Michigan football stock watch: Blake Corum rises, J.J. McCarthy stumbles

Here are the Michigan football players who helped or hurt their stock in the Wolverines' 31-6 win over Bowling Green on Saturday in Ann Arbor:

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Jaylen Harrell: The senior edge rusher has had perhaps the best consecutive weeks of his career. After a 1½ sack performance vs. UNLV, Harrell wreaked even more havoc vs. Bowling Green. His first major disruption came early in the second half, when he got to quarterback Hayden Timosciek so quickly on a screen play, the quarterback had to get rid of the ball early and Kris Jenkins intercepted it. On the next series, Harrell came around the opposite edge and recorded a strip sack of Himosciek, which was recovered by Michael Barrett. Harrell tied for the U-M lead among linemen in snap (28). According to PFF, Harrell's pass rush grade (91.5) and overall performance (90.5) was the best of his career, as he finished with three pressures and two hurries.

Blake Corum: If someone only looked at Blake Corum's numbers, there wouldn't be much concern over U-M's rushing attack. Michigan's returning unanimous All-American tailback has run 39 times for 254 yards (6.9 yards per carry) and all has all six of the team's touchdowns on the ground. On a per carry basis, he's been more effective than last year (6.9 yards per attempt compared to 5.9), however U-M is being cautious with his touches, which is why he had just 12 on Saturday and is averaging 14 per game through the non-conference slate. Corum started his afternoon with a 54-yard counter run, where he showed the vision and wiggle he trademarked a season ago. It was the highlight of his first 100-yard performance: 12 carries, 101 yards and two touchdowns and after the game, Corum pushed back against the notion the run game has taken a step back. "No concern man," Corum said "Look at the stats, we probably had the same stats as last year. First three games last year I never rushed for 100 yards. No concern man, calm, cool and collected. It's going to hit when it's going to hit. No concern in Schembechler."

Cam Goode: The former transfer from UCF didn't pop in the same way as Harrell or Corum, but to stand out on any nght among an interior line that includes Jenkins, Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham, Goode was doing something right. The 6-foot-1, 315-pound lineman played 17 snaps − 11 against the run and six against the pass − where he was credited with three stops, two tackles and two pressures. Goode also got home on Bowling Green's third drive for a sack, though he has to share some credit. The edges pushed up field and didn't let Camden Orth escape the pocket, then Goode was among those in the middle collapsing the inside of Orth's protection and slamming him down for the sack. According to PFF (80), it was Goode's best performance in the maize and blue.

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J.J. McCarthy: The numbers and eye test spoke for themselves on Saturday, where it was a rough night for Michigan's quarterback who had spent the first two weeks of the season shooting up Heisman lists. J.J. McCarthy completed just 8 of 13 passes for 143 yards and while he did have two touchdowns, he also threw a career-worst three interceptions. The first came on second-and-goal when he targeted Roman Wilson in the end zone, but his receivers weren't properly spaced which brought a wandering defensive back into the window McCarthy needed. On the second, Cornelius Johnson was blanketed on a post route, yet McCarthy still tried to feed him the ball deep over the middle. Johnson appeared to slow down on his route, which allowed the pass to get intercepted, but even if Johnson had kept running, the same result appeared likely. Then, his third interception, McCarthy said he tried to throw the ball away and out of bounds, but it was just too close to the sideline and snagged for another turnover. After two weeks of leading the team with a PFF grade in the mid-90s, McCarthy (43.2) was the team's worst player on Saturday, according to the site.

Ernest Hausmann: Michigan has lauded its linebacker depth this season and nobody has changed the feel of that room more than Nebraska transfer Ernest Hausmann. However, the sophomore had a rough day Saturday for the second week in a row. Hausmann played 24 snaps − 13 against the run and 11 against the pass − and recorded assists on two tackles. He was twice targeted in pass coverage and allowed completions on both plays for 18 total yards and after being credited for a team-high five stops in the season-opener vs. East Carolina, Hausmann hasn't recorded one in either of the past two weeks. Also something to keep an eye on, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter didn't send Hausmann on a single pass rush on his 24 snaps. While Minter only blitzes with linebackers sparingly, Junior Colson did have three pass rushes, Barrett had one and Jaydon Hood had one in 11 plays. PFF said Hausmann (58.0) had his worst game of the year.

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Nonconference games: Hip-hip, hooray! Finally, the nonconference slate is over. We don't have to hear answers like this from Sherrone Moore about the challenges that, *checks notes*, Bowling Green's bottom-100 team brings to Ann Arbor. "Good football team, well coached," Moore said last Monday. "A lot of good players, they fly around, they play fast and play physical, so it will be a great challenge for us." Thanks for that tremendous insight. Now again, nonconfernce games are part of the necessary evil of college athletics. U-M needs to pad its resume, schools like East Carolina and Bowling Green need money, it's a match made in heaven. it's also not up to U-M the seasons when their opponent is good or bad, many of these games are scheduled years out. However, can anybody say they had a lot of fun? during these three games other than the tailgating? Michigan beat three incredibly overmatched opponents, and it's not like they put up 50 points a game doing it. Thankfully, U-M plays Texas next year in the non-con, however there is a chance that game could move from its scheduled date iff Sept. 7, 2024, given the Big Ten expansion.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football stock: Blake Corum rises, J.J. McCarthy stumbles