Notebook: Notable injury updates, Joe Rossi on 'impressive' CJ Carr, WMU OL shining, Matt Drinkall extolls Sean Cronin's defensive rebuild
From MSU facing down one of the nation's top QBs to CMU's defense shining in Week 2, there's plenty to run down as Week 3 comes into focus across the Mitten.
The weekly Wednesday grab bag of news and notes (and injury news of import) is back, with some hits on the three Michigan MAC teams and one note out of MSU as the Spartans prep to travel to South Bend and face Notre Dame.
Come for that, stay for the run down on the various notable injury/health updates at the bottom.
EMU defense getting durability test vs. Wisconsin?
The Eagles defense will want to land somewhere closer to Wisconsin’s Week 1 rushing performance vs. Notre Dame than Week 2 vs. Western Illinois.
- Wisconsin's run game vs. Notre Dame: 31 carries for 67 yards
- Wisconsin's run game vs. Western Illinois: 31 carries for 233 yards, 2 touchdowns
And after giving up more than 250 net rushing yards to MSU last Saturday, EMU will need to avoid wearing down, something head coach Chris Creighton observed late in the game.
MSU only ran three more plays in the second half than it did in the first, but after running and passing 17 times each in the first two quarters, the Spartans ran it 28 times in the second half to nine pass attempts. EMU’s defense also had to play at least one long stretch, relatively, due to a fumble that helped MSU turn the game from a close battle to a blowout.
Wisconsin will look to get Abu Sama III going, and Creighton isn’t concerned about any schematic issues or lack of depth. The Eagles just need to keep out of game scripts where the pile starts moving the wrong way because a defense is getting worn down.
“So I do think we got, you know, worn down a little bit,” Creighton said. “You know, they played a lot of football, defensively, in the second half. And obviously they were super committed to running at it. And so, a combination of those two things.”
Joe Rossi shares impressions of Notre Dame QB CJ Carr
Much of how good Notre Dame is on offense is downstream of Carr, a junior quarterback who is, of course, Lloyd Carr’s grandson. Carr, a captain and starter for Notre Dame, first took over the starting job at the beginning of 2025 and is 12-2 since.
Carr’s looked good to start 2026, completing 71.4 percent of his passes for 246 yards a game and six touchdowns with no interceptions. And what impresses Rossi most is how Carr, a former Saline High School star, meshes obvious physical tools and talents with command and football IQ.
“Yeah, I think he's — number one: he's talented. He's got a very good arm. He's very accurate. But I think the thing that separates him is his football IQ and his intelligence,” Rossi said Wednesday. “It's very evident watching the film that he runs the show. So, there are some teams where they look to the sideline and the coach gives them the check and all those things. He's making the check. He's prepped during the week on, 'Hey, this look, that look, I want this, I want out of this.' He does a great job of executing it. So, you know, it's the talent, but also it's the demeanor and the football IQ. So he's an impressive player.”
Andrew Graham
Andrew Graham
This WMU offensive line is the real deal again
Through two games, WMU has given up three sacks, two against Michigan and one to Monmouth, though head coach Lance Taylor is of the opinion the lone sack vs. Monmouth was really a QB run that got recorded as one.
“To have 25 pass attempts and only give up one sack, which was really a QB run that was a negative and got marked as a sack, to me, was special,” Taylor said on Monday. “It was great to see.”
Regardless, this is an offensive line that’s kept Broc Lowry (and Trey Petty) generally very clean on 46 dropbacks in two games, and paved the way for 295 sack-adjusted rushing yards in two weeks. 142 of those yards came against Michigan, more than Oklahoma managed vs. the Wolverines on the ground; WMU gave up one fewer sack, too.
Taylor heaped praise on offensive line coach Joe Pawlak and that group after Week 1 and more is deserved after Week 2, and for the five starters — LT Chad Schuster, LG Hunter Whitenack, C Spencer Beckeman, RG Gavin Dabo and RT Ben Roebuck.
Matt Drinkall heaps praise on DC Sean Cronin for CMU’s defensive performance
The Chippewas got boxed out by New Mexico but don’t ultimately feel let down by the opening defensive performance, despite the ugly box score.
And the defense followed it up with a four-turnover showing vs. Colgate and a second half shutout that has bred early confidence among the defensive group that’s pulled together a disparate collection of transfers, a few rising returners, some true freshmen, and a small handful of returning starters.
And Drinkall was quick to talk up defensive coordinator Sean Cronin for his role in getting the defense to this sort of point so fast.
“Sean's just, he's from Detroit, he's a tough ass, blue collar, like, find a way, not a finding excuses guy. And he gets all of our guys to rally and do that,” Drinkall said. “And he's one of those guys, man, the best compliment I can give to Cronin, he's one of those guys you would, like, you would just kill to play for. Every time I watch him teach, and I watch him coach, and I watch him lead, I'm just like, these kids have no idea how — some of them do — like, how fun it is to play for a leader and a coach like that who just, he's, he exhausts himself by getting you in a position to do your best. And he just wants you to do well so bad. So he's done a tremendous job.”
Andrew Graham
Andrew Graham
Injuries/health status of note
EMU LB Barry Manning: Head coach Chris Creighton said after the MSU game that Manning will be out for the season. Manning suffered an injury during the San Jose State game in Week 1. (h/t Ypsilanti 11)
CMU FB/TE Rusty VanWetzinga IV: Sprained his MCL and will miss a few weeks, per Matt Drinkall (h/t By The Belt)
CMU TE Jaden Allen: Finger surgery, will miss at least vs. Wyoming; TBD after, per Drinkall (again, h/t By The Belt)
EMU WR Harold Mack: Creighton said on Monday that Mack is day-to-day, and his status for the game vs. Wisconsin is unclear. Mack was in the injury tent for a long time vs. MSU after getting hit hard to the upper body and fumbling. He didn’t return to the game on Saturday.
MSU LB Jordan Hall: Hall sat out the EMU game with an evident injury to his right arm, which he sustained against Toledo in the opener but played through. After the game head coach Pat Fitzgerald said Hall was close — in effect the Spartans seemed to want to make sure Hall was healthy for Saturday vs. Notre Dame. Whether Hall does go on Saturday is unclear. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi on Wednesday said “we kind of handled him the same way this week” and that final decision comes down to Fitzgerald and Hall consulting with the doctors.
UM OL Evan Link: He’s potentially slated to get back into a rotation at guard after dressing but not playing vs. Oklahoma. Link’s injury apparently wasn’t severe, given he dressed out on Saturday, and he should be back sooner rather than later.
UM OL Andrew Babalola: Babalola had a “setback” in recovering and rehabbing his knee injury/surgery, and head coach Kyle Whittingham said the sophomore tackle won’t be available for a while still.
