The game wasn't going to knock your socks off but as far as openers go, it was a relatively quiet, uneventful tune-up for a team that had been itching to hit someone other than themselves.
Michigan cruised to a 30-3 victory over East Carolina on Saturday, which held a shutout until the Pirates decided to kick a field goal in the waning seconds.
Below are M&BR's three stars of the game.
Roman Wilson
When you're rewarded with the No. 1 jersey, you have to live up to the standards that come with it at Michigan.
So far, so good for Roman Wilson.
Wilson was the clear top performer of the day for the Wolverines, finishing the game with six catches for 78 yards and three touchdowns.
J.J. McCarthy
While the rushing attack wasn't as effective as it was last season, the Wolverines decided that the passing attack was what was needed to win this one. McCarthy played an excellent game, showing great poise in the pocket.
Completing as many as 15-straight passes, outside of a redzone fumble on fourth down, he was flawless.
Throwing accurate balls and finding open receivers, the Wolverines very much took what the Pirates defense gave them throughout the game.
McCarthy finished with 26-30 passing for 280 yards and three touchdowns.
Jesse Minter
The goal in Jim Harbaugh's absence is to not crash the Ferrari. While sudden change isn't easy, Jesse Minter wasn't exactly put into a situation that would be considered 'simple.'
Getting his first taste as a head coach, Minter passed the test with high marks, with the program winning the game being the bare minimum in this case.
He made many decisions that didn't deviate from what Harbaugh would've done in his place and the team looked like a normal U-M program, which is what you wanted to see from the coaching staff.
The situation wasn't easy and there is some pressure there to succeed, but Minter passed the first test, and that deserves to be applauded. The first win as a head coach.
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