Jim Harbaugh flat out denies Wilton Speight being out for the year

Contrary to reports that Wilton Speight is out for the season, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is saying that he hasn’t heard that from doctors.

Michigan’s season is falling apart at the seams. Week 11 was a whirlwind of chaos, and one that the undefeated Wolverines couldn’t escape. In a mistake-riddled game, they lost 14-13 to Iowa on a night where they couldn’t seem to get their offense going.

Even though Wilton Speight struggled against the Hawkeyes, he has been vital to their season so far, having powered Michigan’s high-scoring offense. So when reports surfaced that he was done for the season, there was cause for panic. He’s been reliable all season long, and losing a playmaker as dynamic as him for their monumental showdown against Ohio State puts them well behind the eight-ball.

But there’s nobody who knows Wilton Speight more than his coach Jim Harbaugh. He was the one who initially said he was a “game-time decision” against Indiana. When he was asked about the starting signal-caller’s injury, this is what he had to say:

At this point, college football fans don’t know what to believe anymore. Without Wilton Speight, John O’Korn would’ve had to line up under center, but Michigan’s offense has featured plenty of Wildcat packages featuring Jabrill Peppers, so to suggest that the linebacker would take more snaps than O’Korn wasn’t entirely inconceivable.

Perhaps someone leaked out Speight being done for the year to lure Ohio State into a false sense of security. Ever since they lost to Penn State, Buckeyes fans had the unenviable task of rooting for Michigan, because a loss would’ve meant Penn State would reach the Championship Game if both teams won out. If anything, Michigan probably knew this and lost to Iowa on purpose.

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It’s totally possible, then, that O’Korn will start against Indiana, before they play Wilton Speight’s music for The Game. Knowing Harbaugh, he’s certainly got to have some tricks up his sleeve. But the Buckeyes have dominated this rivalry, including winning 42-13 on the road in Harbaugh’s first season, so they should like their chances in spite of his mind games.