ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It’s precisely the thing you didn’t want to see on Saturday with news that would soon follow.
Just as Michigan football team captain and senior wide receiver Ronnie Bell was showcasing that he’s one of the best pass catches and most explosive playmakers in the Big Ten, he went down with injury in the season opener against Western Michigan. The morose tone taken in the postgame press conference indicated that Bell’s injury was pretty severe.
Unfortunately, that ended up being the case, as head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed at his Monday press conference that Bell’s injury in the game was severe and will be out for the season.
“Unfortunately Ronnie will be out for the season,” Harbaugh said. “He has a knee injury, it’s a shame.”
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Harbaugh did confirm that his knee is repairable through surgery.
In less than one half of football, Bell had 107 all-purpose yards, which included 76 yards through the air and 31 yards on the punt return in which he was injured.
If Bell opts to continue his collegiate career rather than turning pro once he recovers, he will have two years of eligibility at his disposal. For now, Michigan will likely lean heavily on players such as Cornelius Johnson, Mike Sainristil, Roman Wilson, AJ Henning, Andrel Anthony and Daylen Baldwin to add productivity in the passing game.
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