Michigan football has 5 big surprises against East Carolina

Today, Michigan football improved to 1-0 on the season with an impressive 30-3 victory over East Carolina at the Big House in Ann Arbor. The win was nice, but there were a number of surprises that came with it — from JJ McCarthy standing out to Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards having subjectively quiet games; Here are the five biggest surprises from today’s matchup.

5 surprises for Michigan football against East Carolina

5. JJ McCarthy is looking way better than we thought

Everyone knew that JJ McCarthy was going to get more opportunities today, but to see the junior Michigan football quarterback shine as bright as he did was surprising. After a slower start, McCarthy completed 17 straight passes, leading to a 30-0 lead over East Carolina during the third quarter.

It wasn’t just McCarthy’s arm that was impressive, either — his legs, decision-making skills, and more are all drastically better than what we saw last year. Sure, it was just ECU, but it’s clear that JJ McCarthy has elite potential this year. All said and done, McCarthy ended the game 26/30 for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns.

4. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards take a back seat

After watching Michigan football force the run for years, it was a bit strange to see the rushing attack take a notable backseat to JJ McCarthy and the passing attack. It’s not that Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum weren’t good — they performed well — but they were simply not as good as expected today. There is no reason to panic, today was just JJ’s game, but it was surprising to see the offense look so different.

3. Roman Wilson stands out

Heading into the game, there was a big question mark at WR1 for Michigan football — who would be the guy for JJ McCarthy this year? Early on, senior wideout Roman Wilson established himself as the guy, and he didn’t look back once. Heading into Week 2, it seems to be a sure thing that Roman Wilson is JJ McCarthy’s favorite target right now.

2. Despite injuries, the defense was elite

I knew that Michigan football was going to have a stellar defense this fall, but today’s showing was better than anything I anticipated. With Rod Moore, Makari Paige, Will Johnson, and more defenders banged up, the Wolverines still rose to the occasion, allowing only 3 total points all said and done. If Jesse Minter’s defense can keep this up, Michigan is in great hands.

1. Jim Harbaugh being out didn’t seem to rattle anyone

When a team’s head coach and offensive coordinator are both suspended, some miscommunications are expected from the interim coaching staff. That said, Jesse Minter (head coach) and Kirk Campbell (offensive play-caller) both performed well today — Michigan football avoided sloppy penalties, didn’t have many substitution issues, and looked solid. Sure, there are some things to tune up next weekend, but overall, the Wolverines didn’t seem to struggle with coordination much despite Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore being suspended.

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