Michigan football team injury report, what caused special team flubs and more
Roy Roundtree
“He was pretty thrilled that he got hit like that,” said Shaw, after joining Roundtree for a viewing of two UConn players crunching him Saturday. “He’s the kind of guy that likes that type of action.”
He may not like the results as much.
Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez said Roundtree was, as of Monday, still coughing up blood from the collision and “doubtful” for Saturday’s game against Notre Dame.
Wideout Junior Hemingway, who did not play against UConn because of a hamstring injury, is probable to return against the Irish. Rodriguez said in Saturday's post-game press conference.
"We need him," Rodriguez said. "He's certainly one of our best receivers. Hopefully he'll be ready."
The Wolverines emerged with one other key injury from the UConn game. Rodriguez said it was “very doubtful” that true freshman Carvin Johnson would play after suffering a sprained knee.
Starting at the hybrid safety-linebacker position, he was injured on UConn’s only touchdown that came with 17 seconds left in the second quarter.
Redshirt freshman Thomas Gordon will likely start in Johnson’s place against Notre Dame, with Floyd Simmons serving as the backup.
Rodriguez said he’s hopeful running back Fitzgerald Toussaint, hurt during summer camp, will be cleared to start practicing again today.
Wind causes special teams havoc Fumbles on kickoffs and punt returns have occurred with dubious frequency for the Wolverines in the first two years of Rich Rodriguez’s tenure, but he’s not worried about the one that occurred Saturday.
Redshirt freshman Jeremy Gallon awaited his first career punt return, raced in to catch the ball and booted it five yards forward. The Wolverines recovered.
“It was Jeremy’s first action on a windy day, and he’s got great hands and fantastic ball skills,” Rodriguez said. “That was a tough one and it really got away. … The wind was playing some tricks.”
Same story at kicker, where Brendan Gibbons attempted a 43-yard field goal in the first quarter -- his first career attempt -- only to see it fall short.
Rodriguez said Monday the competition at kicker between Seth Broekhuizen and Gibbons was ongoing.
Not quite there yet Michigan’s offensive line didn’t allow a sack Saturday and paved the way for 287 net rushing yards. That doesn’t mean Rodriguez was pleased with its performance.
“It was solid, not great,” he said. “It wasn’t their best game across the board.” Rodriguez said the unit did well defeating UConn at the initial point of attack, but needed to improve its downfield blocking. It wasn’t just the line, he said. It was also tight ends, receivers and running backs.
Numbers game In the preseason, Rodriguez said he planned to use as many as 10 offensive linemen in a regular rotation this season. On Saturday, he largely stuck with his starting five.
The only substitution he made came at center when David Molk briefly left the game with a leg injury.
“We probably could have played more,” Rodriguez said. “We probably should have gotten a couple of those guys in more often. Even maybe another running back or two or a receiver.
“Going back, offensively, we’re going to try and do that.”
Pete Bigelow can be reached at (734) 623-2556 or emailed at petebigelow@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeterCBigelow.
Comments
Kubrick66
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 6:43 p.m.
Saginaw... Not sure where you're getting your stats but I've looked on Bigten.com, ESPN, and CNNSI and they all say zero fumbles lost and 2 int's.
saginaw
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 4:44 p.m.
Purdue team stats Total First Downs 20 Total yards 322 Yards per offensive play 4.4 Passing (comp/att - yards) 31/24 - 220 Yards per completion 5.2 Rushing (carries - yards) 32 - 102 Yards per carry 3.2 Turnovers 6 Fumbles lost 4 Interceptions thrown 2 Penalties - yards 5 - 33 Possession 35:05
Kubrick66
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 2:43 p.m.
Saginaw... Not sure where you got this info... "Purdue turned it over 6 times vs the Irish, otherwise they could have won." Boxscore shows two INT's and zero fumbles.
saginaw
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 2 p.m.
I see that ND is a 3.5 favorite on Saturday. Most of this is just the home field advantage. If Michigan does NOT turn the ball over, we will win. Purdue turned it over 6 times vs the Irish, otherwise they could have won. I expect to see a great game with no turnovers. Two good coaches and this game will come down to the final drive of the 4th.
truebluefan
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 12:13 p.m.
Cooper - if you attend the games and cheer on Michigan football, Rich Rod hears your cheers as well. This automatically qualifies you as a hypocrite. If you don't want to accept the fact that Rich Rod is our coach, I suggest you find a different team to root for. Oh, well, you "support the players but not the coach". Interesting tact used by others on this board such as '3andout', 'Murrow', 'Macabre' and 'NoBowl4Blue'. Please tell me what you believe would happen if you voiced your opinions of Rich in front of all the Michigan football players. Do you believe they would they embrace you as a TRUE Michigan fan, or would they tell you to take a hike? Or, maybe something worse? Pray tell.
Fred
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 11:18 a.m.
"...Coach Moeller (all personal issues aside simply because they didn't directly effect the football team anyway)." Care to rethink that Cooper? Seems to me he was removed as Head coach...but I guess in your world that does not count as directly affecting the team. Go Blue!
Matt Cooper
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 10:39 a.m.
@Loraine: Unsupportable? Are you serious? It is proven fact that he committed violations at both WVU and UM. It is proven fact that more than a few players transferred to other schools because of the type of coach he is. It is a proven fact that he got shady loans from Ann Arbor Bank and Trust based on his associations with the UM football program. It is proven fact that he brought the first back-to-back losing seasons to the Michigan football program in many, many years. It is proven fact that the U of M did indeed pay millions to WVU to buy out their contract with Rodriguez. It is proven fact (or soon will be) that the U of M football program will suffer major penalties for the transgressions and violations incurred during the tenure thus far of Rodriguez. None of this, not one shred of it, is speculation. It has all, every bit, been proven to be factual. Try reading a news paper every once in a while. And all of this indicates the character of the football program, which is a direct mirror of the character of the man leading it (Rodriguez). The head coach is responsible for every aspect of the program he runs, and all these problems are of RichRod's making. Sing his praises all you want, but the fact is the man is of low character and does not, in any way, represent what Michigan football is all about. What's he done since he's been here besides bring shame on the M and disgrace and controvery to what was once the shining example (during the years of Bo to the end of Lloyd Carrs tenure) of how a college football program should be run? Let's not get all excite because M one their season opener.
Lorain Steelmen
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 10:27 a.m.
Matt Cooper; Please, Rodriguez is NOT a sham coach, and is, in fact, a man of good character. Your response to Aditya is totally out of bounds, and unsupportable. It's time for the haters, to stop all this foolishness. Frankly, it's petty and it's getting boring.
Matt Cooper
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 10:08 a.m.
@Tru2Blu76? "Considering all he's been through and all the impatient expectations". All he's been through? He created his own mess with his dishonesty, his inability to comply with NCAA regulations, his shady business dealings and his lack of honor and integrity on both a personal and professional level. He doesn't deserve to wear the block "M" and should be terminated. @Aditya Ezhuthachan: "The more people pile on Rich Rod, the more I just feel he's earning his Michigan Man status. If Bo could be a Miami, OH guy and an OSU guy until he finally made it to Ann Arbor, why can't a West Virginia guy be a Michigan Man. " As long as he carries himself in, and continues to conduct himself in, the dishonorable way he has thus far, he will NEVER be a "Michigan Man". And to even begin to compare him to Bo or any other Michigan coach is pure foolishness!!! Bo never brought this kind of controversy to the Michigan football program. Nor did Coach Carr or even Coach Moeller (all personal issues aside simply because they didn't directly effect the football team anyway). NCAA violtations. Shady bank loan deals. Players jumping ship left and right. Back-to-back losing seasons. Ethics violations galore. Millions paid by The U to buy him out of the lawsuit WVU filed against him for breach of contract. Shall I go on? This man is a sham of a coach and dishonorable as a man. Even if we win every game this season, he needs to go.
uminks
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 10:05 a.m.
Injuries are part of the game. That is why we need good depth at every position. We were really short on depth the last couple year but RR is beginning to build our depth. The ND game will be a good test. If we handle them pretty well and get the win in South Bend it will bode well for obtaining a 10 or more win season. I'm starting to get excited about this team but I still have that cautious outlook since the team is still young. I think we'll look back at this season as the point where we made that turn back to greatness.
umgoblue47
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 8:06 a.m.
he had you on the edge of your seat... stay tuned for as the (bowl) turns...
81wolverine
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 7:32 a.m.
It would have been nice to see Gallon get a good return. He's supposed to be a VERY talented kid. Hopefully, Michigan will keep giving him a chance, the "boot" not withstanding. I can't blame RR entirely for not putting more guys in on the OL. But, in a big game where the W is critical, he's going to be less willing to risk the line getting out of a rhythm by shuffling in new guys. Probably against ND it will be the same. But, look for a lot more substitution in the following two games against Mass and Bowling Green. We DO need to get one or two more guys in the running back rotation and even the D-line too. I was very surprised not to see Will Campbell against U-Conn.
Aditya Ezhuthachan
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 5:32 a.m.
The more people pile on Rich Rod, the more I just feel he's earning his Michigan Man status. If Bo could be a Miami, OH guy and an OSU guy until he finally made it to Ann Arbor, why can't a West Virginia guy be a Michigan Man. I honestly don't even care if we lose half our games. I like and respect the man. Even Herbie is saying the things Rich Rod is being called out for are things many programs do. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Harbaugh, but you know what, I'm doing to stick with the guy who's sticking with us. I think Rich Rod deserves to really do what he can this year all the way through. And if he has a winning record in the Big Ten, he deserves another year. I thought we'd be 6-6 and considering that we won 4 games to start the season and ended up with 5 overall, I'm not taking this win too seriously. Nor will I if we beat ND. That said, I'd rather have a 3 loss team that has a father figure as coach and puts it's talented players in the NFL than an undefeated team that does it in a sleazy way... and no, too many practices isn't sleazy, it's lazy...
NoBowl4Blue
Tue, Sep 7, 2010 : 4:51 a.m.
Rich Rod is drama.