Michigan loses tackle Andrew Sprague, has six questionable for Rutgers trip

Michigan will play at Rutgers on Saturday without starting tackle Andrew Sprague. He is one of seven Wolverines ruled out on the final availability report, and six more are listed as questionable, according to Detroit Sports Nation. The other six players ruled out are receivers Kendrick Bell and Braydon Alford, cornerback Jo'Ziah Edmond, running back Micah Ka'apana, defensive end Julius Holly and offensive lineman Ace Hamilton.

The questionable list matters more. Safeties Rod Moore and Jordan Young, defensive ends Dom Nichols and John Henry Daley, defensive tackle Enow Etta and offensive lineman Blake Frazier are all uncertain. Without Sprague and possibly Frazier, the offensive line could be down two players in front of quarterback Tommy Carr, who makes his second start. The defense that held Indiana to 13 points in overtime last week could also be missing a large part of its back end and front.

Rutgers is in a worse spot at the most important position. Starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan is out after he was hurt in last week's loss to Northwestern, and receiver KJ Duff is questionable. Defensive backs Kaj Sanders and Zahmir Dawud are also out. Detroit Sports Nation reported that AJ Surace and Sean Ashenfelder both played after Lonergan left. Michigan Wolverines On SI described Carr's debut against the Hoosiers as a slow climb: he recovered from two turnovers and twice moved Michigan into position for a go-ahead score in the second half. The outlet also pointed to a Rutgers run defense that gives up 185 yards per game as the place for Michigan's ground game to get going.

What it means for Saturday

The season numbers show why the injuries hurt most on offense. Michigan is 4-3 and averages about 20 points per game. Take away the 52 it scored against UTEP, and it has not scored more than 21 in any game. Its last four games, against Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State and Indiana, produced a combined 60 points, and none was decided by more than seven. The defense has carried the team, allowing about 16 points per game and no more than 20 all season.

Rutgers is 2-5 and allows about 33 points per game. It has given up 42 or more three times, most recently in a 42-14 loss at Northwestern. Its two wins came against Howard and Maryland. Both teams are 1-3 in Big Ten play, and Michigan has Michigan State next on November 7.

The board on this site's game page still has Michigan as a heavy favorite despite the injury list. Novig lists the Wolverines at -614 to win outright and Rutgers at +590. On the spread, Novig sets Michigan at -16.5 at +102. The best Michigan price among the 11 venues is Hard Rock Bet's -15.5 at -110, so the spread differs by a point from venue to venue. The total shows a wider gap: Novig sits at 46.5 and FanDuel is the low number at 44.5. The sportsbooks' built-in hold runs from about 3.4% to 7%, depending on the market.

A spread near 16 points assumes Michigan will score at a rate it has reached only once this season. Whether it can depends on a patched-up offensive line holding up against a Rutgers defense that has struggled all year.