One of the best things about having a bye week is the players are able to rest up and heal any lingering injuries they may be dealing with. The Michigan Wolverines returned from a bye this past weekend in a 24-10 win at home against Wisconsin, and they were much healthier heading into this game than any other game this season thanks to a much-needed week off.
Now, the team appears to be even healthier as it prepares to head to the West Coast to take on USC this Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC). Speaking
with the media on Monday morning, head coach Sherrone Moore is deeming a couple significant contributors on offense — left guard Giovanni El-Hadi and tight end Hogan Hansen — as “probable” heading into this weekend’s game.
“I think both are probable,” Moore said. “That’s where I would state them right now, so we’ll see as we go through the week. I feel good about their status and where they’re gonna be, but we’ll just progress as we go through the week.”
El-Hadi suffered a lower-body injury in the Week 2 loss at Oklahoma and has not played since then. He was listed as “questionable” on the injury report heading into the Wisconsin game, so it appears he is close to being 100 percent and should be able to give it a go this Saturday.
Meanwhile, Hansen has been on and off the field so far this season dealing with multiple injuries. He missed the first game of the year against New Mexico, played against Oklahoma and Central Michigan, and then got banged up again and has missed the last two games against Nebraska and Wisconsin. Like El-Hadi, Hansen was also “questionable” on the pregame injury report, so things are trending in the right direction for the sophomore tight end as well.
Having these two guys back would be a huge boost to Michigan’s offense, especially against an opponent of USC’s caliber and having it be on the road. The Wolverines will need all the help they can get as they take on one of their biggest challenges of the season this weekend.
