In a blow to Michigan football’s offense, the coaching staff announced that starting receiver Tarik Black will be out for the season opener.
Michigan has a ton of depth in its receiving corps, and normally losing a player for one game wouldn’t be that big a deal. But with this game and this player it could have far-reaching implications. Tarik Black injured his foot during practice on Saturday, and the team is unsure when — or if — he will return.
Black hails from Connecticut. He is 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds and began 2017 as a freshman starter for the Wolverines. He even got a touchdown on his first career reception. Granted, this was over Florida, but still. He went on to lead the receiving corps through the next three games, with 11 catches and a score. He then proceeded to break his foot during the Air Force game and was out for the last part of the season.
Sounds like this kid needs to drink some more milk.
Harbaugh has plenty of talent to fill the gaps. Most likely, the team will turn to sophomores Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins. The Wolverines also have senior Grant Perry, freshman Ronnie Bell, Grant Perry and redshirt freshman Oliver Martin waiting in the wings, so normally losing Black might not be that big a blow — but this upcoming game isn’t an ordinary one for Michigan.
Michigan and Notre Dame have decades of nasty rivalry behind them, so I’m sure the Irish are pretty happy with this turn of events. If the Wolverines lose this game, it won’t affect their shot at the Big Ten title, but with Notre Dame starting the season ranked 12th in the preseason — which is to say, two places above Michigan — this loss has got to rankle a bit. We’ll report in later with updates as they come in.