• Wide receiver Roman Wilson (Honolulu) is Michigan’s sole player from The Aloha State. He is the fourth player in program history with a hometown in Hawaii. In the fourth-ever matchup between the programs, he’ll become the first Wolverine from Hawaii to play against the Rainbow Warriors.
• U-M is on to the second of three non-conference matchups that begin a four-game home slate to kick off the season. The Wolverines are 17-0 in non-conference games played at Michigan Stadium under Coach Jim Harbaugh.
• Nineteen (19) players made U-M debuts in the season-opener, including appearances by graduate transfers Olesugun Oluwatimi (starting center), Eyabi Anoma (edge), and Cam Goode (defensive line). Linebacker Kalel Mullings and defensive back Mike Sainristil were first-time defensive starters (Sainristil has nine career starts on offense).
• The U-M offense posted more than 50 points (51) and 440 yards, scoring points on all seven trips to the red zone. Dating to last season, the unit has scored 40 points or more and totaled 440 yards or more in four of the last five contests.
• Week Two starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy is making his first career start. The sophomore appeared in 11 games last season and accounted for seven scores (two rushing), including touchdown passes of 35, 56, and 69 yards. He recorded his eighth career score last weekend in the season-opener, a 20-yard run, and also completed four-of-four pass attempts.
• In his young career, McCarthy has a touchdown percentage of 7.9 percent (five on 63 pass attempts) and averages a score every 10 times he tucks and runs (three on 30 rush attempts).
• Fifteen (15) different pass-catchers made at least one reception in the opener, including a program-record six tight ends. Colston Loveland led the position group in his debut with two catches, and Erick All, Max Bredeson, Matt Hibner, Hunter Neff, and Luke Schoonmaker each recorded one.
• Running backs Blake Corum (76 yards) and Donovan Edwards (64 yards) combined for 140 yards on 25 carries (5.6 yards per carry) with a pair of touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus College, the duo produced more than half of that yardage after contact — 38 yards from Corum and 40 from Edwards.
• The U-M offensive line helped the ground game average 5.9 yards per attempt on the whole, allowing two negative plays on 68 offensive snaps (2.94 percent). The unit allowed 34 total tackles for loss in 2021, the fewest in the nation.
• Saturday’s performance was led by returning starting guards Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan, as well as center Olesugun Oluwatimi, who made 32 straight starts at Virginia before his first as a Wolverine last weekend.
• U-M’s defense was dominant in its debut under new coordinators Jesse Minter and Steve Clinkscale. Colorado State was limited to 3.7 yards per play including 2.1 yards per run attempt. The Rams permitted 11 tackles for loss for 56 negative yards across 59 offensive snaps.
• The Wolverines tallied seven sacks from 10 different contributors, including the first career sack(s) for eight players: Mason Graham, Kris Jenkins, Jaylen Harrell, Braiden McGregor, Rod Moore, R.J. Moten, and Mike Sainristil. Eyabi Anoma also recorded his first sack as a Wolverine on his first snap from scrimmage. U-M had sacks from 12 different players in the entire 2021 season.
• DJ Turner (fumble returned 45 yards, touchdown) and Rod Moore (interception returned 37 yards) had long returns to help spark the defensive effort. Turner’s touchdown, on a fumble forced by Mike Morris, is the fifth-longest touchdown on a recovered fumble in program history, and the first longer than 30 yards since Courtney Avery’s 83-yard return against Minnesota in 2011.
• Turner joined Brandon Herron (2008-11) and Jeremy LeSueur (2000-03) as the only players in U-M history with an interception and fumble recovery returned for a touchdown during their careers. Herron accomplished both feats in the same game (vs. Western Michigan, Sept. 3, 2011).
• Kicker Jake Moody converted three-of-three field goal attempts and six PATs for a 15-point day, bringing him to 223 points for his career. Moody has passed Desmond Howard (222 career points) for a spot in U-M’s all-time top 15. With another 23 points, he’ll tie former teammate Quinn Nordin (246) and enter the top 10 all-time.
• Punter Brad Robbins hit just two punts last weekend but made them both count. Robbins forced Colorado State to start drives at their 16- and 20-yard lines with a 51-yard long. More importantly, Robbins’ punt unit yielded no return yards on two return attempts. He allowed nine of his 45 punts in 2021 to be returned, totaling 35 return yards allowed.
