Injury updates for Michigan, Ohio State heading into The Game

Here are how the teams are doing health-wise heading into the most pivotal game of the year.

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy played through a lower-body injury suffered in the Penn State game, wide receiver Roman Wilson took a nasty hit in the first quarter and never returned, reserve left tackle Myles Hinton suffered a lower-body injury during the game and never came back in, and starting left tackle LaDarius Henderson was ruled out two hours before the game due to an undisclosed injury. Midway through the game, linebacker Michael Barrett was also taken out due to an injury which he described as a sprained AC joint in the postgame press conference.

“Nothing Tylenol can’t fix,” Barrett said to the media.

It sure sounds like Barrett will be able to suit up this weekend against Ohio State. Luckily for the Wolverines, it sounds like the other injured players will be healthy enough to play, too.

Speaking during his press conference on Monday, acting head coach Sherrone Moore said all three of Wilson, Henderson and Hinton, “Should be good to go.” He did also say the team would, “See further and we’ll check the doctors as we go, as far as all three,” but it appears those guys will be available on Saturday.

Moore also spoke on McCarthy’s health, saying he’s “feeling good” following the Maryland game.

“I actually talked to him (Monday), and (Sunday) felt the best he’s felt, so just excited to get to work,” Moore said.

As for the Ohio State side of things, the Buckeyes are dealing with a lot more injuries than the Wolverines, especially defensively.

Starting safety Lathan Ransom was ruled out for the rest of the regular season after sustaining a non-contact injury against Wisconsin a few weeks ago. He was a pivotal piece to OSU’s defense, racking up 34 tackles, three pass breakups, one interception and one forced fumble in eight games this season.

Depth is a concern at safety for the Buckeyes, as Cameron Martinez has also not played since Oct. 28 at Wisconsin.

Perhaps most significantly, defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. missed last weekend’s game against Minnesota. The stats don’t show it — only 17 tackles, two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks — but he is a monster in the middle of their defense. The Buckeyes would sorely miss him on Saturday, but based off this comment he made earlier in the week, it sounds like he should be available.

And finally, starting linebacker Tommy Eichenberg has missed OSU’s last two games. This would also be a significant injury for OSU — he is Ohio State’s leading tackler this season (73) and is also a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, for the most outstanding defensive player in college, and the Butkus Award, for the best linebacker in college.

If Eichenberg isn’t able to suit up, watch for senior Cody Simon to play in his place. Simon has tallied 44 tackles, three tackles for loss and two pass breakups this season.

It’s not 100 percent clear if any of the injured Buckeyes will be available for this weekend, as head coach Ryan Day was not asked about it during his press conference on Tuesday.