Michigan football vs. East Carolina: Wolverines' talent, communication should bring sacks

Looking ahead to No. 2 Michigan football’s season opener Saturday afternoon against East Carolina in Ann Arbor.

Next up for the Wolverines: East Carolina Pirates

Matchup: No. 2 Michigan (13-1 in 2022) vs. East Carolina (8-5 in 2022).

Kickoff: Noon Saturday; Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor.

TV/radio: Peacock (online only); WWJ-AM (950), WTKA-AM (1050).

Line: Wolverines by 35½.

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Know the foe

East Carolina was a contender in the American Athletic Conference last season; their eight victories were the program’s most since 2014, but they seem unlikely to repeat that this season despite an AAC lineup that lost its best squads to the Big 12. That's because Mike Houston's Pirates are facing a near total overhaul of their offense, replacing five-year starting quarterback Holton Ahers (who's in NFL camp with the Seattle Seahawks), a pair of 1,000-yard receivers (C.J. Johnson and Isaiah Winstead) and running back Keaton Mitchell, who piled up 1,704 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns. The Pirates are 130th out of 133 FBS teams in returning production in 2023, according to ESPN's Bill Connelly. At quarterback, ECU features former four-star recruit Mason Garcia (who's in his fourth season at ECU); he'll have Georgia transfer Jaylen Johnson to target. On defense, linemen Chad Stephens and Jeremy Lewis create problems on the outside, giving U-M's first rotation of tackles an interesting test. Still, the Pirates' pass defense showed little resistance last season, allowing a 66.8% completion rate (No. 122 nationally) and 8.8 yards per attempt (No. 127). Their run defense was stout statistically, allowing just 3.7 yards per rush (No. 31) but most teams just chose to attack in the air instead. The unit does not look improved this season.

Tony Garcia's things to watch

Coaching carousel: How does defensive coordinator Jesse Minter handle his one-day role filling in for suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh. His counterpart on offense, Sherrone Moore has been suspended for a week as well, the Free Press learned Sunday morning. The Wolverines' success will be set by the week's pregame work, which Harbaugh and Moore are still allowed to be a part of, but the absence of U-M’s two leading offensive minds Saturday could create an unusual dynamic. Running backs coach Mike Hart seems the likely candidate for play-calling duties, while Minter handle the defense. Various assistants will rotate as interim head coach for Harbaugh's three-game ban — Jay Harbaugh and Hart will split Week 2 vs. UNLV, Moore gets Week 3 vs. Bowling Greene — but Saturday will be the first look at the changing duties.

Talk it out: The Wolverines had 37 sacks last season, tied for 11th in the nation. Still, all fall players and coaches have bemoaned the sacks they missed out on last season. They've blamed a lack of connection between the edge and defensive tackle groups — something the team has worked to address. “We’re meeting a lot more with the edge guys,” defensive tackle Mason Graham said earlier this month. “We’re having a lot more full-unit meetings, more D-line unit meetings. I feel like we’re more on the same page than we were last year. We had a lot of miscues, miscommunication on some plays, some fronts and stuff like that.” Frankly, Michigan has more talent than ECU, but this isn't about Kris Jenkins getting his TFLs, but how the defensive line works as a unit to create opportunities for each other.

Can you kick it? Michigan needs to make sure it has found its replacement for Jake Moody at kicker. James Turner, a Saline native and transfer from Louisville this past offseason, is first up after spending three seasons with the Cardinals. Last season, he went 20-for-22 on field goals, though his long was just 49 yards. At some point this season, the Wolverines could need one longer than that; it would be good to give Turner a no-pressure test in this one: If it's fourth-and-3 on the 34, even if Minter believes a first down is out there, he might allow Turner to test his leg.

Deep passing game: Michigan's passing game took a while to develop last season. J.J. McCarthy threw for 767 yards and eight touchdowns in the final three games — almost as much (800 yards, eight touchdowns) as he had in the previous five combined. Now, with a year of experience as a starter, and four of this top six receivers returning, the Wolverines don't expect chemistry to take so long to develop. But who'll become the deep threat? Roman Wilson was just awarded the No. 1 jersey, but he’s at his best in the slot, running routes underneath to open the rest of the field. Cornelius Johnson is a big body and another option, but keep an eye on Tyler Morris, McCarthy’s high school teammate (Nazarene Academy in La Grange, Illinois). McCarthy said it feels like he can throw it to him blindfolded — Saturday is a good chance to demonstrate that.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football vs. East Carolina: Here's what to watch in season opener