x Wednesday, October 9, 2013 -- 7A
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Sports Wednesday, October 9,2013- 7A
Green, a 'load, helps
to carry Michigan's
ByMATT SLOVIN "That's pretty good," Kane
ManagingEditor said. "He's a big dude. He moves
extremely well and has quick
Time and time again this off- feet."
season, the Michigan coaching Saturday against Minnesota,
staff said that Fitzgerald Tous- the 240-pound Green carried the
saint was looking "like the old ball 10 times -his most since the
Fitz." opener against Central Michi-
Thus far, an inexperienced gan when he rushed 11 times for
offensive line has prevented 58 yards and also scored his first
Toussaint from fully demon- collegiate touchdown. Green's
strating just how recovered he yards per carry average against
actually is from a horrific leg Minnesota was just 2.3, down
injury that cut his season short from 5.3 against Central Michi-
a year ago. But there have been gan, though he did score again.
times - mostly in Michigan's "He didn't have big numbers,"
last two games, in which Tous- Borges said. "He had a couple
saint has averaged at least 4.6 nice runs. He powered the ball
yards per carry - when he has inside at the 2-yard line (for a
exemplified the Wolverines' new touchdown), which was good.
power running game. "It was a good starting point
But Toussaint will be at his against a Big Ten opponent, and
best when he doesn't have to he got a few carries."
handle the entire workload out Against the Chippewas, Green
of the backfield. For example, entered the game when the out-
against Connecticut, offensive come had long since been decid-
coordinator Al Borges said Tous- ed. But he got carries against
saint was "running out of gas" by the Golden Gophers early - a
the end of the game. sign the coaching staff has
Luckily for the offense, this come to trust him to take some
doesn't have to be a one-man of the weight off of Toussaint's
show. shoulders. Never was that more
perfect fit for Green because
the timing of his commitment
coincided with the program's
re-installation of the pro-style
offense ("That's his cup of tea,"
Kane said). Being the downhill
running back that he is, Green
knew he'd be able to contribute
immediately.
As the season begins to take
its toll on Toussaint, having
Green in the mixwill be aluxury
for Borge4, who noted the fresh-
man has come a long way during
the last few weeks of practice.
But as for what role Green will
play going forward, aside from
that of sidekick to Toussaint,
Borges was hesitant. He said
that he was happy to get Green
10 carries, but noted that keeping
him on a set number of snaps per
game wouldn't be productive.
"Sometimes, if he's rolling, it
could maybe be even more than
that," Borges said. "I always
like the featured back, but we
were almost overfeaturing Fitz
because of the way the games
were going.
"To get another kid in there to
see what he can do, particularly
rock on the inter
By LIZ VUKELICH
Daily Sports Editor
When offensive coordinator Al
Borges first saw Graham Glasgow
in 2011, he was skeptical that the
offensive lineman would ever play
in Michigan Stadium.
Glasgow, now a redshirt sopho-
more, was all over the place as a
tackle his freshman year, running
into teammates and unaware of
when to block. Borges doubted
Glasgow would ever reach a high
enough caliber to be on the field
for a snap, let alone a start.
It wasn't just Glasgow's con-
fusion during practice that made
Borges hesitant about putting him
in the lineup - it was the fact that
Glasgow, a walk on, was compet-
ing against his highly recruited,
scholarship-worthy teammates,
not just for a chance to play, but
for the coaches' attention.
"It's a credit to a walk-on kid to
get in the starting lineup because
he's done something to get you
thinking he can play," Borges said.
Glasgow talks about the coach-
ing hierarchy in the eyes of a
walk-on, the list of people that
needed to take notice before he
could makethe jumpto being seri-
ously considered to play in games.
He had already caught the eye of
the strength coaches, so next on
the list of people to impress was
offensive line coach Darrell Funk.
But that was already taken care
of: fifth-year senior left tackle
Taylor Lewan was acting as a sort
of liaison, casually bringing up
Glasgow's name in front of Funk
as a younger guy who stood out.
So after seeing Glasgow strug-
gling at both the tackle and guard
positions, Funk gave him center
duties in practice last fall to see if
he fared any better there.
Finally, it was Borges's turn
to pay attention, after the spring
game of Glasgow's freshman year.
He "wasn'tgoing to take the world
by storm" at the time, said Borges,
but the extra time Glasgow spent
in the weight room during the off-
season paid off.
"(Glasgow) worked hard and
... it's important to him," Borges
said. "That's all a coach asks. If it's
important to you, you do all the
right things to get you as good as
you can be. If that's good enough
to play, then great."
Now, two years later, Glasgow
is a self-made lineman. He was
awarded a scholarship at the
beginning of the season, and after
starting the first four games at left
guard,he moved over to center for
the Big Ten opener last weekend.
He's been one of Michigan's most'
reliable interior linemen, which is
why the coaches had no qualms
about changing his position a
week before the game.
After the Minnesota game,
Lewan said Glasgow plays bet-
ter with a full plate, that the
increased multitasking and
heightened sense of responsibil-
ity make him a better fit at center
than at guard.
Glasgow agreed with the
assessment, rationalizing' it by
saying that the number of things
there are to keep track of dur-
ing games keeps him from get-
ting complacent now that he's
achieved both scholarship and
starter status.
"One good performance isn't
going to change their perspec-
tive," Glasgow said. "There's
always that mentality you always
need to work hard even if you've
been given something. You need
to still prove them right."
Freshman running back Derrick Green had his workload increased in Michigan's win over Minnesota on Saturday.
Waiting in the wings is Michi-
gan's No. 2 tailback, freshman
Derrick Green, whom Borges
described as "a load" during his
Tuesday press conference. And
that's the perfect way to describe
the top-ranked running back in
the high-school class of 2013.
Green's former coach at Her-
mitage (Va.) High School, Pat-
rick Kane, burst out laughing
upon hearing Borges's assess-
ment.
evident than late in the game
against the Golden Gophers,
when the coaching staff put the
ball in Green's hands and trusted
he wouldn't fumble.
Playing second fiddle to Tous-
saint isn't something Green is
accustomed to, though Kane, his
high-school coach, called him
a "team guy," adding that indi-
vidual stats have never mattered
much to him.
Kane said Michigan was the
a talented kid like that, there's
nothing wrong with that. But I'll
never put a number on how many
carries he's got to have."
Borges called Green a "work
in progress," which is to be
expected for a freshman, even
one who came in as highly tout-
ed as Green. But as the coaches
become more comfortable with
him, his carries will come, and
they'll be in key situations when
the team needs yards.