3 takeaways from No. 8 Michigan's blowout win over Colorado State
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- There were no Cinderella stories in the Big House on Saturday afternoon.
In Michigan football's first game of the season, against Colorado State, it won comfortably 51-7 after scoring 44 points consecutively. The Rams finally found the scoreboard with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The breezy victory should be no surprise. U-M is a top 10 team with a load of offensive production back from 2021. Meanwhile, Colorado State has over 40 new players as it begins a program rebuild under first-year head coach Jay Norvell.
Still, there are many things to discuss from the blowout victory.
Here are three takeaways from Week 1 in Ann Arbor.
McCarthy gains early momentum in unorthodox QB competition
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh announced last week that the program's two quarterbacks, Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy, will compete for the starting job in-game by starting McNamara against Colorado State and handing the ball to McCarthy against Hawaii the following week.
If Harbaugh plans to use in-game performance -- or points per possession, as he pointed out -- as the measuring stick, then this quarterback battle shouldn't last much longer.
McCarthy was night-and-day compared to McNamara on Saturday, especially in the red zone.
The returning starter from last year's historic season, McNamara finished 9-for-18 for 136 yards and a touchdown.
Defense had no problem creating pressure
Aidan Hutchinson & David Ojabo are in the NFL now.
How Michigan would create pressure without its dynamic pass-rush duo was perhaps the biggest question mark for the defense.
We got our answer on that quickly in Week 1 as the starting unit combined for 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks, including a scoop-and-score resulting from a Mike Morris sack that forced a fumble.
The defensive line had nearly 10 linemen subbing in and out with the starters.
Nine different players were credited with a half-sack or more while 11 were credited with half of a tackle for loss or more.
The biggest star of the day was senior defensive end Mike Morris, who had three tackles, two for a loss, and a forced fumble.
Eyabi Anoma providing an immediate impact
When former five-star recruit Eyabi Anoma joined the Michigan football program midway through fall camp, everyone wondered if it would work and how long it would take for the former Tennessee-Martin start to adapt.
It didn't take long.
Anoma was consistently on the screen Saturday, racking up a sack and a tackle for loss in his Wolverine debut. He was a man among boys against the Colorado State o-line.
Following Week 1, Anoma's snap share and impact should only increase.
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