Northwestern cornerback Matt Harris out with broken bones in face

CHICAGO — Northwestern starting cornerback Matt Harris will be out for the "foreseeable future" with broken bones in his face, NU coach Pat Fitzgerald confirmed at his press conference Monday.

Harris, a junior, took a knee to the helmet during the second half of Northwestern's 38-0 loss at Michigan. He received extensive treatment on the field, and rode off on a cart. He did not return to the game.

"I'm not going to put a timetable on it," Fitzgerald said. "He's got a couple of broken bones in his face, so we'll probably evaluate where he's at, and probably a good time to ask would be after the bye week."

Fitzgerald and Traveon Henry said after the game Saturday that Harris was up and alert in the locker room after what looked like a scary incident.

It was the third time that Harris has suffered what looked like a serious head/upper body injury in his career at Northwestern. He was injured on his first ever college play, the opening kickoff against Cal in the season opener of his true freshman season. He was again injured in a collision with Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg last season.

In Harris' place on Northwestern's Week 7 depth chart was redshirt sophomore Keith Watkins, who has seen significant time this season as a slot corner and backup on the outside. True freshman Montre Hartage moves into a backup role.

Northwestern takes on Iowa on homecoming this Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.