Michigan's huge 33-point victory over Western Michigan came at a huge price as the Wolverines confirmed on Monday that star wide receiver and captain Ronnie Bell would miss the rest of the season because of a right knee injury.
Coach Jim Harbaugh shared the unfortunate development in his press conference, saying Bell's injury was a shame as he had a great game. Bell suffered the injury with eight minutes remaining in the first half after returning a punt for 31 yards.
Bell's season cut short after picking up knee injury
The fans in attendance and the players on the field immediately knew something was wrong with Bell, who was helped off the field while keeping weight off his right leg. Bell was later carted off the field and taken to the Wolverines' locker room for further evaluation.
Bell was just starting to find his groove minutes before the injury, hauling in a 76-yard touchdown pass from Cade McNamara to give Michigan a 17-7 lead in the second quarter. He also made a terrific one-handed catch during the Wolverines' previous drive, but his 34-yard gain was nullified after being called for pass interference.
Bell's injury took the shine away from the brilliant performances of quarterbacks McNamara and highly touted freshman J.J. McCarthy. McNamara went 9 of 11 for 136 passing yards and two touchdowns in his first start this season, while McCarthy showed his flair for the dramatic, escaping a sack in the fourth quarter before delivering an excellent 69-yard touchdown pass to Jackson State transfer Daylen Baldwin.
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Who will step up for Michigan in Bell's absence?
The question now for Harbaugh and Michigan is who will pick up the slack in Bell's absence. The good news for the Wolverines is that they have solid depth in the wide receiver position, with Roman Wilson, Daylen Baldwin, Andrel Anthony, Cristian Dixon, Cornelius Johnson, Mike Sainristil, and AJ Henning expected to step up.
The only problem for this unit, though, is there is not much game experience and career production among their ranks. Bell was the go-to-player for Michigan the past seasons for a good reason, catching 75 passes over his last 20 appearances.
The Wolverines faithful will soon find out what they are capable of, starting with this weekend's prime time game against the 20th-ranked Washington Huskies. Baldwin has the highest number of career receptions among the Michigan wideouts with 58, followed by Johnson and Sainristil, who have 22 and 16 career catches, respectively.
Michigan can also rely on its ground game to get them through this season. The Wolverines wreaked havoc against Western Michigan's defensive line, racking up 335 rushing yards. Blake Corum rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while Hassan Haskins had 13 carries for 70 yards and a score in the win against the Broncos.
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