Knocked down 9, Get back up 10
— Tweet by U-M wide receiver Tarik Black
The Wolverines anticipated the first fierce smash to the facemask and simultaneous sternum slug around 7:40 p.m. Saturday.
It arrived a week early.
Tarik Black, arguably their most talented, dangerous, star-in-the-making wide receiver, caught a horrible break at the worst possible time.
Again.
He’d rehabbed the fractured foot that kept him out of the entire Big Ten football season and Outback Bowl his freshman year. He’s trained endlessly for 2018, from winter conditioning to spring ball, to summer workouts, into fall camp and a fast-approaching date in Notre Dame Stadium.
It didn’t approach fast enough.
Just a week away from winged helmets cracking into glittered gold ones, Black’s dreams were tarnished. He once again felt a foot seize up, this time the other one, and dealt with the devastating news.
He’s out for “some weeks,” according to Jim Harbaugh, although Michigan’s head coach did not rule out a return later this season. Still, just as his team was about to launch itself into a killer schedule, it surrendered a big weapon.
Maybe worse yet, fate cruelly shelved the Black-in-Blue return, sending a young man back to the canvas.
“That was heartbreaking,” offered junior linebacker and now captain Devin Bush Jr. “A guy that got hurt last year, sat out the whole season, worked his butt off the whole offseason — extra therapy, extra weights — just to get hur, six days before the season?
“You feel for him. It’s hard to look him in the face and tell him everything is going to be all right, to keep your head up. It’s hard.”
Black’s tweet indicated he didn’t need to be told. He’ll face some dark days of if-only and a few why-me moments — perhaps including Saturday night. But he’s already shown that he can take a punch and scramble again to his frustratingly uncooperative feet.
He’s fractured, but not utterly broken. His teammates need to adopt his attitude.
Not that they haven’t, following an 8-5 season filled with disappointments. No, they’re brimming with confidence, anticipation and the angry edge a sub-par season can deliver, despite the Black setback.
They got knocked down, and they’re coming up swinging.
Just ask junior left guard Ben Bredeson, another of Michigan’s four new captains. He admits the Wolverines’ offensive line hasn’t been the strongest link in the chain, and he’s ready to lead a chain gang that will change opinions.
Between new strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert and new offensive line boss Ed Warinner, Bredeson and his linemates absorbed extra means of getting that accomplished.
“The group definitely has come together,” Bredeson assured. “We’ve talked about how we have sometimes let the offense down in the past. We’re sick of that narrative.
“We definitely had that in the back of our minds as we were working this summer. We’ve worked hard. We just want to be the solid part of the offense.
“We definitely know what people think of us. We know what we need to do for the team to win.”
Bredeson also knows that as the brutes in blue are protecting junior transfer quarterback Shea Patterson, the options for downfield action haven’t faded to black.
“We’ve got a lot of depth at receiver,” Bredeson insisted. “It’s a shame [about Black], but we have some guys to come in, too. [Senior] Grant Perry can step up. We’ve got [sophomores] Nico [Collins], Donovan [Peoples-Jones] … our receiving corps is loaded. Somebody will step up.”
Patterson plans to do just that, in conjunction with his pass catchers. Senior safety and quad captain Tyree Kinnel insists the new guy is the toughest QB he’s faced in practice since he’s been here.
Shed no tears for the offense, Kinnel suggested.
“He does a lot, and he’s smart with the football,” Kinnel said. “The play is never over with him. We’re guarding receivers for a long time, because he’s making plays in the backfield. He’s a good thrower on the run. He’s smart with his decisions as well, so he’s a tough guy to go against.”
Of course, Michigan’s efforts against Notre Dame and beyond will rely heavily on a defense that coordinator Don Brown insists is as fast as any he’s seen.
And he’s seen a few.
“Fast,” Bush seconded, his eyes lighting up. “When you’ve got your D-linemen running 4.5s, everybody’s fast.”
Brave talk, defiant talk, determined talk goes only so far. The Wolverines know that.
They’ll be knocked down more than once this season. They already have been.
Knocked down nine, get back up 10.
And so it begins…
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