J.J. McCarthy delivers his ‘indescribable’ Michigan redemption in biggest moment

PASADENA, Calif. — This was the do-or-die moment at which Michigan faltered a year ago.

This was going to be at the top of J.J. McCarthy’s achievements as a college quarterback, or it was going to overshadow all of them entirely.

This was McCarthy, the junior from LaGrange Park, Ill., with the ball in his hands and 4:41 to go in the Rose Bowl. Alabama on the other side of the field.

Needing a touchdown to keep the game alive, facing a 20-13 deficit.

“I looked at the offense,” left guard Trevor Keegan said. “I was like, man, this is our last drive together.”

This eventual 27-20 Michigan overtime victory was not a game where McCarthy always looked his best, throwing a quickly overturned interception on the first play from scrimmage and compiling a shaky first half.

This second half of this season was one in which the five-star quarterback had played through an ankle injury, but done so underwhelmingly — throwing just one touchdown from Nov. 1 on.

Last year, with a similar drive to keep the game alive in the Fiesta Bowl against TCU, McCarthy came up short and watched as the Horned Frogs kneeled the game out.

He would not do the same this time.

Instead, he would get to fourth-and-2 with 3:19 left in regulation, then find running back Blake Corum in the flat for 27 yards.

Then he would keep it himself for 16 with 2:52 left in regulation.

Then he would throw a pass off the fingertips of a defensive lineman and into the leaping arms of Roman Wilson for another 29 with 2:10 to go in the fourth quarter.

“When he threw it, in the most non-cocky way, I was the most confident I was gonna come down with that ball,” Wilson said. “He threw it up. That was God, bro.”

Two plays later, Wilson was in the end zone on McCarthy’s third touchdown pass of the night.

The Rose Bowl was tied at 20.

It would go to overtime before the Wolverines sealed it with a pair of Blake Corum runs and a defensive stand.

McCarthy looked around like a kid going to Disneyland for the first time, lingering on the dais for the trophy handover like he never wanted to leave.

“It’s indescribable, just because the last two years being able to watch the opposing team celebrate, it’s just different when I see the maize and blue confetti on the field,” McCarthy said. “I’m nothing without this head coach [Jim Harbaugh], nothing without my teammates, nothing without that defense.

“Everything was so amazing. It’s just really, really amazing.”

Michigan, on to the national title game.

J.J. McCarthy, a Forever Hero in Ann Arbor.