Michigan offense notes: Injuries pile up, and so do Hassan Haskins' yards

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Michigan football offense was already shorthanded entering the day, with junior wide receiver Ronnie Bell out for the season, freshman running back Donovan Edwards unavailable and undressed the last two weeks, and sophomore tight end Erick All going through warmups but not playing. Then in a 29-7 win over Indiana Saturday, the Wolverines saw several more offensive players go down with injuries.

Freshman wide receiver Andrel Anthony, second-year freshman running back Blake Corum and second-year freshman slot receiver A.J. Henning all played but weren’t able to finish. Redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara went into the medical tent and missed a drive but was able to return to action.

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Head coach Jim Harbaugh said he’s “hopeful” everyone that went down Saturday will be back for a big tilt at Penn State next week, but the status of those players remains uncertain.

“Yeah, there were a couple guys that were out in this game that I think we’ll get back, get healthier next week,” Harbaugh said. “Then go about putting good days on top of good days while we get ready for Penn State.”

Thankfully for the Maize and Blue, however, others rose to the occasion, none more than redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins, whose 168 rushing yards and 27 carries were both career highs, while his second-quarter touchdown was his 11th of the season.

With Corum and Edwards out, Haskins knew he’d be carrying the bulk of the load. He delivered and then some.

“It was definitely a different feeling,” Haskins said of not rotating with Corum. “I’ve been praying for Blake all day. It was a different feeling, but had to get the job done.

“I’ll take however many carries they give me. So I ain’t complaining.”

Haskins went over 100 rushing yards for the fourth time this season, and registered a season-long 62-yard run that set up a touchdown.

Sophomore wideout Cornelius Johnson was the one constant in a receiving corps that rotated many bodies in and out. He matched his career high with five catches and totaled 108 yards.

Michigan Red-Zone Offense Still Needs Work

Redshirt sophomore tight end Luke Schoonmaker also stepped up, making up for All being out. He had three catches, two of them touchdowns — a 12-yarder in the second quarter and one from eight yards out in the fourth stanza — for 21 yards. His scores were the second and third of his career, and first since 2019 at Illinois.

“So excited and such a great feeling,” Schoonmaker said. “And everyone around me [was] just so hyped up. Good day for the tight ends.”

He was a bright spot among a Michigan offense that sputtered in the red zone once again. The Wolverines ranked 86th in the nation coming into the day (56.41 touchdown percentage), and scored touchdowns on just three of their six appearances, settling for a trio of field goals.

Harbaugh and his players all acknowledged the need to convert in the red area going forward.

“First of all, it’s good when you can drive and get the ball to the red zone,” Harbaugh pointed out. “Always wanting to finish it with touchdowns. I thought we did a nice job on one occasion overcoming a penalty on a first-and-15, but ‘Schoony’ was a big factor in converting in the red zone tonight. That’s a plus.

“Was great to see him have another good game. He’s had good games before, but a big tight end like that, like you saw Erick last week — I think Erick will be back this week [against Penn State] — that can be a big factor in the red zone.”

“We were attacking that tonight,” Schoonmaker added. “I think that will be something we focus on in the coming weeks. We’re going to keep working on that.”

Miscellaneous Offense Notes

• Michigan redshirt freshman offensive lineman Trevor Keegan (shoulder injury) made his seventh start of the season, after not playing against Northwestern Oct. 23 and coming off the bench at Michigan State Oct. 30.

• Schoonmaker’s two-touchdown performance marked the first time a Wolverine tight end had a multi-score game since Jake Butt did so against Central Florida in 2016.

• Johnson’s 108-receiving-yard game was his second outing in which he posted 100-plus yards this season.

• Michigan rushed for less than 200 yards (188) for just the fourth time this season and second week in a row (146 Oct. 30 at Michigan State). It was just the third contest in which the Wolverines did not run for multiple touchdowns.

• McNamara’s two scoring tosses marked the fourth game this season that he threw for multiple touchdowns. He’s now tossed nine scores against two interceptions for the season.

• Freshman quarterback J.J. McCarthy played a substantial amount in the second half, finishing 5-of-10 passing for 55 yards with one interception. McCarthy’s first career pick marked the Wolverines’ fourth of the campaign.

• Michigan had yielded just three sacks on the season coming into the game, but gave up an identical number against the Hoosiers.

• The Maize and Blue were forced to punt four times and went three-and-out on two occasions.