The Michigan football team is starting to feel like the walking wounded.
Injuries have been an issue for Michigan football since before the first game was even played. Five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola suffered a season-ending injury in fall camp. The offensive lineman was expected to compete for a starting job this season.
Backup quarterback was impacted, and as the season has gone along, more and more players are getting hurt. Justice Haynes has been the most notable injury. He missed part of the USC game and the entire game against Washington.
It already felt like he was going to miss the Purdue game. According to Josh Henschke of the Maize and Blue Review, Haynes will be out Saturday. The hope has to be that he's able to return after the bye.
Road games against Northwestern and Maryland will be difficult enough. The Wolverines need Haynes. They need him 100 percent against Ohio State, and the good news is that even if he misses a few weeks, Jordan Marshall has been up to the task. The coaching needs to get Jasper Parker ready. He's looked good in limited action, but he needs to be able to play on all three downs to be effective.
Cole Sullivan is another player who has had a breakout season for Michigan. He was injured on Saturday and is another player who won't be on the field this week. That's also according to Henschke, who reported that Jimmy Rolder could be out, too.
The run defense hasn't exactly been great. Three teams have rushed for over 100 yards this season against Michigan, including Michigan State, so it's not the best time to lose two of your three best linebackers.
That's football, though. The good news for Michigan football is that a bye week is up next. For now, they just need to survive against Purdue and hope for the rest.