Y. N- U U U Ammw-- --- -MMMJ f i W7 -W - . _ _ 0 w 4 - The Michigan Daily - Football Saturday - Saturday, September 18, 2004 The Michigan Daily - Football Saturday - Sa 171 yards an d a c oud O IM J Michigan currently ranks 94th in the nation in rushing offense, with just 171 net rushing yards t said on Monday that he has someone in mind to take over the job at starting tailback, but he wt Michigan Daily breaks down the candidates for the position and their chances to fulfill the ro ~hrough two games. Lloyd ( ould not indicate who it is. le as Michigan's top runner MIKE HART YEAR: TRUE FRESHMAN HOMETOWN: SYRACUSE, N.Y. HOMETOWN: MADISONVILLE, TEXAS HEIGHT: 6-0 ~ FIGHT: 216 YEAR: SOPHOMORE HOMETOWN: SAGINAW HEIGHT: 5-11 X1'EIGHT: 198 HEIGHT: 5-9 WEIGHT: 185 2004 STATS: 231 1 RECEPTION, 9 CAREER STATS: 2 RECEPTIONS, CARRIES, 61 YARDS, 2 TDS, YARDS. 142 CARRIES, 562 YARDS, 18 TDS, 18 YARDS. (4i 2004 STATS: 22 CARRIES, 57 YARDS, 1 ITD. CAREER STATS: 51 CARRIES, 244 YARDS, 3 TDS. F THE SKINNY: WheneDavid Underwood went down early in last Saturday's game against Notre Dame, Jackson becamethe featured back and fared no better than the others, rushing for just 32 yards an 15 carries. Running lanes were hard to come by and when they were there, he was unable to break tackles and gain any extra yards. Against Miami (Ohio) two weeks ago,Jackson did show a willingness to burst into the hole that the other runners lacked. W,. OUR C~ALL: There's really no way of knowing if Jackson can be a reliable every-down back until he actually does it. With the "bring-him-along-slowly- and-steadily" approach tossed aside, Carr could try to rely on Jackson and see where it takes him. But because he is smaller than the typical Michigan back and hasn't shown much elusiveness, Carr may not want to give him the ball down after down. He also needs to prove that he can be a reliable receiver and blocker to play more often. 2004 STATS: 8 CARRIES, 37 YARDS, 2 RECEPTIONS, 7 YARDS. CAREER STATS: 8 CARRIES, 37 YARDS, 2 RECEPTIONS, 7 YARDS. THE SKINNY: Hart rewrote the national high school record books, setting the mark in touchdowns (204), career points (1246), most consecutive 100-yard rushing games (47) and career 100-yard rushing games (47). With his small stature, nobody expected Hart to make a big impact in his freshman year. But Hart's seen time as Michigan's third back and the shifty runner has packed a powerful punch, trucking Notre Dame's Preston Jackson last week. OUR CALL: Hart has turned many heads in a limited role. With the struggles of David Underwood and Jerome Jackson, Hart may not be far from receiving a substantial amount of carries. Also, Lloyd Carr always stresses the importance of planning for the future by getting players acclimated to the college game as underclassmen. I - THE SKINNY: There's no question that David Underwood has more experience than anyone else competing for the position. He had some maturity issues early on in his career, but all indications are that those are behind him. Underwood was given the start in the season opener against Miami (Ohio), but looked unimpressive in a 22-carry, 64-yard performance. Underwood started against Notre Dame, but received a concussion in Michigan's second offensive _play. There has been no official comment as to his future status. OUR CALL: As long as Underwood is healthy, he figures to be in the running back rotation, even though he has yet to prove himself in game action. But one has to wonder how effective Underwood is, considering he was rarely used as a replacement last year even when Chris Perry was receiving an obscene amount of carries. YEAR: SOPHOMORE HOMETOWN: MILWAUKEE HEIGHT: 6-0 WEIGHT: 213 2004 STATS: 5 CARRIES, 32 YARDS, 2 RECEPTIONS, 0 YARDS. CAREER STATS: 26 CARRIES, 121 YARDS, 4 TDS, 3 RECEPTIONS, -2 YARDS. THE SKINNY: Rembert, who played at the same high school as John Navarre, battled in the offseason for the starting position. But as of right now, he seems to be the team's fourth option at running back. Rembert runs like a traditional Michigan power back. He may be Michigan's most consistent pass-blocker. OUR CALL: Rembert has not shown Maize and Blue faithful anything spectacular so far, but he has never really had the opportunity to do so. Because of his ability to protect the quarterback, Rembert could see significant time in passing situations. Currently, he doesn't figure into the ground game very much. 1i Writeups by Gennaro Filice, Bob Hunt and Sharad Mattu Photos by Ryan Weiner and Tony Ding