ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan football took care of business in the 2023 opener against East Carolina, scoring a methodical 30 points and allowing just one last-second field goal.
It might have seemed a bit underwhelming for a 36-point favorite with national championship expectations, but all that really mattered was that Michigan won the game and stayed healthy. Mission accomplished.
That doesn’t mean we didn’t learn anything, though. And while there were plenty of reasons to be encouraged, not everything about Saturday’s win was positive.
Positive: J.J. McCarthy
One of my 13 burning questions heading into this Michigan football season was whether or not the hype surrounding McCarthy’s offseason improvement was real. So far, so good.
McCarthy completed 26 of 30 pass attempts for 280 yards and three touchdowns. He only had one near interception and averaged 9.3 yards per attempt.
It’s hard to see how he could have played much better.
What stood out most about McCarthy was his ability to escape the pocket and keep plays alive downfield. Two of the touchdown passes caught by Roman Wilson were only possible because McCarthy extended plays with his legs.
Michigan probably doesn’t want its star quarterback running the ball and taking hits during these early cupcake games, but that doesn’t mean his mobility won’t be a factor.
Whether he was stepping up toward (maybe even over) the line of scrimmage or rolling to his right, McCarthy maintained his accuracy on the move. It’s hard for defenses to cover players like Wilson, Cornelius Johnson, and Colston Loveland for more than a few seconds, so when McCarthy extended plays, he usually had open targets.
Negative: Rushing attack
Michigan has been one of the most dominant rushing teams in the nation each of the past two seasons, so I’m not going to overreact to one game against East Carolina.
But it’s fair to point out that Michigan’s vaunted running game got off to a slow start against an overmatched opponent.
Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards combined for 110 yards on 22 carries -- an average of exactly 5 yards. But take out Corum’s 37-yard run and that average drops below 3.5 yards per carry.
Corum and Edwards are going to be fine, and it was great to see the latter so involved in the short passing games (four catches for 33 yards). But I think we learned that if teams really want to slow down Michigan’s rushing attack, it’s not unstoppable.
Positive: Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson
We wondered who would take over as Michigan’s go-to receiver now that Ronnie Bell is gone. The good news is it might not just be one guy.
Wilson was the headliner on Saturday, hauling in a team-high six passes for 78 yards and three touchdowns. The last time we saw him, he put up 122 total yards and a pair of scores in the College Football Playoff, so it’s starting to look like maybe he’s a true difference-maker, when healthy.
But Johnson quietly had a strong opener, too, catching five passes for 71 yards. He put together one of the most legendary performances in program history at Ohio State last season (160 yards, two touchdowns) and shouldn’t be dismissed just because Wilson scored three times.
Michigan doesn’t have a Heisman caliber receiver like Marvin Harrison Jr. at Ohio State, but the Wilson-Johnson duo can present plenty of problems.
Negative: Pass rush
While I don’t have any real concerns about Michigan’s rushing attack, I can’t definitively say the same about the pass rush.
East Carolina clearly wanted to keep Mason Garcia out of harm’s way by getting the ball out quickly on Saturday, but it still felt odd to see Michigan get little-to-no pressure from the defensive line.
Mike Morris and Mazi Smith were two of the most valuable players on last year’s playoff team, and without them, Michigan’s defensive line has a whole new look. They were just fine against East Carolina’s rushing attack, but the pass rush underwhelmed.
Braiden McGregor was a popular choice to break out as Michigan’s sacks leader this season, but he wasn’t much of a factor in the opener. The same can be said about Derrick Moore (my personal pick for breakout defensive player) and Josaiah Stewart (the prized pass-rushing transfer from Coastal Carolina).
It’s worth noting Michigan’s coaching staff was jumbled by the absence of Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore, and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter had to take over head coaching duties. Maybe that played a role in the line’s ability to scheme up pressure and make adjustments.
Overall, my concern level is still low. But the pass rush should be on everyone’s radar, and it would be good to see a few sacks against UNLV.
Positive: Linebackers
Ernest Hausmann was considered Michigan’s top pickup from the transfer portal this offseason, and he sure looked the part in his first game wearing the Winged Helmet.
The true sophomore picked up right where he left off last year at Nebraska, leading Michigan with six tackles and contributing to a tackle for loss.
Junior Colson was just as active, making three solo tackles, five total tackles, and two tackles for loss. He looked like he might be a star after his freshman season, and now, as a junior, Colson is off to a great start.
Michael Barrett also chipped in five tackles and a pair of solo tackles, but that’s what fans have come to expect from the sixth-year senior. He’s as reliable as they come, and this might be the best linebacking unit he’s played with at Michigan.
Negative: Goal-line offense
One of Michigan’s greatest weaknesses a year ago was its inconsistency scoring touchdowns in the red zone. That reared its ugly head in the playoff loss to TCU, when Michigan twice got inside the 2-yard line and came away with zero points.
The first of those two possessions ended with a failed trick play, and the second ended with Kalel Mullings fumbling the ball at the goal line.
Michigan showed some of those same struggles on Saturday, specifically on the final drive for the first-team offense.
The Wolverines drove all the way down the field from their own 18-yard line to set up a first and goal from the 6. Edwards gained four yards on the next play to set up second and goal from the 2.
Michigan got four more chances to score from inside 2 yards, thanks to an East Carolina penalty. But it failed to get into the end zone. Edwards got stuffed three times, and then a botched handoff led to a fumble on fourth down.
This was only one sequence, and Michigan has plenty of time to clean it up, but it looked very reminiscent of the goal line possessions against TCU.
Positive: Young defensive backs
Michigan was forced to dive deeper into the secondary depth chart because of injuries to Will Johnson and Rod Moore -- starters at cornerback and safety.
That might have been a blessing in disguise, though, because some of the young players who stepped into bigger roles played well, especially sophomore safety Keon Sabb.
Sabb earned the start on Saturday and racked up five tackles, two solo tackles, and a deflection. His pass break-up was one of the plays of the game, turning what would have been a long first-down pass for East Carolina in Michigan territory into a punting situation.
Later in the game, Michigan also got some good minutes from true freshman Jyaire Hill -- one of the top recruits from the 2023 class.
Hill was challenged several times in his first college game, but he didn’t look overmatched. He made four tackles, two solo tackles, and also got in on a tackle for loss.
Cornerback isn’t considered a position of depth for Michigan, but getting some of these young players experience in September could prove valuable during the bigger games in November.
Negative: Field goal kicking
Michigan fans knew they were going to miss Jake Moody, but after Saturday, I think it’s even more than they expected.
Louisville transfer James Turner didn’t exactly inspire confidence during his Michigan debut, making one of two field goal attempts and three of four extra points.
In Turner’s defense, his field goal attempts came from 50 and 52 yards, respectively. His 50-yarder before halftime was as pure as they come, but the 52-yarder flew wide of the net behind the uprights.
More concerning were Turner’s extra-point attempts. He missed one and didn’t look overly confident with the others. Maybe it was just some jitters for his first game at the Big House, but that’s not exactly the mindset you want from your field goal kicker.
Positive: Mike Sainristil
Mike Sainristil wasted no time building off a strong 2022 season, coming up with Michigan’s first interception of the year. He only had one tackle, but it was impossible not to notice Sainristil all over the field.
East Carolina challenged him over and over, and Sainristil’s coverage was excellent. He proved himself to be a strong nickel last season, but Saturday showed he can fill in anywhere, when needed.
Harbaugh has helped a number of players reach the NFL after position changes -- Chase Winovich, Zach Gentry, and Hassan Haskins come to mind. Sainristil has taken to defense so seamlessly, it’s hard not to put him right at the top of that list.
Question: Will Johnson injury
Michigan says Johnson was “close” to playing Saturday, and he was on the field in uniform for pregame warmups.
It doesn’t seem like Michigan is worried, but Johnson is coming off knee surgery. How fast can he get back to being an elite No. 1 cornerback after his return?
Question: Kicking depth
Michigan isn’t going to give up on Turner after one game, especially since he made a 50-yarder and only had one truly egregious mistake.
But kicking is such a mental game, and those early misses can sometimes snowball into much bigger issues. Does Michigan have anyone else who can step in if this goes south?
Question: Punt returns
Of all the players Harbaugh mentioned as possible kick and punt returners, walk-on wide receiver Jake Thaw was not the one I expected to see featured in the opener.
Thaw returned one punt for 10 yards last season and returned three for a total of six yards on Saturday. Is this the plan for the full season, or is Michigan trying to avoid a Ronnie Bell-type injury to key offensive players early in the season?
