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Major Michigan starter to miss significant time due to injury

That could either hurt or really help the Wolverines.

Michigan's offense has not been fantastic in the early going of the 2017 season but, on the bright for fans of the Wolverines, the team has managed to secure four victories without suffering a loss on the scoreboard. However, Jim Harbaugh's team was forced to operate without its incumbent starting quarterback for much of the last game against Purdue and, on Monday, the head coach confirmed that Wilton Speight will be out of the lineup for "multiple weeks" with John O'Korn taking the reins.

Many projected that O'Korn, who played quite well in Speight's absence against the Boilermakers, would make Michigan's next start even if Speight returned, but this announcement indicates that Speight isn't ready just yet. The Wolverines had a bye week after the win over Purdue and, in keeping with Harbaugh's tendencies, it was radio silence from Ann Arbor.

Still, we now know that the former Houston quarterback will be the starter in O'Korn and he will be backed up by former top-tier prospect Brandon Peters.

Given that O'Korn failed to beat out Speight over the course of both the 2016 and 2017 seasons, expectations should likely be tempered to some extent. Still, there was real optimism in the flashes that O'Korn showed against Purdue and there is no time to waste with Michigan taking on Michigan State this week.