Game recap: Michigan football rolls East Carolina in season opener

The Michigan Wolverines moved to 1-0 on the season after a 30-3 win over East Carolina on Saturday. The Big House was decked out in Maize, and the team looked focused and ready to roll in the first of three games without head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter was the team’s interim coach for Saturday’s game. Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Sherrone Moore was out serving a one-game suspension and will return next week vs. UNLV.

The day was headlined by a 26-for-30, 280-yard and 3-touchdown performance from junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy and an offense coordinated by quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell.

Here’s the blow-by-blow recap from Saturday’s effort.

First quarter

Michigan won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. After a booming kickoff by Tommy Doman, ECU started at its own 25-yard line. After gaining six yards, ECU went three-and-out and punted down to the U-M 2-yard line with 13:19 to go in the quarter. The Wolverines responded with a three-and-out of their own, punting at 11:14 to the Michigan 46-yard line.

On the next series, Michigan picked up an interception from graduate Mike Sainristil on third-and-9, returning it to the U-M 43-yard line with 10:18 to go. U-M followed with an eight-play, 57-yard drive that was capped off by a 14-yard touchdown pass from junior QB J.J. McCarthy to senior wideout Roman Wilson. After James Turner‘s extra point, Michigan had a 7-0 lead with 5:43 remaining.

J.J. McCarthy to Roman Wilson!#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/u4dAGthQzt

— TheWolverine.com (@TheWolverineOn3) September 2, 2023

The Wolverines forced another punt after a six-play, 16-yard drive from the Pirates, this time sent down to the U-M 10-yard line. Michigan went 51 yards in five plays before the quarter expired with the home team up 7-0.

Second quarter

U-M opened the second quarter with a 37-yard run from senior Blake Corum down to the 2-yard line, finished off one play later by a Corum scoring run. Michigan led 14-0 after Turner’s extra point with 14:13 to go in the half. On the following series, it had appeared graduate Josh Wallace intercepted an ECU pass, but the call was overturned and Michigan forced another punt, this time down to the 24-yard line.

Michigan responded with a seven-play, 76-yard drive that ended in a 10-yard scoring pass from McCarthy to Wilson, their second connection of the day. Turner missed the extra point, leaving the score 20-0 with 5:32 to go in the half. ECU went 42 yards in 10 plays, but missed a 50-yard field goal attempt with 48 seconds to go. U-M put a quick drive together to get into field goal range, and Turner nailed a 50-yard attempt as time expired.

The Wolverines held a 23-0 lead at the half over East Carolina.

Third quarter

Michigan opened the quarter with the ball at its own 25-yard line after the ECU kickoff. The Wolverines imposed their will again with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that was finished by McCarthy and Wilson’s third touchdown connection of the day, this time from 15 yards out. Turner’s third extra point of the day made it 30-0 Michigan with 9:13 to play in the third quarter.

Not once, not twice, but thrice (and counting).

J.J. McCarthy and Roman Wilson connect for their third @UMichFootball TD of the day. 💥

💻: Peacock pic.twitter.com/lDQuvfAdN6

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 2, 2023

East Carolina’s offense continued to struggle, going three-and-out on its next possession. Michigan took back over at its own 18-yard line with 5:48 remaining. A 13-play, 81-yard drive came up short, turning the ball over on downs to ECU with 19 seconds to go. The quarter ended with the Pirates facing a second-and-10 from their own 3-yard line.

Fourth quarter

Another three-and-out forced by the Michigan defense gave way to the second-team offense coming in, starting at the ECU 38-yard line. U-M was able to gain only four yards before Turner missed a field goal attempt from 52 yards out. The score would remain 30-0 with 12:38 to play. East Carolina put together an 11-play, 53-yard drive that stalled out on downs, giving U-M the ball back on the 13-yard line with 6:16 to play.

ECU kicked a field goal as time expired to avoid the shutout, leading to the 30-3 final.

Michigan vs. East Carolina final box score

The Wolverines are back in action next week against UNLV at Michigan Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.