Expect To See More Of These Two Michigan Football Players This Week
It's no secret that the loss of junior wide receiver Ronnie Bell leaves behind a big void. The former two-star recruit led Michigan Wolverines football in receiving each of the last two seasons, and was off to a hot start in the team's 47-14 season-opening win over Western Michigan, having caught a 76-yard touchdown reception and returned a punt for 31 yards.
Several guys need to step up in his absence, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said Wednesday.
"The loss of Ronnie is huge," Gattis admitted. "Ronnie Bell, the impact that he has on our team, the impact that he has on just everyone in that room, in the receiver room — that hurt. That hurt throughout the game, and it was a pivotal moment for our team, to be able to rally around him.
"I don’t know if Ronnie Bell will be replaced by one guy, as it will be by committee of everyone."
One among that committee to watch is redshirt junior Daylen Baldwin, a Jackson State transfer who was a game-time decision last week due to an injury he was working through at the end of training camp. Bell's injury made the Wolverines thin enough to let him play, and he cashed in on a 69-yard touchdown toss from freshman signal-caller J.J. McCarthy.
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"We finally got Daylen Baldwin healthy," Gattis said. "He’s been a guy that was kind of banged up the last two weeks. He had a really good camp, so we’re glad to have him going full speed.
"In fact, going into the game, I didn’t know if he was going to end up playing. If not for Ronnie Bell’s situation, we probably wouldn’t have played Daylen, just to make sure he was 100 percent healthy. But you saw his ability in the play that he did make.
"So I feel good about the depth and talent that we have — [sophomore] C.J [Cornelius Johnson]., [sophomore] Mikey [Sainristil], [freshman] Roman [Wilson], [freshman] A.J. Henning, Daylen. Those guys provide some really key playmakers for us, and they’re all talented, they’re all athletic and can make big plays for us."
There were some question marks surrounding the health of the offensive line heading into the opener, as well.
Second-year freshman right guard Zak Zinter, who Gattis said in August might be the team's top offensive player, hurt his hand in the preseason. He, too, was able to play (with a club on his right hand), providing 21 snaps as an extra lineman and backup right guard behind redshirt junior Chuck Filiaga, who received the starting nod.
Expect to see more of him this weekend against Washington, Gattis revealed.
"It was good to get Zak out there, sprinkle him in when we could," Gattis said. "As you could see, he was a little banged up the last few weeks in camp. For us, we had a few guys that were in that same situation — Daylen Baldwin, Zak Zinter.
"Now, it’s about getting them more comfortable out there, getting those guys the practice and game reps that they’ve missed over the last two weeks.
"But also, I think up front we’ve got a number of guys that can play for us. So it’s still figuring out the best five or the best group for us. We feel good because we’ve got six or seven guys that we feel strongly about and can play for us.
"So it’s good we had him out there last week; we’ll have him back out there this week, as well."
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