East Carolina might have its work cut out for them on Saturday as the program travels to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan for the season-opener but it doesn't mean the Pirates are going to roll over and let the Wolverines walk away with an easy victory.

Pirates' offensive coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick met with the media this week and was asked about his expectations for the Wolverines' defense.

After reviewing the tape heavily for weeks now, Kirkpatrick mostly knows what you're going to get with a Jesse Minter-led defense. However, he is fully aware of the talent level the Wolverines have and what returned to the team during the offseason.

"Their players, they've got really good players," Kirkpatrick said. "Defensively, what, they gave up 16 points per game last year? That was last year's team, I get that, but they've got most of them returning. They did lose some players. Programs like that, they just reload. I think they've lost three games in two years? Something like that. They're used to winning, they're used to having success. That means they're recruiting well. They have outstanding talent. They don't do anything that's so, OK, wow. What scheme is that? They have good schemes, Coach Minter does a great job, he's got NFL experience and they've got a lot of NFL stuff in. That's not what worries you."

So, what worries Kirkpatrick exactly?

The defensive line has the attention of him and the entire offensive unit. Returning the majority of its production from a year ago, he knows just how explosive the Wolverines' defensive line can be.

He knows that a rushed quarterback can lead to mistakes, which the Wolverines aren't afraid to capitalize on.

"What worries you is their defensive line can just explode off the ball and throw the offensive linemen down and go make the tackle," Kirkpatrick said. "There's like four other guys that go make the tackle as well. They do a nice job with the interceptions. A lot of tipped balls. I tell you what, you better not tip the ball as a receiver because they do a great job of breaking on the ball and getting the turnovers, setting the offense up for success. A lot of concerns. Really a lot of respect for them."