Michigan came out of the bye week with the kind of injury report that makes an already shaky offensive line situation look even more uneasy. The Wolverines are trying to handle Penn State this week before Indiana visits next week, but the Thursday availability report put the focus right back on who Michigan might actually have up front.
The biggest issue is the line itself. Michigan listed Ace Hamilton and Andrew Sprague as out, while Jake Guarnera, Andrew Babalola and Brady Norton all landed in the questionable category. For a unit that has been dealing with problems all season, that’s a tough hit to absorb.
Babalola is the one lineman on that list who at least represents some kind of help on the way. He has been working back from an ACL tear suffered last season, looked on track in fall camp, then dealt with a setback that kept him out through the first five games. With Sprague also out for a while and his return timeline still unclear, Babalola’s potential availability is one of the few positives on the report.
Guarnera and Norton, though, are the names that really stand out. Guarnera entered the year as one of the few established starters and moved to center during spring ball.
If he can’t play against Penn State, Blake Frazier would be the most likely replacement, with Frazier having bounced around the line during his time in Ann Arbor. Another option would be Houston Ka'aha'aina-Torres, who has mostly been limited to special teams this season.
Norton has started at right guard in every game this season, so if he sits, Frazier could be in line there as well.
Michigan’s report also included WR Braydon Alford, RB Micah Ka'apana and DE Julius Holly as out, while WR Kendrick Bell was doubtful. On the defensive side, Dom Nichols, Aisea Moa and John Henry Daley were listed as questionable.
The encouraging part for Michigan is that questionable doesn’t always mean unavailable. Nichols and Daley have been questionable the last three games and still suited up each time. Still, the offensive line injury pileup is hard to ignore, especially with the Wolverines trying to get healthy after the bye.
If there is a silver lining here, it’s that Penn State’s defense has struggled this season. Michigan may need that matchup to find some rhythm and confidence up front, because the grind of the schedule isn’t getting any easier.
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Michigan Gets A Different Penn State Test Than Anyone Expected
Penn State came into the season with the kind of profile that usually makes for a difficult November opponent: a new coach in Matt Campbell, enough continuity in the program to think about the College Football Playoff, and a schedule that looked manageable on paper. Instead, the Nittany Lions have stumbled into a three-game losing streak, with the latest setback coming in a late loss to Wisconsin after a road trip to USC already deepened the concern around where this team is headed.
The most jarring result may have been the one at Northwestern, where Penn State could not answer a strong rushing attack and wound up in a multi-score defeat, something that has not been common for the program in recent seasons. For Michigan, that changes the texture of this matchup a bit. It is still a name opponent, but it is not quite the version of Penn State anyone expected when the schedule was made. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans First Big Ten Win May Depend On Two Lingering Problems
Michigan heads into its matchup with Penn State still searching for its first Big Ten win, and the path to getting one has been shaped by the same issues that have lingered through the conference opener stretch. The Wolverines have had trouble generating consistent production on the ground, which has made it harder to control games the way they usually want to, and that leaves some room for adjustment as they prepare for a Penn State team dealing with its own offensive frustrations.
Penn State has leaned more heavily on quarterback Rocco Becht because its running game has not provided enough help, and that puts more pressure on both lines of scrimmage to decide the game. Michigans outlook also comes with a defensive concern, since injuries to key players could affect its pass rush, adding another layer of uncertainty to a matchup where one clean answer on either side may be enough to swing the result. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan's New Era Is Putting Kyle Whittingham Under Real Pressure
The first month of the Big Tens new coaching shuffle has already made the pressure feel real, and Michigan is right in the middle of it with Kyle Whittingham trying to settle into a program that expects almost immediate answers. He and Penn States Matt Campbell arrived as the leagues latest big-name imports, but both have spent the opening stretch dealing with the usual hard part of change: getting a team to look like a reflection of the coach while also learning the league at the same time.
Whittingham has leaned on familiar faces as he tries to steady the transition, bringing key players with him in the same way Campbell has at Penn State, where a former Iowa State core has helped ease the move. The challenge now is less about introductions and more about results, and neither coach has put a conference win on the board yet. In a league that rarely waits for anyone, the message inside both programs has been about accountability and growth, but the Big Ten tends to ask for proof before patience. [Read more 🡒]