The last time fans and media members saw an actual snap of Michigan football was during the spring game, which was both televised by Big Ten Network and open to the public on a dreary April afternoon.
But nothing about that setting was normal: assistant coaches drafted teams in lieu of true glimpses at the starting lineups; quarterback J.J. McCarthy wasn’t medically cleared to throw a pass; the other quarterback, Cade McNamara, played for both squads; and numerous players were withheld because of minor injury concerns.