In truth, it’s understandable that it’s difficult to forget. And on Monday, the sophomore quarterback remembered the game so vividly that he spoke up about what he’s learned from it about preparing for, and performing in, his career’s biggest moments.
“At the end of the day it’s just not throwing it to the other team,” he remarked.
The signal caller’s statements rang true. His directness was perhaps more telling. Even though it happened nearly a season ago, a shadow lingered even as No. 1 Michigan football players insisted all year that the catastrophic Fiesta Bowl loss was simply burned tape heading into the 2023 season.
McCarthy threw two fatal pick-sixes amid all the pomp of heroics and heartbreaks on a Saturday in Glendale, Arizona, as the clock crept down on the 2022 calendar year and the Wolverines’ season.
And he’s not forgotten.
“One of the worst things you can do as a quarterback,” McCarthy said. “Just staying poised, calm and collected no matter what happens, whether it’s a tip ball or anything like that, just going out there and being very (ready) to play.”
It appears to be a minor issue to acknowledge. McCarthy definitely knows better than to throw interceptions, especially ones that result in six points for the opposing side in a single play. While the signal caller’s mistakes may have put players, coaches, and spectators through the five stages of grief, the final step in football isn’t acceptance – it’s solutions.
“I felt like we fell victim to paralysis by overanalysis and just getting over-detailed with too many things and overthinking things” according to McCarthy. “I feel like this first couple of weeks we (have been) easing into things and it’s been fresh every single day.”
