According to Rich Rodriguez, Brandon Minor is "questionable" for Saturday's opener.

Well, this isn’t exactly good news:

Michigan senior running back Brandon Minor is still “limping around” and is questionable for U-M’s game with Western Michigan Saturday, head coach Rich Rodriguez said today. Minor is nursing an ankle injury suffered early in camp.

Senior Carlos Brown would likely start in Minor’s absence, though sophomore Michael Shaw is pushing him, Rodriguez reported. Vincent Smith and Kevin Grady will also likely get carries against the Broncos.

The good news: we’re so deep at tailback that this shouldn’t hurt us too much against Western.

The bad news: With Minor’s extensive injury history, having him banged up heading into the season is not what I wanted to hear. Minor was clearly the best running back on the team last year (and one of the best in the conference in the latter half of the season), and if he has to fight through another injury-plagued season it could cost Michigan a couple games.

The upshot: Let’s really hope this is not a serious injury, and can be solved by a week of rest. For all his talent, Carlos Brown has a tough time staying healthy as well, and after him Michigan is relying on Michael Shaw, another guy who hasn’t stayed healthy, then guys who have never played meaningful minutes in a college football game (and Kevin Grady, but he’s basically a fullback at this point). The fact that the injury was suffered early in camp really concerns me. Let’s hope those concerns are unfounded.

Similar Posts:

• Position Preview: Running Back
• Five Players With the Most to Lose in Spring Practice
• Five Things I’d Like to See: Ohio State
• A (Very) Early Look at the 2010 Offense
• Five Things I’d Like to See: Delaware State