On the Michigan vs Northwestern broadcast on Saturday, play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson said that running back Justice Haynes would miss the remainder of the season. This, of course, was news to everyone, as head coach Sherrone Moore has said that Haynes is considered week-to-week and could come back at some point.
Speaking with reporters back in Ann Arbor on Monday, Moore cleared the air on Haynes’ status moving forward.
“I don’t think he’ll be — we’ll see as the doctors go, but as far as done for
the year, I wouldn’t put him in that category,” Moore said.
Meanwhile, Jordan Marshall injured his shoulder late in the game over the weekend and did not return. After the game, Moore said he didn’t expect the injury to be serious, and that still appears to be the case moving forward.
“X-rays were negative,” Moore said. “Feel good about where he’s at, but we’ll see. We’ll take it day by day and see where he’s at.”
Moore was asked a follow up about whether or not Marshall will be available for the Ohio State game, and he said, “We’ll see. Pretty confident, but we’ll see.”
If Marshall isn’t able to suit up on Saturday at Maryland — which sounds pretty likely at this point — Moore is confident in former walk-on Bryson Kuzdzal to step up. He had 15 carries for 53 yards against the Wildcats and played a crucial role down the stretch of the game when Marshall exited with his injury.
“If Bryson has to be the guy, I feel very comfortable with him,” Moore said. “He’s explosive — he’s probably faster than Jordan, probably not as strong, he’s a strong kid for how built he is … he’s got burst, probably right below Justice in the speed but maybe right at that, could get there. But physical runner, he’s gotten more physical. Great kid, just worked his tail off to get where he needs to be. Excited to see what he does.”
Being an Ohio native, I’m sure being able to play in The Game is important to Marshall and his family, so I wouldn’t be shocked if he sat out this weekend’s game at Maryland in favor of being more healthy and prepared for the Buckeyes the following week.
Michigan vs Maryland is set for 4 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
