Michigan football notched a 27-point win over East Carolina on Saturday and here are five things we learned about the Wolverines.
The Wolverines made their return to the Big House on Saturday and while it wasn’t a perfect showing, Michigan football dominated.
The outcome was never in doubt, that much was for sure as Michigan football got on the board early in the game and had a two-touchdown lead early in the second quarter.
J.J. McCarthy was stellar and tossed three touchdown passes to Roman Wilson. McCarthy also set a program record for completion percentage with a minimum of 25 pass attempts, completing 87 percent of his throws in the season opener.
The running game was lackluster and so was the pass rush. So there’s work to do heading into next weekend and beyond. But here are five things we learned from the 30-3 win for Michigan football over East Carolina.
J.J. McCarthy has made a leap
You could tell that the game has slowed down for Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy who seemed to be toying with the ECU defense. The running game struggled to get going and the Pirates were determined to load the box.
It was disconcerting a little that Michigan football wasn’t able to establish the ground game, but McCarthy showed what would happen if teams dared the Wolverines to throw this season.
Last season, McCarthy was coming off shoulder surgery and you could tell the throwing motion was just a little off.
Now, he’s confident in the arm and you can tell. McCarthy’s last two touchdown passes to Wilson were elite throws and it was as good a season debut as we could see from J.J.
The running game has work to do
One of the biggest surprises to me on Saturday was the way that East Carolina was able to hold up against Michigan football in the trenches.
East Carolina did have a top-20 run defense last season in college football, so it wasn’t a huge surprise that the Pirates were a little stingy in that area. But Michigan football faced top-ranked run defenses in 2022 and didn’t have as many issues as it did Saturday.
Blake Corum’s first game back featured a 37-yard run, another over 20 yards, and a touchdown. But Blake is still working into game shape. I was hoping to see Donovan Edwards get more involved, but I remember similar struggles to start the 2022 season.
Guys were probably aiming for home-run plays a little too often and this new offensive line is still gelling. I’m not overly concerned, but getting the running game cranked up is definitely on the to-do list for Michigan football in Week 2 against UNLV.
Roman Wilson lived up to the No. 1
After Michigan football beat East Carolina on Saturday, Roman Wilson said that Jim Harbaugh asked him if he wanted to wear the No. 1 this season.
Wilson said it was a lot of pressure but that he wanted to live up to that pressure and he certainly did on Saturday with six receptions for 78 yards and three touchdowns.
The speedster from Hawaii went over 100 yards last season in the finale against TCU and built on that momentum this offseason. On Saturday, he was stellar. He proved once again that he’s more than just a speedy deep threat.
When McCarthy bought time in the pocket, Wilson did a great job of working his way back to the quarterback and it led to the second touchdown connection between Roman and McCarthy.
Wilson’s route-running was impressive. He did have one drop but made up for it on the next play with a key catch for a third-down conversion. McCarthy also connected with Cornelius Johnson six times for 71 yards and Colston Loveland five times too.
But it looks like Wilson has emerged as the No. 1 wideout for the Wolverines, just as we heard all offseason.
The defense was great with one exception
Michigan football didn’t give up any points until the final seconds as East Carolina kicked a field goal on the final play of the game to avoid a shutout.
The Wolverines forced a turnover, which Mike Sainristil was responsible for after a first-quarter interception. Josh Wallace also had an interception, but it was overturned.
Both veteran cornerbacks played well. Michigan football didn’t play Rod Moore or Will Johnson. U-M was cautious with injuries but the defensive front dominated, at least against the run.
Michigan didn’t get any sacks, but part of that was ECU getting the ball out quickly. The Pirates averaged just 4.5 yards per pass attempt, which is a number the Wolverines will take every single week.
East Carolina didn’t have a single explosive play in the entire game (over 20 yards). QB Mason Garcia was the leading rusher and the Pirates averaged just 3.9 yards per attempt.
I remember similar questions last season. The pass rush should be better and despite zero sacks on Saturday, I still believe it will be.
Hard to learn much
Honestly, it’s hard to learn much from these early games because Michigan football is much better than these teams, it almost feels like the Wolverines are saving another gear.
Michigan football held out a number of players who would have played if the Wolverines were facing Ohio State or Penn State instead of East Carolina.
The game plan was pretty conservative. McCarthy was stellar and the defense stonewalled the Pirates for much of the day, but it was very much a ho-hum performance, especially in the second half.
The goal-line failure in the second half was disappointing. That probably reminded Michigan football fans of the Fiesta Bowl, so the red zone offense is still a concern. The biggest key is getting through these games without Jim Harbaugh healthy and unscathed.
Michigan was sharp on Saturday, but I don’t think this team was anywhere close to what it can be at its best.