On Saturday, the now-No. 1 Wolverines (13-0, 10-0 Big Ten) downed No. 16 Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. The 26-0 win was gritty, and it got the job done, but it left a lot to be desired heading into a College Football Playoff matchup against No. 4 Alabama (12-1, 9-1 SEC) in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. With a month to prep, there are some Michigan football injury concerns — including stars like Will Johnson and JJ McCarthy — that must be ironed out if the Maize and Blue are to knock off the Crimson Tide and play for a national title.
Michigan football injury report is nothing terrible, but there are some health concerns that must be addressed
Heading into the Big Ten title game last weekend, Michigan football knew that it would be without (or limiting) a few of its top players. Perhaps most notably, star cornerback Will Johnson and starting center Drake Nugent both looked banged up on Saturday. Defensive tackle Mason Graham is another name that was taken out of the game against Iowa, though he eventually returned.
The Wolverines just won a third straight Big Ten Championship — a massive accomplishment for Jim Harbaugh and his program — though the job is far from finished. Michigan football has Alabama on the clock, and when the Maize and Blue finally make it out to the Rose Bowl Game on New Year’s Day, Will Johnson, Drake Nugent, JJ McCarthy, and other Wolverines must have these injury concerns worked out.
JJ McCarthy
The first player who has been dealing with something is quarterback JJ McCarthy, who looked back to his usual self against Ohio State, though no one is sure how healthy he truly was against Iowa in the Big Ten title game. For the time being, nothing about McCarthy’s status should have Michigan fans worried about his performance against Alabama’s defense, though it’s fantastic that he will have a few weeks to get back to 100% before taking the field in the College Football Playoff.
Drake Nugent
After beating Ohio State, it was clear that Drake Nugent — Michigan’s transfer center — was not at 100%. It became quite evident in the Big Ten title game against Iowa when he was slow to get up a few times and even had to be helped off the field once.
Nugent eventually returned against Iowa, though his status is worth keeping an eye on as the College Football Playoff nears.
Zak Zinter/right side of the offensive line
Zak Zinter, the Wolveirnes’ All-Big Ten offensive guard, is done for the year after a gruesome leg injury against Ohio State. In his place will be Karsen Barnhart, who is moving from tackle to guard, leaving Trente Jones to start at tackle in Barnhart’s place.
Jones and Barnhart are both healthy, though with Zinter out, Michigan’s offensive line looked off. Dealing with Zinter’s injury by starting the best combo on the right side of the offensive line, though from what we’ve seen so far, there has been notable regression. It’s something that can be fixed before playing Alabama, though it’s worth keeping a close eye on.
Will Johnson and the defensive backfield
There are a few Michigan football injury concerns throughout the secondary — nothing too serious — though the most notable injury with with Will Johnson. In the third quarter of the Wolverines’ 30-24 win over Ohio State, Johnson went down with a leg injury and has since been limited quite a bit.
Ahead of the Big Ten title game, Will Johnson explained that he felt he could play against Iowa if his leg would allow, but it didn’t see that he (or anyone else) was too worried about rushing him back. Johnson has been on the injury report a number of times this fall, including missing a lot of time back in September, though it’s expected that he will be able to play against Alabama and be just fine.
Mason Graham
Against Iowa, defensive tackle Mason Graham was taken to the medical tent, looked at, then taken to the locker room. Graham missed a pair of games earlier this season due to his hand injury, and while he managed to return to the game, there are some question marks surrounding how healthy he was against Iowa over the weekend.
With all of these Michigan football injury reports, there is something important to keep in mind: all of these players should be playing in the CFP Rose Bowl Game against Alabama. That said, just about everyone appears to be pretty banged up right now, and as Blake Corum explained on Saturday, the next month will be good for the Wolverines to get healthy before facing the Tide for a trip to the national title game.
“I think the most beneficial part (of the next month) is getting healthy and getting the team back fresh and healthy and ready to roll,” Jim Harbaugh said on Sunday.
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