Michigan Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Purdue in Week 4

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3. Michigan will struggle to replace Tarik Black

Through the first three weeks of the 2017 season, freshman wide receiver Tarik Black has been the Wolverines’ best wide receiver.

Black, a four-star recruit from Cheshire, Conn., has hauled in 11 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown thus far in 2017 and has become one of junior quarterback Wilton Speight’s favorite targets.

But as Jim Harbaugh’s squad prepares to face off against Purdue, the team will be without its top receiver.

During the Wolverines’ Week 3 contest against Air Force, Black suffered a foot injury late in the fourth quarter that forced his premature exit from the field. After visiting with medical professionals following the game, it was determined that Black had suffered a broken foot and would require season-ending surgery to repair the damage.

This was obviously a huge blow for Harbaugh’s already struggling passing offense, a unit that currently ranks 84th in the nation with only 608 yards on 43 catches in three games.

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Although only recording 149 receiving yards in three games is a fairly pedestrian feat for a team’s No. 1 receiver, Black was responsible for roughly 25 percent of the team’s receiving yards, a consistent chunk that will sorely be missed in his absence.

While the Wolverines do have a stable of young, highly-touted, underclassmen like Eddie McDoom, Kekoa Crawford, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Grant Perry eager to fill Black’s place, none of these players have separated themselves from the pack and established themselves as a top-flight weapon.

But hopefully that will change.

If Michigan wants to finally field an above average passing offense to pair with its elite defense, it will need to solidify its receiver rotation and develop a new No. 1 receiver — something that’s a lot easier said than done.