Michigan junior quarterback Wilton Speight (3) looks downfield for an open receiver during first-half action against Central Florida at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, Sept. 10. Courtesy of TNS
The final regular season game for Ohio State against Michigan will kickoff without the Wolverines starting signal-caller. In Michigan’s loss against Iowa on Saturday, redshirt sophomore quarterback Wilton Speight reportedly broke his collarbone.
The injury will keep Speight out for the remainder of the regular season. According to mgoblog.com, the redshirt sophomore could return to the Wolverines for a bowl game, but will not be able to play for the next two weeks.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh denied the report on his weekly radio show, saying that a doctor had not told him Speight would be unavailable for the rest of the regular season.
Although injuries are never a positive note, the Buckeyes could benefit from the absence of Speight, who has thrown for 2,156 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. John O’Korn, a senior transfer from Houston, is likely to start against the Hoosiers.
O’Korn has thrown just 18 passes this year, two of which were for touchdowns.
The last time a backup quarterback started a game at Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes were on the wrong end of a 17-14 affair with Michigan State. This time, OSU will have more time to prepare for a different quarterback, considering then-junior Tyler O’Connor replaced injured Michigan State starter Connor Cook just before kickoff, last year.
The announcement of the injury comes two weeks before The Game. Although history has a tendency to repeat itself, this is an instance in which the Buckeyes hope to rewrite the story.
