SB Nation Detroit - Blake Countess Injury: Michigan Loses Top Corner For Season

Blake Countess Injury: Brady Hoke Installs CB Courtney Avery

2012-09-04T12:49:27Z

Courtney Avery is Michigan's new starting cornerback, according to a report from MLive. Blake Countess, who opened the season as the Wolverines' starting corner, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.

Time at the position was split between Avery, sophomore Raymon Taylor and true freshman Terry Richardson in Michigan's loss to Alabama. Avery was burned on an early play by Alabama wide receiver DeAndrew White, giving the Tide a touchdown and making it 14-0.

Avery, a junior, played corner for the Wolverines in 12 games in the 2011 season, including three starts. He finished the season with 26 tackles, .5 sacks, four passes broken up, two fumble recoveries, one fumble forced and tied for the team lead with two interceptions. The highlight of his season was undoubtedly the last-minute interception vs. Ohio State, sealing Michigan's first victory against its rivals since 2003.

Stick with SB Nation Detroit for more coverage of the Wolverines, or check out Maize N Brew. For all things college football, head over to SB Nation's NCAA football hub.

Blake Countess Injury: Michigan CB Officially Out For Season With Torn ACL

2012-09-03T17:27:11Z

Not only did the Michigan Wolverines take a beating on Saturday against the Alabama Crimson Tide, they lost an incredibly talented player to injury. The official Michigan Football twitter account hammers home just how serious the injury is: cornerback Blake Countess will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.

Head football coach Brady Hoke held a conference on Monday and spoke on the injury. According to Michael Rothstein on Twitter, Countess will have surgery sometime in the next two weeks to repair the ligament. Recovery from an ACL injury is always a long and arduous process, with players almost always being out for the entire season. Many times, players never regain the same quickness or burst they had prior to the injury.

All they can do now is look ahead and see what they can do about replacing him. It was previously speculated on here as to who will be his replacement, but now it's known that Courtney Avery is listed as the starting corner in place of Countess, according to Kyle Meinke, also via Twitter.

There's a chance the snap count will go up for guys like sophomore Ramon Taylor and true freshman Terry Richardson, as well. Saturday also saw the Wolverines move some guys from safety to the nickel corner slot, which is something that we may see more of as well.

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can learn more about college football around the country over at SB Nation's College Football hub.

Blake Countess Injury Takes Out Michigan's Top Cover Man

2012-09-03T13:37:56Z

The Michigan Wolverines were beaten soundly by the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday night in Dallas, but more damaging for the team's long-term outlook was the loss of top corner Blake Countess for the rest of the season. Here is Anthony Mammel of SB Nation's Wolverines blog, Maize n Brew, with a quick assessment of the loss of Countess:

Michigan has some depth to work with at corner but that doesn't mean that he's replaceable. He's the best cover man the Wolverines have and the sledding will only get tougher without him.

The most likely replacements for Countess are junior Courtney Avery, sophomore Ramon Taylor and true freshman Terry Richardson. The Wolverines also experimented on Saturday night with moving safeties Jarrod Wilson and Thomas Gordon into the nickelback slot.

Michigan will have a few weeks in practice to work out the kinks in the secondary rotation. Their next opponent, the Air Force Falcons, features a run-heavy option offense.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Detroit. For more in-depth coverage, visit Michigan Wolverines blog Maize n Brew. And for more news, notes and analysis from around NCAA football, check out SB Nation's college football hub.

Blake Countess Injury: Michigan CB Out For Season, According To Report

2012-09-03T03:19:00Z

According to a report from Brian Cook of MGoBlog.com, Michigan Wolverines defensive back Blake Countess is out for the rest of the season because of a knee injury. Countess suffered the injury in Michigan's 41-14 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday night.

Countess appeared in 12 games for the Wolverines as a freshman in 2011 and started the team's final six games. He finished the year with 44 tackles (30 solo) and six pass breakups. He made a career-high eight tackles in Michigan's Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech.

Countess earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors from both ESPN.com and BTN.com. He will redshirt the 2012 season and play as a redshirt sophomore in 2013.