Postgame Notes: #2 Michigan 30, East Carolina 3
9/2/2023 4:29:00 PM | Football
• Today's announced attendance of 109,480 marks the 309th consecutive game at Michigan Stadium with a crowd in excess of 100,000.
• Today's matchup marked the first-ever meeting between Michigan and East Carolina.
• The Wolverines added to a home winning streak that has reached 16 straight games, stretching back into the 2021 season. It is the longest home winning streak under head coach Jim Harbaugh and the program's best since home win streaks of 16 games (2002-05) and 21 games (1997-2000) under former head coach Lloyd Carr.
• U-M improved to 118-23-3 all-time in season openers, including 7-2 in the Harbaugh era.
• Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter was acting head coach for today's season opener and was credited with the victory. He is 1-0 as a collegiate head coach.
• Today's honorary captains were NASA Astronaut Josh Cassada and award-winning sports reporter Gene Wojciechowski.
• Five Wolverines earned their first collegiate start on offense or defense: senior Myles Hinton (offensive line), graduate student Drake Nugent (offensive line), sophomore Keon Sabb (safety), graduate student Josh Wallace (cornerback), graduate student Keshaun Harris (cornerback). Among specialists, punter/kickoff specialist Tommy Doman, punt returner Jake Thaw and place kicker James Turner all earned their first starts at Michigan.
• Twenty (20) players made their U-M debuts in today's game: Cameron Brandt, Karmello English, Enow Etta, Benjamin Hall, Jyaire Hill, Brandyn Hillman, Aymeric Koumba,  Joey Klunder, Fredrick Moore, Semaj Morgan, Trey Pierce, DJ Waller Jr., Barner, Hausmann, Henderson, Hinton, Nugent, Stewart, Turner and Wallace.
• Moore (two receptions, 18 yards) and Hall (two carries, two yards) recorded their first collegiate statistics.
• After punting on their first drive, the Wolverine offense scored on five consecutive drives, recording four touchdowns and a field goal.
• Senior running back Blake Corum posted 10 carries and 73 yards and added a two-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter. He had 18 rushing touchdowns last year, ranking third nationally.
• Junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy registered his best career passing game at home (280 yards, three touchdowns). McCarthy's 86.7% completion percentage (26-for-30) ranks the second highest in Michigan single-game history, behind Elvis Grbac's 90.9% (20-for-22) against Notre Dame (Sept. 14, 1991).
• In McCarthy's 14 starts, U-M has scored in 61 of 68 red-zone trips with 51 touchdowns. When McCarthy starts and finishes a drive, U-M has produced 59 touchdowns and 26 field goals on 145 drives. Today, U-M was 3-for-3 from the red zone in the first half and 1-for-2 in the second.
• The Wolverines earned a 23-point lead in the first half with three touchdowns and a 50-yard field goal from graduate kicker James Turner while shutting out the Pirates. It was Turner's first field goal in maize and blue.
• U-M capitalized on the first-quarter interception from graduate student defensive back Mike Sainristil by converting with a 14-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Roman Wilson for the Wolverines' first score of the season.
• Sainristil recorded U-M's first interception of the season. It was also Sainristil's second career interception; he previously returned an eight-yard interception against TCU in the College Football Playoff on Dec. 31, 2022.
• It was Wilson's second multi-touchdown game; his last was two against Penn State on Nov. 13, 2021. The last time a Wolverine had three receiving touchdowns in one game was Nico Collins at Indiana (Nov. 23, 2019). Wilson upped his total to 11 receiving touchdowns.
• Sophomore tight end Colston Loveland posted four receptions, tying his career best, for a career-high 57 yards.
• Defensively, U-M held the Pirates without a point for 59:55 until ECU kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired. The most recent Michigan shutout was last season against UConn on Sept. 17, 2021.
• Junior linebacker Junior Colson led the Wolverine defense with 101 total tackles in 2022; he was credited with five tackles and two TFL in today's game.
