Despite key injury for Wolverines, a silver lining emerges ahead of The Game against Ohio State next week
A key injury diminished Michigan’s victory, but the Wolverines seem to be getting close to full strength ahead of The Game
The Michigan Wolverines compiled their best win in quite some time, shellacking the Maryland Terrapins 45-20 ahead of The Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The offense didn’t turn the ball over and generated plenty of explosive plays through the air, while the defense was bend but don’t break despite starting off slow, forcing Maryland to turtle up (get it?) offensively.
However, a familiar problem reared its ugly head again for Michigan on Saturday. Once again, injuries came after the team, knocking out a team captain and limiting what the Wolverines could do with several personnel groupings.
If there is a silver lining to be had, it’s that the team is currently trending to have several playmakers back for The Game next week despite the injuries today against Maryland.
Good news, bad news for Michigan’s injury luck
For the bad news, tight end/fullback Max Bredeson, a team captain and arguably the heart and soul of the team, was seen in a boot and crutches postgame. After the game, head coach Sherrone Moore said “We’ll get further evaluation when we get home and see what happens.”. Whatever that means, it seems unlikely that he’ll play next week against the Buckeyes.
Additionally, linebacker Ernest Hausmann didn’t play as a healthy scratch. While it didn’t seem like a big deal according to Moore, it’s something to monitor ahead of next week.
For some good news, it does seem like several previously hurt Wolverines will be ready to go next week against Ohio State. Linebacker Cole Sullivan returned to action against Maryland, providing a huge boost for the defense. Sullivan and Rolder are two of the team’s breakout studs of this season on defense and have done a strong job of carrying the defense.
There’s also the potential returns of safety Rod Moore, offensive tackle Evan Link, and tight end Hogan Hansen to the lineup next week. Each have missed a good portion of the season, but all have been speculated to be potentially available against the Buckeyes.
In perhaps the best news of all, running back Jordan Marshall might be good to go next week. While nothing is completely certain with injuries, Moore did say he believed Marshall could have played against Maryland “if they really needed him to” after a rough-looking injury late against Northwestern.
Ohio State is the most daunting opponent on Michigan’s schedule, and it’s a win-and-you’re-in game for the College Football Playoff for Michigan. Luckily, it seems like they will be close to all hands on deck as they try to pull off perhaps the most unlikely upset of the season.
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