The heavyweight battle between Michigan and Ohio State is coming up this Saturday, and both the Wolverines and Buckeyes are a bit banged up heading into the 121st rendition of The Game.
For the Wolverines, running back Jordan Marshall sat out last weekend at Maryland after suffering a shoulder injury at Northwestern the week before. He traveled with the team to College Park, but never went into the game.
Following the game, head coach Sherrone Moore said he expects Marshall to start against the Buckeyes.
Moore also reassured fans on his radio show on Monday night, saying Marshall could have played but was held out as a precaution to be as healthy as possible for Ohio State. He also said on The Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday that Marshall is “fully healthy, he’ll be ready to go,” so that’s about as definitive as that gets.
“One hundred percent (I’m expected to play), I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Marshall said Tuesday night.
Wide receiver Semaj Morgan and linebacker Ernest Hausmann were also out last weekend, and both didn’t even travel with the team. Morgan “will be fine” for The Game, while Hausmann is day-to-day, Moore said on Monday.
Meanwhile, fullback Max Bredeson left the Maryland game midway through and was seen on the sidelines walking with the assistance of crutches. Moore said on Monday that Bredeson’s injury “didn’t look great, but if anybody can push through it, it’s Max Bredeson.”
Despite the injury not looking good, it sure sounds like Bredeson will be giving it his all to play this weekend, as he told the media on Tuesday.
“I’m not gonna say exactly what (the injury) is now at the time, but feeling good, feeling better each day and we’ll be ready to go,” Bredeson said. “We’re doing everything in our power to play on Saturday, and (I’m) feeling good about it. Feel really good about it.”
Finally for the Wolverines, safety Rod Moore is out for the rest of the season, which is unfortunate for the Ohio native. We’ll always have this play in The Game to remember.
As for the Buckeyes, star wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate have been out the last couple weeks dealing with injuries of their own. After the Buckeyes’ win over Rutgers, head coach Ryan Day said both Smith and Tate were considered “day-to-day,” but it sure sounds like both have been sitting out in order to be fully healthy against Michigan.
“They are,” Day told 97.1 The Fan regarding if Tate and Smith are trending in the right direction. “They’re going to continue to get some rest tonight. They had a good day of rehab, so we’ll wake up in the morning and see how they’re doing. Nobody wants to play more than those two guys.”
“They’re doing everything they can to play in the game,” Day said the next day in front of local media. “We’ll see how today goes, but they’re working really, really hard to get back on the field.”
Smith confirmed on his own he is “dealing with a little situation injury-wise, but I should be good to go Saturday” against Michigan.
Needless to say, Michigan’s defensive backs will have to bring their very best on Saturday and should be expecting both Smith and Tate to be on the field.
Michigan vs Ohio State will kickoff at 12:14 p.m. on FOX.
