Michigan football offense could expose key flaw in ECU defense

In just three days, the Wolverines will tap the banner and take the field against East Carolina, officially kicking off the 2023 season in Ann Arbor. With Sherrone Moore out of the picture due to a one-game self-imposed suspension, quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell will be calling the shots this weekend — JJ McCarthy has been garnering tons of preseason hype so far, so it’s expected that he will get plenty of chances to air it out against the Pirates. In fact, the Michigan football offense will undoubtedly be looking to expose a key flaw in the ECU defense.

Michigan football offense could expose the ECU defense

A season ago, East Carolina ranked 130th out of 131 teams in guarding the pass (passing yards allowed per game) — which is abysmal, to say the least. The only team with a worse passing defense last year was Middle Tennessee State, who notably lost to Michigan football during Week 1 of the 2019 season.

Perhaps the strongest point in ECU’s defense is its defensive line — East Carolina is solid at stopping the run, and with both Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards coming off of injuries, there is no reason to force the ground game if JJ McCarthy gets hot.

An explosive Week 1 game for JJ McCarthy?

Seeing as ECU has trouble in the defensive backfield, expect Kirk Campbell and the Michigan football offense to air it out a good bit. JJ McCarthy sounds like the real deal right now, and getting him confident early in the season could be massive for the Maize and Blue down the stretch. Additionally, with a few wide receiver injuries, this weekend will be a good test run for some of the team’s impressive freshman wideouts, who have been garnering a lot of offseason buzz thus far.

The stars appear to be aligning for JJ McCarthy and the Michigan football offense to air it out a lot this Saturday. From returning wideouts to rising stars, an abysmal secondary, the QB coach calling plays, and more, there is reason to believe that the Wolverines will look a lot more modern offensively to kick off the 2023 season.

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