ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan received positive news about seniors Chase Winovich and Berkley Edwards, both of whom left Saturday’s game early and went to the hospital to evaluate injuries.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh said he did not know if Winovich, a defensive lineman, would be healthy enough to play next week in a pivotal rivalry match-up with No. 10 Ohio State, but he said that X-rays and a CAT scan returned good news Saturday night.
Winovich left a 31-20 Michigan victory in the third quarter after an apparent upper body injury and did not return. Harbaugh declined to give specific details on what doctors were evaluating.
“Things are progressing well with Chase,” Harbaugh said.
Edwards, a special teams contributor and the younger brother of former Wolverine standout Braylon Edwards, suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter, according to Harbaugh. Medical personnel took nearly 15 minutes to place Edwards on a backboard and cart him off the field after a blindside hit on a punt return play.
Referees ejected Indiana linebacker Cam Jones and penalized him for targeting on the play. Athletic trainers removed Edwards’ pads and immobilized his head before taking him off the field and to the hospital.
“Everything looked good when he left the stadium,” Harbaugh said. “He did have a concussion. He had a pretty good-sized concussion. Looked good when he left here, but he was taken to the hospital for precaution. He was responding and talking and moving. All good things there.”
Braylon Edwards posted on Twitter about how difficult it was to see his younger brother be carted off the field.
I’ve seen a thousand hard hits on friends, teammates, opponents, myself even and as a player you are always of the mind that that person/you will be ok. Seeing my brother take that hit and not move and be strapped to that gurney, all from my living room almost made me lose it.
— Braylon Edwards (@OfficialBraylon) November 18, 2018
No. 4 Michigan travels to Columbus next week for a game that will decide which team from the Big Ten East Division will play for a conference championship in Indianapolis the following weekend. Michigan’s shot at one of the four College Football Playoff spots also likely hangs in the balance.
Michigan players said that if Winovich, the team’s leader in tackles for loss and one of its most outspokesman veterans, is unable to return in time to play next week they feel confident in the players who would replace him.
“I have all faith in those guys,” said junior Rashan Gary, who missed several games with an injury earlier this season. “With me going out earlier in the year they had a lot of chance to get some reps. When they’re on the field I let them know they’ve already proven themselves so let’s have fun and make plays.”