Michigan's 41-14 loss to Alabama just got a little more costly.
The team announced Monday that sophomore cornerback Blake Countess, who left the game in the first half with an injury, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
Countess worked his way into the starting lineup midway through his true freshman season last year, finishing with 44 tackles, 1.5 tackles for losses, one forced fumble and six pass breakups. Though he gave up some big plays late in the year and in the Sugar Bowl, Countess is extremely talented and had the potential to develop into one of the best corners in the Big Ten.
Junior Courtney Avery replaced Countess against Alabama and struggled at times. Other options include sophomore Ramon Taylor or true freshman Terry Richardson. This week's game against Air Force, which uses the option attack, should give the Wolverines time to break in a new starter.
The secondary was one of the team's deepest positions heading into the year, so at least Michigan has depth to use here. But finding a player of Countess' ability won't be easy.
