Michigan right guard and NFL prospect Zak Zinter was carted off the field while on a stretcher late in the third quarter as the Wolverines’ 30-24 win over Ohio State took a scary — and emotional — turn.
While blocking for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, a Buckeyes’ defender stationed directly to his left got shoved to the ground by a pair of Michigan players and appeared to land on Zinter’s leg.
The entire Michigan team huddled around Zinter on the field when the cart arrived, and the senior pumped his fist while exiting the field.
The crowd broke out into a “Let’s go Zak” chant, too, according to reporters in Ann Arbor.
In a season already filled with controversies, from Jim Harbaugh’s initial suspension to start the season for recruiting violations to the sign-stealing scandal, Zinter’s injury served as a devastating development for a Wolverines team trying to make the College Football Playoff.
Zak Zinter acknowledges the Michigan crowd after getting injured in the third quarter of Saturday’s game. Getty ImagesMichigan channeled the emotions from Zinter’s injury into motivation in their 30-24 victory against No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday, with Blake Corum scoring a 22-yard rushing touchdown on the next snap following Zinter’s injury to give Michigan a seven-point lead — flashing a six and a five, Zinter’s number, after the score.
Fox’s broadcast also showed McCarthy embracing Zinter’s parents on the sidelines following the injury.
The Wolverines then added two field goals in the fourth quarter, while Rod Moore’s interception in the final minute sealed their third consecutive victory against Ohio State.
Zak Zinter appeared to suffer a serious knee injury during Michigan’s victory against Ohio State on Saturday. Getty Images
J.J. McCarthy (9) embraced the parents of Zak Zinter following the injury. Screengrab via Twitter/@CFBONFOX“We said we were gonna do it for [Zinter],” Corum told Fox postgame. “And we did it.”
Zinter could’ve entered the NFL Draft following his junior season — the second consecutive year where Michigan’s offensive line won the Tom Moore Award as the country’s top unit — but opted to return for a final season, reuniting with the same teammates from past Michigan runs and hoping that this time, and this run, would end with a national title.
“There was a lot that went into my decision to return,” Zinter said during a June podcast episode. “… We want to beat Penn State, Michigan State, Ohio State, do it again, win the Big Ten again and we want to make that next step — win the bowl game, win the national championship, be a captain. … This is the last year. I’m going to give it everything I have.”
In its November mock draft, The Athletic had the 49ers selecting Zinter with the No. 32 overall pick.
