JJ McCarthy blames Sam Darnold after Michigan's win over Southern Cal

Although it's the quarterback's job to throw the ball, Vikings rookie JJ McCarthy was excited by his alma mater Michigan's run-heavy style of play on Saturday. And he used it as an opportunity to annoy a teammate.

McCarthy's Wolverines, the 18th-ranked team in the country, ran the ball 45 times for 291 yards and scored three points in a 27-24 win over No. 11 Southern Cal, the alma mater of quarterback Sam Darnold.

The strong running attack, combined with the fact that the Wolverines attempted only 12 passes and managed just 32 yards, sparked many jokes on social media, including a meme of a running play from the College Football 25 video game that was renamed “Run Through a Mother*****r's Face.” McCarthy must have found the meme funny and used it as a bragging opportunity.

McCarthy posted the meme to his Instagram story and tagged Darnold with “Go Blue” written across the post. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the Trojans had not lost before the game.

Darnold threw for 7,229 yards, 57 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions while completing 65% of his passes in two seasons at Southern Cal in 2016-17. Darnold was a college phenom, culminating in him being selected No. 3 overall by the New York Jets in the 2018 draft.

McCarthy, meanwhile, threw for 6,226 yards, 49 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and completed 68% of his passes in three seasons at Michigan from 2021-23. He led the Wolverines to the 2023 national championship, throwing for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions and completed 72% of his passes. McCarthy became the highest-drafted quarterback in Vikings history when Minnesota selected him with the No. 10 overall pick in this year's draft.