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McNamara says other Michigan teams he’s been on would have lost vs. Nebraska

McNamara believes this team is special.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 02 Michigan at Wisconsin Photo by Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

We’ve heard it all off-season, that there’s a new energy, a new mentality, a sharpened focus. Michigan Football is trending in the right direction, that’s for sure.

Although the Wolverines wound up in a tight battle on the road against Nebraska, they did enough collectively to get out of the state with a 32-29 and improve to 6-0 on the season.

After a 2-4 season in 2020 that was disheartening for the team, coaches, and fans, starting quarterback Cade McNamara made it clear following the Nebraska win that they are committed to changing the culture for the better.

“Michigan teams in the past, no disrespect, but I think since I’ve been at Michigan we lose this game — sometimes,” McNamara told ESPN after the game. “I think this is a testament to the guys in that locker room, the coaches who have made a commitment to make this year different, and I think we have something special here.”

Michigan netted a late fumble recovery, clutch field goal, and then forced a turnover on downs to secure the victory in the final minutes of what became a nail-biting game. McNamara credits Harbaugh’s willingness to dig down and give even more energy to the cause. “We’ve noticed that coach Harbaugh has been putting even more energy into this year, too. Overall, really from a whole team perspective, it means a lot, we care about winning.”

McNamara’s comments are notable, but not controversial one bit. He’s taking ownership, accountability, and realizes he has to prove that this team is different like he says. I found his comments refreshing. It was reality.

McNamara went 22-of-38 for 255 and 1 INT in the character building victory. Michigan now has a bye week to clean up some miscues before they take on Northwestern at Michigan Stadium on Oct. 23.