JJ McCarthy after dominant season-opening victory: 'It's on to Week 2'

Even without its head coach, Michigan got off to a fast start to the year with a 30-3 victory over East Carolina at The Big House. With more than 400 total yards of offense, it was quite a way to open the season.

But quarterback J.J. McCarthy isn’t getting too caught up in his big day.

“We’re 1-0, but we’ve got to go 2-0,” McCarthy told Peacock’s Lewis Johnson afterward. “That’s the only thing that matters. This game is great. We did a lot of good things, a lot of good things to learn from and get better at. But it’s on to Week 2.”

McCarthy had a huge showing, throwing for 280 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Michigan offensive attack. The two-headed monster of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards led the running game with 73 and 37 yards, respectively. Corum also ran in a touchdown in his first game back after missing the end of the 2022 campaign with a torn ACL.

All of McCarthy’s touchdown passes went to Roman Wilson, though, as he totaled 78 receiving yards as well. They clearly had a connection all day long — and it’s something McCarthy said has been brewing all summer.

“That vibe was cooking up all offseason,” McCarthy said. “We were working on it almost every single week, multiple times a week and it’s just amazing to showcase it to everyone.”

J.J. McCarthy praises Michigan’s preparation for season opener vs. ECU

Preparing for the season opener was an interesting process for Michigan as Harbaugh started his self-imposed four-game suspension. Jesse Minter served as the acting head coach for the day and offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore was also absent as he served a one-game suspension.

But McCarthy said the players continued to do their jobs, and it paid off in a big way with a blowout victory over ECU.

“It’s as simple as it’s amazing what preparation does for you out there,” McCarthy said. “I just felt so cool, calm and collected. The offensive line played amazing. I felt like I was playing 7-on-7 football back there. The receivers did our thing, offensive line did their thing. Like I said, running backs too. We’ve got the best defense in the country. So it was nice.”

Next up for Michigan is a matchup with UNLV Sept. 9. For that game, two coaches — special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh and running backs coach Mike Hart — will split the head coaching duties in Jim Harbaugh’s absence.