Devin Gardner Named Michigan's Starting Quarterback

Updates from Monday, Oct. 6

Steve Komacki of MGoBlue.com conducted an interview with Michigan head coach Brady Hoke. Among topics discussed was the team's starting quarterback:

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Q. Devin Gardner threw for 178 yards and ran for 40 yards and two touchdowns in returning to the starting lineup.Shane Morris had started the previous week. What's your quarterback situation headed into Saturday?

A. I think as we continue, Devin will be the guy who will start. I think he had a good football game. He did a lot of good stuff from playing the position of quarterback to his leadership. And I thought that was evident on the sideline. When the defense was out there after him and Nuss got together and did what they needed to do, he's one of the first guys up there cheering those guys on. And I think that's something that's special. But Shane will be second, and then we'll go from there.

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Original Text

With the University of Michigan's 2014 college football season fading fast, embattled head coach Brady Hoke is putting his trust back in Devin Gardner at quarterback.    

According to Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports, Gardner will start for the Wolverines on Saturday against Rutgers one week after being benched in favor of Shane Morris:

With Michigan sitting at 2-3 and coming off consecutive losses, Hoke gave his senior signal-caller a vote of confidence, per Mike Sullivan of 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit:

This decision comes on the heels of major controversy regarding Morris. The sophomore left last week's game against Minnesota after sustaining a helmet-to-helmet hit early in the fourth quarter that left him visibly wobbly. (He was later diagnosed with a "probable mild concussion.") However, he later re-entered the game for one play after Gardner lost his helmet during a run, despite not receiving clearance to return from the team's medical staff.

Hoke has come under fire since the incident. He released a statement suggesting he initially removed Morris from the game due to the aggravation of an earlier leg injury, according to Nicole Auerbach of USA Today:

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon then blamed miscommunication for Morris being allowed back on the field, per Jon Solomon of CBS Sports:

Tyler Donahue of Bleacher Report weighed in on how the uncertainty surrounding the program has negatively impacted recruiting:

Hoke was already on the hot seat due to his team's awful play, but this Morris situation only turned up the heat more. The sophomore signal-caller isn't even "listed as an option for the Rutgers game," per ESPN.com's Dan Murphy. 

Hoke probably needs to go on a major run for the rest of the season in order to possibly retain his job. The final nail in the coffin may have been the mishandling of Morris' injury, though, and reverting to Gardner isn't likely to change that.

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