ANN ARBOR -- Lost in the hoopla of the pre-game incident before Michigan's game Saturday against Michigan State was the return of a certain wide receiver.

Tarik Black, the redshirt freshman who was sidelined for the first seven games of the season while rehabbing from surgery to repair a fractured right foot, made his unofficial debut during the Wolverines' 21-7 over the Spartans.

No, Black did not make a catch, nor was he targeted in the game -- and many of you reading probably missed it. But he lined up outside on a third-and-3 play during Michigan's first drive of the game.

Then Michigan called timeout and he came off, never to return.

"We knew he was cleared by the doctors," Harbaugh said Monday during his bye-week news conference. "He practiced, limited, during the week and was cleared to play in the game.

"So, we wanted to get him back out there."

It's unclear why Black never re-entered the game -- Harbaugh was not asked a follow-up question -- but he was in uniform and listed as having played in Michigan's post-game participation report.

It was Black's first time getting onto the field for an actual football game in more than a year, Sept. 16, 2017, when he fractured his left foot in a win over Air Force. He missed the remainder of the 2017 season to rehab and was granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA to preserve a year of eligibility.

He was healthy and eager to return to the field during fall camp, then suffered his latest foot fracture a week before Michigan was set to open the season at Notre Dame.

Earlier this month, Harbaugh said the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Black was "progressing nicely" but declined to provide a timeline for his return. Teammates hinted at the potential for his return last week, too.

Then it happened. Although most of the public probably missed it.

Asked if Black will be a full-go when No. 5 Michigan (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) hosts Penn State on Nov. 3, Harbaugh said: "I don't know exactly."