Michigan Football: How To Move On Without Tarik Black

With news that Michigan football could be without Tarik Black for the rest of the season, how can a struggling Wolverines offense move on?

As if Michigan’s offense hasn’t already been experiencing enough difficulties in this early season, the Wolverines could be without leading receiver Tarik Black for the rest of the year.

Jim Harbaugh announced on Monday that Black, who leads Michigan with 11 receptions for 149 yards, is having surgery to repair a “crack” in his foot, and it’s unclear when he’ll be able to return.

Black had been one of the few bright spots on the Wolverines’ offense through three games. The true freshman has made some plays beyond his years, including sneaking behind the Florida defense in Week 1 for a long touchdown. With Michigan’s offense already sputtering, how does it go about life without Black?

For starters, there’s Donovan Peoples-Jones, who has been getting a more prominent role in the offense each week. He’s currently making a very good name for himself as a punt returner, but there’s no doubt now that he’s going to be seeing more snaps on offense now.

In his limited action, it looks like DPJ could be the Wolverines’ most explosive athlete on that side of the ball. He had his first two catches of the season last Saturday against Air Force, totaling 52 yards. The first was the most exciting: a screen that DPJ bounced outside for 37 yards.

The second was on a crossing route (left to right) that resulted in a 15-yard gain.

DPJ also had a 44-yard gain on an jet sweep against Cincinnati where he once again showed his speed.

There have been many wondering why DPJ, an obviously talented asset, isn’t getting more opportunities to help get this struggling offense to the next level. It’s not ideal that it comes under these circumstances, but he’s going to get that opportunity now.

The other receiver who could help absorb the blow is Grant Perry, currently Michigan’s second-leading pass catcher. Perry has proven to be a very reliable target for Wilton Speight through three games, and without Black’s big-play threat, Speight may look at Perry as being even more of a safety net.

The other way to get through games without Black is to start running the ball more consistently, which is actually a cure for many offensive woes. As it stands now, the Wolverines’ ground numbers are respectable, but it’s mostly been an all-or-nothing attack.

I’m most interested in seeing if the offensive line and running backs can start to improve in the red zone. That’s where the running game has been getting stifled most. Black, at 6-foot-3, is a good target in the red zone. Speight will have other options down there still, but this is an offense that’s performed miserably inside the 20. Having a reliable ground game would make a significant difference.

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Because Black has only played in three games, he would be eligible for a medical redshirt if he either doesn’t make it back this season. Of course, that does nothing to help Michigan right now. The Wolverines, already with plenty of question marks, now have to answer another one.

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