Michigan left the Iowa game with more than a loss on the scoreboard. The Wolverines also came out of Saturday dealing with injuries to several important pieces, and on Monday head coach Kyle Whittingham offered a little more clarity on where things stand as the team heads into its first road game of the year.
The biggest question right now is edge rusher John Henry Daley. He was hurt on the second-to-last play of the game, going down with two seconds remaining. It is not clear whether Saturday’s issue is tied to the Achilles injury he dealt with last season, but Whittingham said there is no major update yet and that the team “should have, by Wednesday I think, a much clearer picture.”
Whittingham did not have any update on Dom Nichols, either. Michigan’s other top edge rusher looked limited on Saturday and had already shown up on the injury report earlier in the week.
The offensive line is still sorting itself out, too. Right tackle Andrew Sprague had already been ruled out before the UTEP game in Week 3, and he missed his second straight game against Iowa. In his place, Evan Link handled left tackle, Nathan Efobi and Brady Norton worked at the guard spots, and Avery Gach saw some snaps at rhino while Manuel Beigel was hurt.
“There’s one or two more things that are going to be assessed or evaluated, and then we should have the clarity we need whether Andrew Sprague is going to become available,” Whittingham said.
There was, however, a brighter note on Andrew Babalola. After missing last season with a knee injury, Babalola had another setback during fall camp and has not been available through Michigan’s first four games, even though he entered the year with a chance to compete for a starting job.
“There’s some good news about Andrew Babalola. They’re going to let him start practicing in one week, so apparently we’ll get him back next week,” Whittingham said.
That could give Michigan another option as it keeps trying to find the right mix up front. The line has been one of the most disappointing parts of the roster through four games, and the injuries have made it hard to judge what the Wolverines’ best five actually look like.
Babalola could even factor at rhino, though Beigel has been productive when healthy. Either way, the program has been hearing positive things about Babalola for two years, so getting him back on the field in any role would be a meaningful step.
The first official Big Ten injury report of the week arrives Wednesday, which should bring more answers on key players for both Michigan and Minnesota.
In Other News...
Michigan Fans Will Be Second Guessing One Late Coaching Choice
Michigans one-point loss to Iowa was the kind of game that leaves a fan base replaying the final minutes over and over. The Wolverines had their chances in a 20-19 defeat, but the closing sequence is likely to be the part that lingers most, especially with the offense leaning on the run game when the game was hanging in the balance.
The biggest talking point is the late decision to run the ball three straight times, a choice the article attributes to head coach Kyle Whittingham. It is the sort of call that can look sensible in the moment and frustrating in hindsight, and for Michigan it now sits at the center of what went wrong in a game that slipped away by the slimmest of margins. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Loss To Iowa Looks Even Worse After One Brutal Reality
Michigans 20-19 loss to Iowa had all the markings of one of those frustrating afternoons that sticks with a fan base long after the final whistle. The Wolverines controlled plenty of the underlying numbers and even posted a higher success rate, but the scoreboard told a far less forgiving story, one shaped by missed chances and a game that slipped away despite the statistical edge.
Iowas special teams helped tilt the night with a kickoff return for a touchdown, and Michigan did not make enough of its own opportunities in the red zone to compensate. An interception and a failed fourth-down try inside scoring range loomed especially large in a one-point game, turning what looked like a solid performance on paper into a loss that feels even harder to explain in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Defense Did Enough To Win Until Two Costly Mistakes
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Still, the game turned on a handful of mistakes that proved too costly to absorb. Michigan finished with seven missed tackles, and a couple of critical penalties and breakdowns helped undercut all the good work that came before them, leaving the defense with the frustrating feeling that it had done enough to win until it didnt. [Read more 🡒]