Sp orts nday.
Redshlrt sophomore running back Drake Johnson committed to Michigan to play football instead of track, and after a knee injury forced him to miss nearly all of last season, he got his afternoon in the spotlight in Saturday's Homecoming win.
The good, bad and ugly:
'M' blows out Hoosiers
By GREG GARNO
Managing Sports Editor
The Michigan football team
looked like an entirely new group
on Saturday against Indiana
following last week's dismal
performance against Michigan
State. The 34-10 victory puts
the Wolverines two games away
from a bowl bid and provides
momentum for the last
stretch of games to
salvage a season. 3
The Daily looks at the
good, bad and ugly from the
The Bad:
Wolverines' easy victory. Michigan's tight ends didn't
have much of a presence on
The Good: the field - some not at all -
in Saturday's game. Missing
Drake Johnson, who stole the sophomore Jake Butt due to
spotlight in the first extensive suspension for "violation of team
action of his career, highlights expectations," Michigan coach
the good this week. Johnson, a Brady Hoke was forced to play
redshirt sophomore, rushed for defensive-lineman-turned tight
122 yards on 16 carries with two end Keith Heitzman.
touchdowns. A.J. Williams and Heitzman
Johnson's story, after coming combined for two catches and 15
back from anterior cruciate yards - albeit one touchdown -
ligament surgery last year, in a day when they were kept to
wasn't a unique one Saturday. the line more often.
Redshirt sophomore Amara Though he didn't have a
Darbohalsofinishedwith terrible game by any means,
his best game, adding to senior Will Hagerup shanked a
a strong season a year punt, finishing with an average
removed from an ACL of 38 yards. He was unable to
surgery of his own. pin Indiana within its own 20,
Darboh finished but fortunately wasn't needed
with 107 often.
yards on With a chance to fill in
nine for an injured De'Veon
Smith, redshirt junior
receptions and Justice Hayes didn't meet
a touchdown. expectations, either. He was
There weren't any surprise given the ball just six times and
performances from the front finished with 21 yards while
seven of Michigan's defense, catching one pass forthree yards.
which limited the nation's
leading rusher, Tevin Coleman, The Ugly:
for much of the game. The
Wolverines forced two fumbles Michigan didn't do much that
and held Indiana to 51 yards qualifies as ugly, which is why
rushing in the first half. the Hoosiers' passing game has
And finally, give credit to earned this week's honor.
quarterback Devin Gardner, Indiana finished with 24
who played one of his bestgames passing yards, eventually
without earning much praise. subbing out its starter, Zander
The fifth-year senior threw for Diamont, for Nate Boudreau. But
more than 200 yards for the first the Hoosiers never had Boudreau
time this season, completing 22 pass, instead opting to run the
of 29 passes. ball over and over.
Michigan had its hest detensive performance of the season, stuffing Tenin Coleman and Indiana's vaunted rash attack.
The day Drake Johnson
got his chance to shin-,0fe
Before we get to the
moment where Drake
Johnson sat in the stands
with students, when he leapt so
effortlessly
into his
moment as
a star, we
have to go
back to the
moment he
fell.
Before GREG
we talk GARNO
about the
guy who
trended on
Twitter and earned the praise
on TV following Michigan's
34-10 victory over Indiana,
we have to remember his last
moment he was talked about.
And before we talk about how
a stadium with 103,511 people
all focused on the running back,
we have to go back the first time
Michigan Stadium focused on
him.
We have to go back tothe last
day of August last year, in the
third quarter against Central
Michigan, whenhe finally saw
time on field after redshirting
his first season. He hadn't even
played 10 snaps - most of the
playing time came on special
teams.
But when he went to make a
tackle on kickoff coverage, he
was hit from behind and fell
awkwardly onto his knee.
The entire stadium went
silent, the players cleared the
way and a team of trainers
escorted Johnson off the field.
A torn ACL for two minutes of
playing time. He was relegated
to a season on the sidelines to
watch and wait.
He wouldn't get his oppor-
tunity to sit on the ledge while
students cheered with him.
The guy from Ann Arbor Pio-
neer High School, who grew up
in the shadow of the Big House,
finally had his chance to live out
See JOHNSON, Page 2B
MICHIGAN MYTH
U It's nice to pretend there's something
special about being a "Michigan Man,"
but it's time to cut the arrogance.
SportsMonday Column, Page 2B
WOLVERINES PASTED
U The Michigan hockey team was
embarrassed on consecutive nights by
Michigan Tech in Houghton.
Page 3B