Michigan cruised past UNLV as expected on Saturday afternoon, by a score of 35-7. The Wolverines improved to 2-0 with the victory, and they are making light work of their opponents, even though they're still missing Jim Harbaugh.
Here are three takeaways from the blowout victory.
J.J. McCarthy is an elite quarterback, and there's no denying it
For years, Michigan fans had to listen to how Harbaugh was a quarterback whisperer. Yet, it never seemed to come to fruition, and the results on the field quite frankly weren't there.
Whether it was Jake Rudock, John O'Korn, Brandon Peters, Shea Patterson or Joe Milton, Michigan just couldn't seem to find elite quarterback play, no matter how hyped a player may have been in practice.
But now, Michigan has their guy, and there's no denying it. If there was any doubt about McCarthy — which, it would be hard to argue there was — it has been put to rest in 2023.
The junior signal caller has come out firing on all cylinders to start the 2023 campaign, and he showed out in a big way for the second consecutive week.
McCarthy completed his first 13 passes, and finished the afternoon completing 22 of his 25 passing attempts for 278 yards and two touchdowns.
Not only were the junior's stats solid, but he was fitting the ball into some of the tightest of windows.
A breakout season is almost certainly on the horizon for McCarthy.
There's nothing to worry about with the defensive line
Some were concerned after last week's 30-3 win that the Michigan defensive line failed to record a sack against an inferior East Carolina team. The defensive line put an end to those concerns on Saturday as the group feasted on a much weaker UNLV offensive line.
Michigan's big four — Derrick Moore, Braiden McGregor, Josaiah Stewart and Jaylen Harrell — wreaked havoc in the first half, tallying five sacks.
It wasn't only the EDGE rushers, though, but interior linemen Kenneth Grant, Mason Graham and Kris Jenkins all were able to disrupt UNLV quarterback Doug Brumfield.
Of course, UNLV might be the worst team on Michigan's schedule, so everything must be taken with a grain of salt, but the pass rush looked much improved on Saturday.
Where's the Michigan Method?
There was quite a bit of speculation throughout the week that LaDarius Henderson and Trente Jones would get the starts at left and right tackle, respectively, after Karsen Barnhart and Myles Hinton got the nod last week.
That wasn't the case, though, as Barnhart and Hinton once again started up front.
The rushing attack fared a little better than last week, and pass protection was outstanding, but the battle between the four tackles feels far from over.
There isn't a large talent gap between any of the four, so it almost seems premature to award Barnhart and Hinton the starting jobs.
Trevor Keegan, Drake Nugent and Zak Zinter appear to be all but guaranteed to start the entirety of the season barring injury, but there should be more to figure out when it comes to the tackles.
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