Michigan Wolverines football was able to pull off a 27-24 win over USC as an underdog Sept. 21 without junior tight end Colston Loveland, one of the team’s top players and one of the best at his position in the country.

Coming into that week, Loveland was heavily relied upon, leading the nation’s tight ends with 24 targets and 19 receptions, but his team managed. Loveland returned to the lineup for last week’s 27-24 victory over Minnesota, but Michigan was cautious with him, playing the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder on only passing plays, 16 of them, as he recovers from a shoulder injury.

“Felt pretty good,” Loveland said of playing against Minnesota. “Glad to be back. It sucks watching the game from the sidelines, for sure. It was good to be back, though.”

Added Loveland, when asked if he’s back to 100-percent health: “Yeah, yup. Feel great.”

Loveland said the Michigan staff made the decision to limit him against the Golden Gophers, even though he “wanted to be out there more.”

“Just kinda making sure it gets back to … just don’t want to reaggravate it, if you know what I’m saying,” the Gooding, Idaho, native said. “They did a great job of managing my reps. But yeah, it’s feeling great now, so it’s ready to roll.

“It was just the smart thing to do, and I know the boys behind me were going to take care of business.”

Loveland still made the most of his opportunities. On his 16 passing snaps, he was targeted 6 times, making 4 catches for 41 yards. One of the targets was an interception, with junior quarterback Alex Orji misfiring on a throw up the seam.

Despite missing a game, the Michigan standout is tied sixth nationally among tight ends with 30 targets, grabbing 23 receptions for 228 yards and a score. He’s up to a 56.3 PFF run-blocking grade, too, ranking 21st among Big Ten tight ends with 45-plus run-blocking snaps. That’s up from 51.0 last season.

“I think I definitely have in a lot of aspects,” the Michigan star noted. “I think, first and foremost, I’ve gotten bigger, faster, stronger.

“Just the little details in everything, especially with my routes in the pass game, route detail, releases, all that.

“And then the run game, as well. I haven’t been able to be in the run game the past couple weeks, obviously not playing and then not really doing it last week, but the details in that have been great, as well, just trying to keep working on everything, get everything better.”

With that, Loveland has noticed that defenses are placing added attention on him with their coverages.

“I’ll see some teams drop a D-end in the boundary or make sure they got a safety over the top or whatever it may be,” he explained. “I kinda saw some of that last year, too, though, so nothing really new. But it’s interesting to see how defenses scheme up, for sure.”

Orji is entering his third start as Michigan’s starting quarterback, with a road trip to Washington up next. He’s been shaky with only 20 completions and 133 yards on 36 passes this season, but Loveland believes there’s more he can show.

“I’m just waiting for him to take over,” he said. “He’s definitely got it in him. Obviously, he’s freaky, but I’m waiting for him to just take over the game, which I know he will with his legs, with his arm strength. I know it’s coming, so I’m excited to see when that comes.

“But I’m all behind ‘Orj’ and all the quarterbacks. I got their back. I know they all got mine, so whatever I gotta do for them and whatever they gotta do for me, we’re gonna make sure it gets done to help the team win.”

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