U-M: ‘Shame’ if Harbaugh banned for 1,000th win
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Tom VanHaaren, ESPN Staff Writer
ANN ARBOR, Michigan — There is a chance that Michigan gets its 1,000th win as a football program if the Wolverines can beat Maryland on the road Saturday. There is also a chance that coach Jim Harbaugh won’t be on the sidelines for that game.
Harbaugh is awaiting a court hearing Friday that could determine if he and the university are granted a temporary restraining order that would reverse his three-game suspension from the Big Ten and commissioner Tony Petitti.
“I think it’d be incredibly disappointing [if Harbaugh was suspended Saturday],” defensive line coach Mike Elston said Wednesday. “I believe that of anybody, he’s earned this opportunity to be with his team, to be a part of this victory.
“… For him not to be a part of that would be an absolute shame.”
Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore is the interim head coach on game days as Harbaugh serves his suspension, which stems from alleged in-person scouting and recording of games by former staffer Connor Stalions.
Moore very well could be the acting head coach that gets the historic 1,000th win if the Wolverines beat Maryland, but Moore doesn’t want the credit if it happens.
“I definitely want Coach [Harbaugh] to be the coach when that happens,” Moore said. “I would say to me, and to everybody else, that would be his win. It wouldn’t count as mine. He’s the head coach of this football team and I’m just standing in there to make sure we don’t mess it up.”
Moore was the acting head coach for the Wolverines’ victory over Penn State last week and was emotional about the situation in his postgame interview. He had a few cuss words during the interview and said he has since apologized to his mother and grandmother, but he added that everyone on that team felt the same emotions after the win.
“Just understanding, like, the care and love that I have for the players and this program and this university, so I think they saw that and it’s real,” Moore said. “When you work so hard to see that come to fruition, it’s really cool. And then sometimes your emotions get the best of you.”
Moore has since heard from university president Santa Ono, athletic director Warde Manuel and prominent alumni about the interview, and he said it has been powerful to see the entire university come together.
Moore credits the culture that has been built at Michigan for allowing the players to keep their focus on the field amid all the distractions during the Wolverines’ 10-0 start.
“From the start of the year, we already knew this was a really special team and what we had in the locker room, the leadership on the team,” Moore said. “The leadership has just taken it more at hand [and] said, ‘Hey, all this is against us. What are we going to do about it?’
“The guys just have a one-track mind … everybody has a one-track mind of, ‘OK, what are we going to do this week to beat Maryland?'”
Moore used words such as “camaraderie” and “exciting” to describe the past four weeks. He said the team is attacking what’s in front of it and, despite being viewed as the villain, is able to handle what is thrown at it, adding that the Wolverines have every shot at accomplishing their goals this season.
“Nobody’s worried about anything else,” Moore said. “I think when you’re at the top, everybody’s always trying to knock you down. And we feel like we’ve always got a target on our back, which is great. We love it. So we’re going to continue to do what we do, stay together and just keep rolling.”
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is not expected to play against Mississippi State on Saturday, per sources, as the Longhorns staff is expected to sit him out in order for him to be fully healthy for the game against Oklahoma on Oct. 12.
A final decision on Ewers is expected later Saturday, per sources, but the decision is trending toward allowing him to use Texas’ week off following the Mississippi State game to get healthy. Ewers has been considered week-to-week since injuring his oblique against UTSA on Sept. 14.
Ewers finished the week at nearly 70%, as he practiced Tuesday, was limited Wednesday and ended up limited in practice Thursday to allow him to fully heal. Per sources, the Texas coaching staff wanted to give Ewers the extra rest to ensure he’d return at full strength.
The decision means that Texas will against start backup quarterback Arch Manning, who will make his first career start in an SEC game. Manning made his first start against Louisiana Monroe, completing 15 of 29 passes for 258 yards. He had two touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Ewers’ oblique injury came in the wake of him displaying one of the season’s best performances at Michigan in Week 2, as he threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout Texas win in Ann Arbor.
Mississippi State enters the game on a three-game losing streak, which includes back-to-back blowout home losses to Toledo and Florida. The Bulldogs are trending toward finishing at the bottom of the SEC, as they have one of the country’s worst defenses. They are No. 111 nationally in total defense and No. 107 in scoring defense.
Mississippi State will also be without its starting quarterback, as starter Blake Shapen is out for the year after suffering a shoulder injury against Florida. Michael Van Buren, a true freshman, will make his first career start for the Bulldogs.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams is a “true game-time decision” for the No. 2 Bulldogs at No. 4 Alabama on Saturday night, according to ESPN sources.
Williams has missed the previous two games with a Grade 2 ankle sprain, which he suffered against Clemson in the opener. He’ll be evaluated in pregame warmups and a decision will be made on his status.
Williams has been limited in practice this week, and it’s expected that if he does play it’ll be at less than 100 percent. He’s also unlikely to play a heavy snap count if he does play, as he’s working his way back.
Williams is a marauding defensive end who is the best player in Georgia’s front seven and is a high-end NFL prospect. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has him ranked No. 4 overall player for the 2025 NFL draft.
Williams started the season hot before injuring his ankle against Clemson, as he had two tackles for loss and three quarterback pressures in that game.
They will be an onus on Georgia’s defensive line, especially on the ends, to help slow Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in Tuscaloosa.
Georgia’s defensive line will benefit from the return of senior Warren Brinson, who is listed as probable after missing the past two games. Sophomore defensive lineman Jordan Hall is questionable for the SEC showdown.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Utah quarterback Cam Rising, who has been snakebit by injuries the past two years, is again expected to be a game-time decision against Arizona on Saturday night, sources told ESPN.
Rising has missed No. 10 Utah’s past two games after an injury to his throwing hand that he suffered against Baylor on Sept. 7. He missed all of last season after an ACL tear in the Rose Bowl following the 2022 season.
Rising’s status will undergo the same evaluation process with the Utah staff as before the Oklahoma State game last week. He’ll throw the ball pregame, and his ability to deliver spin and velocity on the ball will determine whether he’ll play, per sources.
As Rising has struggled to recover and get back on the field, one factor that could weigh into the decision is the chance to get him back fully healthy in two weeks. Utah has a bye before they play at Arizona State on Oct. 11.
Rising has practiced this week but remained limited as the staff has attempted to rest his finger.
Freshman Isaac Wilson has started the past two weeks, leading the Utes to victories over Utah State in Logan and in Stillwater against the Cowboys.
Wilson has shown both moments of promise and interspersed those with moments that have illuminated his youth. He threw for 207 yards on 17-of-29 passing against Oklahoma State. He also threw two interceptions. He threw for three touchdowns and 239 yards against Utah State.
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