Michigan football: 7 things that make the season opener unique

The 2023 Michigan football season opener is set to kick off in just 6 days, and while Michigan vs. ECU is not a game of national interest, it has a lot of interesting storylines. From missing Jim Harbaugh to a ‘Maize Out’ theme, here are seven things that make Michigan’s Week 1 matchup against the East Carolina Pirates unique.

1. No Jim Harbaugh for Michigan football

Perhaps the most obvious storyline for the 2023 season opener this year is that Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh will not be on the sidelines for this matchup. The Wolverines will likely manage just fine, though this will be the first time since 2014 (Brady Hoke era) that a coach not named Jim Harbaugh will be leading the Wolverines.

2. No Sherrone Moore

The second most obvious storyline for Michigan football vs. East Carolina is that offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore will also be out of the stadium on game day. Like Jim Harbaugh, Moore will be serving a suspension, though unlike Harbaugh, he will return to The Big House the following weekend.

3. Maize Out to open the season

Over the past two seasons, Michigan football has successfully pulled off its ‘Maize Out’ game. In 2021, the Wolverines lit up the stadium in Maize during the team’s Week 2 win over Washington. Last year, Penn State was the victim of the Maize Out, a game that Michigan ultimately won 41-17.

4. A major number change for the Maize and Blue

One of the most coveted numbers for a Michigan football player is the No. 1 jersey. Earlier this week, senior wide receiver Roman Wilson changed his number from No. 14 to No. 1, perhaps leading up to a massive breakout year for the veteran pass-catcher.

5. JJ McCarthy getting the Week 1 start

Despite being a junior, Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy has never started a Week 1 game before. In 2021 and 2022, incumbent starter Cade McNamara got the nod; last year, McCarthy won the job, though it was not until Week 2 that he got his first start in Ann Arbor. This year, that is bound to change.

6. Jesse Minter will be the head coach

In place of Jim Harbaugh as the interim head coach will be Jesse Minter for the Wolverines’ Week 1 contest against East Carolina. All three of Michigan’s non-conference bouts will be coached by different assistants, though seeing as Sherrone Moore will be gone for Week 1, it makes a lot of sense that the Wolverines’ second-year defensive play-caller will be given the job.

7. Michigan football and East Carolina set to meet for the first time… ever

In the long and storied history of the Michigan football program, the Wolverines have never gotten the chance to face the East Carolina Pirates before. On September 2nd, for the first time ever, Michigan and ECU will square off — the Pirates went 8-5 last year, and with a lot of new faces leading the charge for Michigan, ECU will be gunning for an Appalachian State type of stunning upset victory.

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