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JJ McCarthy opens Week 1 with brilliant first-half passing performance

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

JJ McCarthy is opening the 2023 season with a bang, both with his tribute to head coach Jim Harbaugh and his first half of action for Michigan.

The quarterback for the Wolverines started the game against East Carolina with some early fireworks, finding Roman Wilson for the program’s first touchdown of the season. After that, McCarthy was nearly perfect prior to halftime.

By the time halftime rolled around, McCarthy was 16-for-18 throwing the ball with 181 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air. Wilson was the favorite target, catching both of the touchdowns.

There was some chatter from McCarthy early in training camp that Michigan was indeed focusing on the passing attack this fall. That was evident in the first half with 18 passing attempts for McCarthy. By contrast, Michigan just 12 first-half carries on the ground for 61 yards from the running back room.

Last season, McCarthy finished 3 games he started with 18 or fewer pass attempts. He also had just 5 games with 26+ passing attempts, including 34 in a season-ending loss against TCU.

While the Wolverines are unlikely to turn into an Air Raid program under Harbaugh, it does appear there’s an attempt to be more dynamic, at least in the season opener.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.