ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan’s mission is to win the Big Ten title for the first time since 2004 and reach the College Football Playoff. If the Wolverines have to rely on a backup quarterback to do it, Coach Jim Harbaugh doesn’t seem worried about it.
Quarterback Wilton Speight injured his left, non-throwing shoulder in Saturday’s 14-13 loss at Iowa. Harbaugh said Speight’s status for Saturday’s home game against Indiana could be a game-time decision.
Harbaugh would not even say Speight had an injured shoulder. He acknowledged the undisclosed ailment would lead to backups John O’Korn and Shane Morris getting a majority of the snaps Monday and for at least the next couple of days.
“They’ve both had extensive practice time through the course of the year,” he said. “We’re confident they can do a good job.”
The fourth-ranked Wolverines can still reach their goals of a league title and likely a trip to the four-team playoff if they beat Indiana, win against No. 2 Ohio State on the road and win the conference title game.
Their chances of doing all that would improve with Speight, who has been excellent for the Wolverines (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) as a first-year starter this season. He completed more than 62 percent of his passes for 2,156 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions.
WASHINGTON STATE: Star receiver River Cracraft tore his ACL in the 20th-ranked Cougars’ last game and is done for the season, according to published reports.
The senior caught three touchdown passes in the 56-21 win over California before he was injured early in the third quarter.
WASHINGTON: Middle linebacker Azeem Victor is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery for a broken lower right leg, Coach Chris Petersen announced, the second major injury loss for the Huskies defense in recent weeks.
There is no timeline yet for Victor’s recovery but the expectation is the junior won’t be back this season. Petersen was noncommittal when asked if there was any chance Victor could recover in time for a bowl game.
Victor was injured in the second quarter of No. 7 Washington’s 26-13 loss to Southern California on Saturday. Victor was in on the tackle of USC’s Justin Davis on a running play, but immediately came up hobbling. He was on the field for several minutes getting tended to by medical personnel, who put an air cast on Victor’s leg on the field before he was taken off on a cart.
VIRGINIA: Matt Johns will be the Cavaliers’ starting quarterback on Saturday at Georgia Tech.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall said Johns, who started every Cavaliers’ game last season, will replace struggling transfer Kurt Benkert.
The Cavaliers (2-8, 1-5 ACC) lost their fifth straight on Saturday, 34-14, against Miami. Benkert fumbled the ball away twice after halftime, and Johns replaced him with about five minutes to play.
FIU: Butch Davis was hired as the new coach at FIU. Davis has agreed to a five-year contract, FIU director of sports and entertainment Pete Garcia said. ESPN, which has employed Davis as an analyst, said he told them he was leaving the network immediately.
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