Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh talks Cade McNamara injury, Greg Crippen potential redshirt
Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara will be out for a while with an injury suffered in U-M’s 59-0 win over UConn, having taken some big shots in only a handful of snaps. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said after the game he expected his quarterback to be out a “few weeks,” at least.
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On Monday, he wouldn’t elaborate on the timetable. He stressed again there would be open competition for the backup spot behind Michigan sophomore starter J.J. McCarthy.
“No, not at this point,” he said when asked about McNamara. “[We’re] seeing good things [from the back-ups]. Davis Warren, Alan Bowman, Alex Orji — we’re seeing very good things from them in practice, and when they’ve gotten into the games. I think we have good confidence in all three.”
Some criticized Harbaugh’s decision to put McNamara in the two-minute drill already up 38-0 Saturday. The Michigan coach was simply trying to give his quarterback a shot with the first-team offense.
“[We wanted to] try to press the ball downfield and get into field goal range,” he said.
Pass protection has been sketchy with McNamara on the field for the last two games now, allowing the senior captain to get hit. Harbaugh said they’d continue to address it.
Right tackle, in particular, has been shaky.
“There have been some times where we’ve gotten beat on a one-on-one matchup — this game, the game before,” Harbaugh said of the Michigan line. “You’re striving for, chasing perfection. Sometimes … probably all the time. You hope to attain excellence.”
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They’ll get another chance Saturday when Maryland comes to town to start Big Ten play.
Potential redshirt for Michigan sophomore center Greg Crippen
Michigan center Greg Crippen has been noticeably absent the last two games. Harbaugh has sung his praises the last two years, and it seems apparent he and the coaching staff see him as their center of the future.
Harbaugh shed light on why he hasn’t been playing.
“There’s nothing wrong with him. It’s just one of those things where there’s a possibility of redshirting him this year,” Harbaugh said. “We’re going to see how that goes. You can’t predict the future, but if Olu [Oluwatimi] can stay healthy and play in there, then there would be a shot of getting that year back for Crip.
“That’s why he’s only played one game.”
The line has played well in three games, Harbaugh added.
“[Olu is] really good. He had another really solid game,” he said. “So did [grad student left tackle] Ryan Hayes. So did [left guard] Trevor Keegan when he was in there, and [right guard] Zak Zinter.
“Trente is continuing to play well, as well. He’s playing good.”
But there’s always room for improvement for the Michigan men up front, especially entering conference play. They’ll get their shot at noon Saturday agains the Terps.
