Devin Gardner 'fine' following sideline collision in Notre Dame game

Despite crashing into a metal platform near the end zone in Saturday's frustrating loss to Notre Dame, Michigan Wolverines' receiver Devin Gardner is not dealing with any type of serious injury according to head coach Brady Hoke.

"He's fine," Hoke told Kyle Meinke of MLive.com on Tuesday, before then confirming that his 6'4 wide out would be fully available at practice this week.

Gardner was down on the ground in obvious pain after attempting a touchdown grab during a futile Michigan comeback effort, and was eventually helped off the field by team doctors after the scary sequence. Thankfully for both Gardner and the Wolverines though, the team is not scheduled to play again until Oct. 6 against Purdue. So even if the junior quarterback-turned-receiver is nursing a minor injury that Hoke isn't mentioning, he should still be fully healthy when the Wolverines take the field in two weeks.

With a team-leading 195 receiving yards through four games, it's quite clear that Gardner's role in Al Borges' offense is more expansive than anyone anticipated just weeks ago. And after a woeful performance from quarterback Denard Robinson against the Irish, the Wolverines should thank their lucky stars that Gardner won't be forced to miss any time after this freak collision.