The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2018 THE WOLVERINE 37 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL a time and learn different things and keep working at it. "For me, it was tough just because I've never really done it, and it's a whole lot faster. At the anchor position — which is what we call it — you've just got to watch that tight end and then whatever he does you just play off it. If you try to mirror anyone's footwork inside you're going to end up 10 yards [back], running into your linebackers and messing up the whole defensive play." However, he's learned quick and is off to a very solid start as the Wolver- ines continue to navigate several inte- rior injuries and the loss of All-Ameri- can Maurice Hurst. "He's playing really strong right now," head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "He's a very dedicated guy. We had no hesitation starting Carlo. He's coming into his own. Physically, the strength is showing up." — Chris Balas GRANT NEWSOME'S CAREER IS OVER, AND SEVERAL OTHERS ARE BANGED UP HEADING INTO BIG TEN PLAY Michigan redshirt junior offensive lineman Grant Newsome fought val- iantly to return to the field after suffer- ing a gruesome knee injury two years ago, but he announced Aug. 20 his ca- reer was over. Newsome wrote a letter to the fans on social media announcing his retirement from football. "I got to the point this year where I needed to decide if I wanted to prac- tice once camp broke — my doctors all met and I asked them what Plan B was if something were to go wrong," Newsome said. "Their answer was that there wasn't a good fix and injury to the vascular graph would result in amputation of my leg. It wasn't a risk I was willing to accept." Doctors were concerned he'd never walk again after the surgery that saved his leg, but Newsome fought to return. He'll continue to rehab, but he reported he's completely healthy and will have a functional life. "I'll also get my grad degree and con- tribute as a student coach with the tight ends, and see if the coaching bug bites me. I've had people reach out to me for jobs, which shows you how incredible both Michigan and college football are in general. I'm also interested in charity and non-profit work, like Team Impact and the Chad Tough Foundation." Several other Wolverines were banged up in the non-conference por- tion of the schedule. The most high- profile loss was redshirt freshman receiver Tarik Black, who suffered a second broken foot in two years. Black injured his left foot in the third game of the season a year ago, and he broke the right one in practice the week before Michigan's opener with Notre Dame. Head coach Jim Harbaugh con- firmed Black had surgery and would miss the first several weeks of the sea- son. Redshirt freshman punter Brad Robbins has also missed the first three games after being sidelined most of the summer. Harbaugh confirmed the scholarship punter had back surgery. Redshirt sophomore Will Hart has re- placed him and punted well, boasting an average of 50.1 yards on his first eight attempts. Sophomore safety Jaylen Kelly- Powell, one of the camp surprises ac- cording to coaches, did not play in the first three games due to an undis- closed injury. Senior running back and captain Karan Higdon was banged up before the Wolverines' 45-20 win over SMU Sept. 15 and did not appear in that contest. Junior Chris Evans later went down during the game. 2018 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time (ET)/TV Sept. 1 at Notre Dame L, 24-17 Sept. 8 Western Michigan W, 49-3 Sept. 15 SMU W, 45-20 Sept. 22 Nebraska Noon/FS1 Sept. 29 at Northwestern 4:30 p.m./FOX Oct. 6 Maryland Noon/TBA Oct. 13 Wisconsin TBA/TBA Oct. 20 at Michigan State TBA/FOX or FS1 Nov. 3 Penn State TBA/TBA Nov. 10 at Rutgers TBA/TBA Nov. 17 Indiana TBA/TBA Nov. 24 at Ohio State Noon/FOX Former offensive tackle Grant Newsome is now serving as a student coach for the Wolverines after officially retiring from the sport. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN