JJ McCarthy has a ‘million dollar’ response to whether he’s the best quarterback in Michigan history, over Tom Brady who played for the college 25 years ago

JJ McCarthy won Michigan its first National Championship after a two decade long wait.

JJ McCarthy has a ‘million dollar’ response to whether he’s the best quarterback in Michigan history, over Tom Brady who played for the college 25 years ago

Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy talks to ESPN reporter after winning the CFP Finals beating Washington (Screengrab YouTube)

JJ McCarthy showed up at NRG Stadium for the CFP Final and went straight to perform his pre-game ritual. He went to sit under the goalpost and calm himself down for one final battle in the prolonged war the Michigan Wolverines (#1 seed) have been fighting all season. Their slogan, “Michigan vs. Everybody,” is indeed the truth.

They fought off every team that stood in front of them—went up against the NCAA for alleged sign-stealing allegations—and did not back down when head coach Jim Harbaugh received a suspension. All that boiled down to a match against the unbeaten Washington Huskies (#2 seed).

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It was the first time since 1997 that Michigan was playing in a college football final, and they wanted to make it count. In the end, the Huskies were not much of a challenge for the Wolverines, as their No. 1 ranked attack fell flat, losing 34-13.

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McCarthy did not have to do much on the passing front. He ended the game with 10 completions on 18 passes for 140 yards and 4 carries for 31 yards. What he did was help both of his running backs reach 100 yards on the night.

Blake Corum, whose TD in the Alabama game sent Michigan to the finals, scored two touchdowns on 21 carries for 135 yards. Donovan Edwards ran with the ball six times with an average of 17.3 yards per carry, ending the game with 104 yards and two touchdowns.

After the game wrapped up, ESPN on-field reporter Holly Rowe found the ‘National Champs’ hat wearing JJ McCarthy in the middle of the pitch. Rowe brought up Harbaugh’s statement that JJ was the best Michigan quarterback ever. The 20-year-old replied,

I think I'm JJ McCarthy, a kid from La Grange Park, Illinois, who's just trying to be the best he can possibly be every day; that's all I think of myself as.

What did Jim Harbaugh say about JJ McCarthy?

Before the championship game against the Huskies, Harbaugh attended a press conference where he lauded McCarthy as the best quarterback in Wolverines history.

JJ McCarthy has a 'million dollar' response to whether he's the best quarterback in Michigan history, over Tom Brady who played for the college 25 years ago
Jim Harbaugh and J.J. McCarthy (Image via ESPN)

Here’s what he had to say:

I think the last quarterback to win in overtime against Alabama was none other than Tom Brady. I’ve said it before, but right here, this is the greatest quarterback in University of Michigan history.

Well, hardly anyone knew who Tom Brady was back in 1997. If McCarthy can be as good as the seven-time Super Bowl winner, then perhaps he will add a degree of truth to Harbaugh’s claims. McCarthy, since becoming the starter at Michigan, has only lost one game and won 27 (including the CFP final).  

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