ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The new scoreboards are up and they received a workout as the 2023 season began in Ann Arbor.
The Wolverines took care of business against the East Carolina Pirates, 30-3, in the season opener.
[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
Michigan started slowly, going three-and-out after three straight runs. But from there J.J. McCarthy started dealing. Michigan scored on the next five drives: four touchdowns and a field goal.
The Wolverines did most of their damage through the air on Saturday. The Wolverine offense racked up 280 yards through the air and 122 yards on the ground. The team talked about being more balanced on the offensive side, and that was somewhat apparent with the pass game, but the run game wasn’t quite as efficient as expected.
With that said. here are our five takeaways after the Michigan win.
Photo: Isaiah Hole
J.J. McCarthy started his second season as the starting quarterback with a bang. The junior quarterback finished 26-of-30 for 280 yards and three touchdowns.
McCarthy’s first touchdown pass of the year was a 14-yard pass to Roman Wilson. The two connected two more times in the end zone.
Even though it was against a Group of Five team, McCarthy played almost flawlessly first half. The biggest takeaway was the command J.J. had of the offense. He looked comfortable in the pocket and made some elite throws.
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Take a bow, Roman Wilson!
Coming into this year Wilson made a statement when he switched his jersey number from No. 14 to No. 1. Today he backed up the bold move with six catches for 78 yards and three touchdowns. The last time a wide receiver had three touchdowns in the maize and blue was Nico Collins on Nov. 23, 2019 against Indiana.
Wilson, along with Cornelius Johnson, were McCarthy’s go-to receivers with 11 targets between the two. It will take time to see who becomes the true first option, but both should have a big season.
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Even though Harbaugh was not on the sidelines Saturday, his presence was still felt inside The Big House. Michigan opened the 2023 season with a formation honoring Harbaugh. The offense lined up on the field and held up four fingers, Harbaugh’s number at Michigan and then lined up for the play
The team did not miss a beat and acting head coach Jesse Minter did a fantastic job.
Photo: Isaiah Hole
After leaving The Big House last season with a knee injury, Blake Corum returned and looked like the old Blake. The speed and explosiveness are still there.
Corum led the team with 10 carries for 73 yards and found his way into the end zone. East Carolina stopped the rushing attack and forced the Wolverines to adjust. We didn’t see too much of Corum in the receiving game, but he wasn’t needed there with the production the wide receivers were putting in on Saturday.
Photo: Isaiah Hole
The Michigan defense is going to be a problem once again for opponents.
From the opening kickoff, the Wolverines caused issues for East Carolina and never gave it an opportunity to get its offense going. Mike Sainristil in the first quarter produced an interception that really ignited the defense.
The Wolverines defense gave up 235 yards to the Pirates on Saturday. Much of it came on the final drive in garbage time. While the Wolverines were not able to sack the quarterback, they had four tackles for loss (TFL). Junior Colson led the defense with 2 TFL and four players — Ernest Hausmann, Jyaire Hill, Keshaun Harris, and TJ Guy — registered 0.5 TFL.
