Ryan Glasgow remembers the exact moment he tore his pectoral muscle.
The fifth-year senior defensive tackle was chasing down Rutgers quarterback Chris Laviano when his hand got stuck in Laviano’s helmet.
The quarterback went one way, Glasgow went the other and he heard a pop. He knew instantly his season was over, and his absence from the starting lineup clearly had a negative effect on the Michigan defense.
Up until that point, the most rushing yards the Wolverines had given up all year was 144. But in the game following Glasgow’s injury, Michigan gave up 307 rushing yards to Indiana before getting gouged by Ohio State’s rushing attack two weeks later for 369 yards in the final game of the regular season.
Fast forward seven months and Glasgow is raring to go with his shoulder almost back to 100 percent.
“(My) strength is back already, which I’m really happy with (considering) it’s only been seven months,” Glasgow said Saturday. “Conditioning is fine, everything is going well right now. … There might be some rust in technique but I’d be healthy enough to go.”
Dealing with the injury was difficult for Glasgow as he had to sit on the sidelines and watch as his team played without him. But he found company in former defensive end Mario Ojemudia, who was Glasgow’s roommate and close friend.
Ojemudia had sustained a torn achilles tendon earlier in the season against Maryland, keeping him out for the rest of the year. For Glasgow, that meant he had someone whose situation he could relate to.
“You work all year to play these games with your friends and teammates,” Glasgow said. “(When) it gets taken away from you instantly it makes you realize how great the game of football is when you can’t play.
“Being out on the field is amazing. I’ve definitely taken it for granted before and I never will ever again now. The injury definitely sobers you up to the fact that football does have an end date, which is unfortunate, but really makes you appreciate the game.”
Now, Glasgow is ready to hit the field with the rest of the defensive line — a defensive line that returns six key contributors and also adds the nation’s top-ranked recruit in freshman Rashan Gary.
Glasgow is aware of the expectations surrounding the defensive line but believes it’s simply a matter of letting their play do the talking.
“We just want to show it on the field,” Glasgow said. “You don’t see any of us tweeting about it or posting on Instagram saying we want to be the best. Last year we just went out and showed it on the field every game, and we want to have a similar approach this year.”