to my best ability at
all times.”
He’s fought through those grow-
ing pains, succeeding in coverage at
times, getting blatantly outplayed
on others. He’s found himself in
the backfield being muscled out of
the play, and then hitting home on
blitzes in the same day.
It’s been a take-a-punch, return-
a-punch year for Sainristil, each
wound teaching him a lesson and
powering up his next strike.
Early Saturday, Egbuka and the
Buckeyes put Sainristil through the
ringer. But by the end of the day,
Sainristil delivered the knockout
punch.
With Ohio State down 31-20 and
driving, a touchdown would’ve
brought the game within one score
and revitalized the scarlet and gray
in Columbus. Sainristil lined up
against tight end Cade Stover in the
red zone. Stover, just like Egbuka
did before, ran a crossing route, get-
ting multiple steps on Sainristil.
This time, though, Sainristil
made the play.
Activating a second gear, Sainris-
til closed ground on Stover, extend-
ing his hand through the Buckeye
tight end’s hands and knocking the
ball loose, resulting in an incom-
plete pass.
“The only thing running through
my head at that time was, ‘Just don’t
give up another touchdown. Strain
to the ball and get it out any way you
can,’ ” Sainristil said. “… And I saw
the ball go into the tight end’s hands
and the only thing I was thinking
was just ‘Punch it out and just don’t
give up that touchdown.’ ”
Thanks to Sainristil, Michigan
forced a field goal. On the very next
play, sophomore running back Don-
ovan Edwards ripped off a 75-yard
touchdown,
effectively
putting
the game out of reach. Edwards,
though, put the credit in Sainristil’s
hands.
“What really kind of helped us
out and saved the day was Mikey,”
Edwards said. “… That’s basically all
it is right there — coming up big in
big situations.”
As the clock struck double
zeroes, Sainristil’s joy radiated in a
display of pride for all of Ohio Stadi-
um and the world to see — sprinting
to midfield with a Michigan flag in
hand, planting it into the block ‘O’.
Saturday, Columbus belonged to
the Wolverines. And Sainristil, sit-
ting atop the list of contributors to
that claim — after all the pride and
pains of switching positions — was
the one to declare it.
FOOTBALL
FOOTBALL
TESS CROWLEY/Daily
NICHOLAS STOLL
Managing Sports Editor
Back from injury, Donovan Edwards
sparks offense in Corum’s absence
COLUMBUS — An hour after
the No. 3 Michigan football team
finished dominating No. 2 Ohio
State, Donovan Edwards sprinted
down the tunnel that snaked from
the visiting locker room and onto
the turf. Raising his “2022 East
Division Champions” hat high in
the air, the sophomore running
back shouted to anyone and every-
one, “Damn, this my stadium.”
After rushing for 216 yards and
two touchdowns, it was hard to
disagree with him.
Edwards entered the day with
his status in question, having
missed the previous two games
with a hand injury. He ended it
with two mesmerizing touchdown
runs — one 75 yards, the other 85
yards — to put the Buckeyes to bed
for good.
“I just had to do what I had
to do,” Edwards said postgame.
“Every running back has to be
relied on. Blake went down, so
somebody else had to step up. …
That’s what we pride ourselves on.”
As Edwards alluded to, all
eyes were fixated on junior Blake
Corum in the lead up to The Game.
The standout Heisman candidate
hurt his left leg in the second quar-
ter of last Saturday’s game against
Illinois, an injury that threatened
to derail the Wolverines’ season.
Sixty-six minutes before kickoff,
Corum emerged from the tunnel in
lockstep with Michigan coach Jim
Harbaugh as the last player to take
the field for warmups. But Corum’s
triumph would prove short-lived,
as he played just three snaps on the
opening drive before heading to
the sideline for good, evidently still
hampered.
Last week, Corum’s absence
nearly cost Michigan its unde-
feated season. Without him, the
Wolverines struggled to move the
ball, their rushing attack suddenly
ineffective.
In a similar scenario against the
Buckeyes, Michigan again tried to
stay true to its identity.
“If
somebody’s
down,
the
whole running back room has to
be accountable to get the offense
going,” Edwards said.
But early on, Edwards didn’t do
much to ignite the offense himself.
In the first half, he carried the ball
five times for just nine yards, sport-
ing a soft cast on his right hand.
Still, Michigan trusted Edwards,
a trust built on past experience.
When Edwards first arrived on
campus as a freshman, he was in a
cast for the entirety of spring prac-
tice while he recovered from sur-
gery.
“He was catching everything
with a cast,” Harbaugh remem-
bered Saturday, still in awe. “If he
can catch everything, I mean cer-
tainly everybody without a cast can
catch. … So I had little doubt, there
was no pain management. Either
there was not a lot of pain, or he’s
just that tough of a guy because
there’s no pain management to it.
He’s as tough as it comes.”
Sure enough, as Edwards grew
more involved, Michigan’s rushing
attack began to thrive, too. After
managing just 10 rushing yards in
the first half, Michigan ran the ball
for 242 yards across the final two
quarters — individually, Edwards
racked up 207 yards on the ground
in the second half alone.
“It’s just like pipes burst-
ing,” sophomore quarterback J.J.
McCarthy said. “We’re putting the
pressure on and then eventually, it’s
gonna burst.”
And once they burst?
“It was over,” McCarthy said,
smiling.
On Michigan’s opening drive of
the half, Edwards picked up a piv-
otal conversion on fourth and one
that paved the way for the Wolver-
ines to take the lead. Notably, Mich-
igan went a different direction on
third and one in the first half, hand-
ing it off to converted linebacker
Kalel Mullings, who was stopped
short of the first down marker.
Edwards had his fingerprints
all over the most consequential
drive of the game, too — the 15-play,
80-yard drive that chewed up 7:51
of clock. He tallied 37 all purpose
yards, helping Michigan sustain
a possession in a way that seemed
impossible with Corum sidelined.
Those efforts, of course, set the
stage for the highlight reel plays
that followed.
With 7:23 left in the fourth quar-
ter, Michigan began its drive with
the ball on the 25 yard line, up eight.
Before the PA announcer could fin-
ish saying “Buckeye nation, we
need you to get loud,” Edwards
had found a crease and was sprint-
ing down the far sideline, evading
a diving Buckeye on his way to the
house.
Four minutes later, it was déjà
vu as Edwards exploded through a
similar hole at the 15 yard line. With
Ohio State selling out at the line of
scrimmage in hopes of securing a
third down stop, Edwards found
himself in the clear.
“It’s the offensive line first, they
created such a big hole,” Edwards
said. “If you watch the film, it’s just
real easy to see. And then at that
point, you just got to hit it and out-
run the third level defenders, the
safeties and defensive backs. That’s
how I was able to pull away with
those long touchdowns.”
It’s easier said than done — in
the first half, some of those holes
existed, but Michigan’s running
backs failed to squeeze through
them. Edwards didn’t make the
same mistake.
And as he high-stepped his way
through the back of the endzone
after his second touchdown, he
waved his arms toward the stands
while a rush of teammates hurried
to greet him. The Wolverines led
by 22, the disheartened Buckeye
faithful streamed toward the exit,
leaving a raucous sea of fans clad in
maize and blue in their wake.
By the end of it all, it did look a lot
like Edwards’ stadium.
JARED GREENSPAN
Managing Sports Editor
FOOTBALL
GRACE BEAL/Daily
GRACE BEAL/Daily