College Football

No. 2 Michigan hosts UNLV in second game without suspended coach Harbaugh

Published Sep. 7, 2023 3:46 p.m. ET

No. 2 Michigan has national championship hopes and can’t afford an upset against a team it's expected to beat by five-plus touchdowns, as the Wolverines play the second of three games without suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET).

Harbaugh, who is serving a school-imposed, three-game suspension for breaking NCAA rules, will have his role filled by his son, Jay, in the first half and Mike Hart in the second half. Jay Harbaugh is the team’s special teams coordinator and safeties coach. Hart, a former Michigan star, leads the running backs.

On the other side, first-year coach Barry Odom has an opportunity to showcase his program to more people than will likely watch the rest of the Rebels’ season. Odom is the first UNLV coach to win his debut since John Robinson did in 1999.

The key matchup Saturday will be UNLV’s running game against Michigan’s defense. The Rebels had four players combine to score five touchdowns in their season-opening, 44-14 victory over Bryant in Odom’s debut. The Wolverines gave up just 103 yards rushing in a 30-3 win over East Carolina in their opener — their 16th straight win at home and 26th victory in 29 games.

Players to watch include UNLV wide receiver Ricky White. In his last game at Michigan Stadium, the former Michigan State Spartan had eight receptions for 196 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Wolverines in 2020. White did not play in 2021 and after transferring, he had 51 catches for 619 yards and four touchdowns last season for the Rebels.

Michigan wideout Roman Wilson had six catches for 78 yards and three touchdowns last week, the first Wolverine with three receiving touchdowns in a game since 2019 when Nico Collins pulled off the feat. Wilson’s previous career high was two touchdowns against Penn State in 2021.

UNLV is facing its highest-ranked opponent, equaling its matchup with Peyton Manning-led, second-ranked Tennessee on the road in the 1996 opener. The Wolverines beat the Rebels 28-7 at home in their last meeting in 2015.

Reporting by The Associated Press.