INSIDE THE FORT, Part II: Michigan football intel, Domani Jackson, transfer portal, more
TheWolverine.com’s Chris Balas and Clayton Sayfie bring you the very latest on Michigan Wolverines football in this edition of Inside The Fort, part two. Check out part one from Monday, with plenty of intel on Michigan basketball, right here.
Inside The Fort begins with the latest on redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara, his health and how the team has rallied behind he and freshman signal-caller J.J. McCarthy, before providing a nugget we picked up about five-star cornerback Domani Jackson, who’s committed to USC but remains interested in the Maize and Blue. On that note, we share what we know about Michigan’s efforts in the Name, Image and Likeness department and how it could impact recruiting.
Inside The Fort finishes up with analysis from Pro Football Focus (PFF) analyst Josh Liskiewitz, who breaks down what he saw from last week’s game and gives some perspective on the season going forward.
CLICK HERE to read the entire Inside The Fort or find an excerpt of the report below.
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• INSIDE THE FORT, Part I: Michigan Basketball – Secret Scrimmage, Practice Notes
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INSIDE THE FORT
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE INSIDE THE FORT
Part II of our INSIDE THE FORT, this time focusing on football in the aftermath of a tough loss at Michigan State …
As we noted, those inside Schembechler Hall felt confident about a win — IF they played a clean game and guys played well and made plays. We can see why. The Wolverines controlled the game in long stretches, but they made too many mistakes at the wrong times, from dropped passes to false starts on fourth and one, fumbles.
And yet they played their butts off. They took it hard in the postgame, especially frosh J.J. McCarthy. He felt like he let the team down and lost the game for them, though several told him he assuredly didn’t.
They also felt they got the short end of the stick, and as they said Monday, they feel kind of used to it. But they know they could have won anyway, and that’s what hurts them the most. The players only meeting was to reinforce that there was plenty still to play for, and that this November was not going to be like the last several. They know there’s still a lot on the table.
Cade McNamara was beaten up, ice packs on both knees, the midsection, etc. after the game, but he gutted it out. He earned his teammates’ respect. We expect both quarterbacks to see plenty of action Saturday night against Indiana, and McNamara will get his share of days off this week.
And no, he was not in the tent yet getting checked when McCarthy fumbled. He went in after the play.
Andrel Anthony’s emergence, meanwhile, could be a game-changer. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said the frosh had been making a big play in practice every day, but McNamara said he didn’t see that kind of performance from the freshman coming. In short, he proved to be a gamer.
