FootballSaturday, September 26, 2015
8

Wolverines replace questions with 
exclamation points in rushing game

Smith still No. 1 

back, but gap closing 
as all four running 

backs emerge

By ZACH SHAW

Daily Sports Editor

Before the 2015 season began, 

one of the biggest question 
marks surrounding the Michigan 
football team was in the backfield.

It wasn’t a matter of whether 

they could perform — redshirt 
junior Drake Johnson and juniors 
Ty Isaac, De’Veon Smith and 
Derrick Green had all shown 
flashes of being a lead back in 
previous seasons — but rather 
a question of how many of the 
backs would see the field, and if a 
multiple-back system could work.

After 
two 
dominant 
wins 

over Oregon State and UNLV in 
which the Wolverines totaled 479 
rushing yards and seven rushing 
touchdowns, the question marks 
surrounding 
Michigan’s 
run 

game have been replaced with 
exclamation points.

“We’re 
progressing 
in 
the 

right direction,” said Michigan 
running backs coach Tyrone 
Wheatley. “We’re going the right 
direction. Each guy’s going the 
right direction. Each game we’re 
improving. Each game we’re 
picking up little things we’re 
getting better at.”

From a statistical perspective, 

the 
carries 
have 
primarily 

gone to Smith, but all four have 
performed when they needed to:

Smith: 53 carries, 206 yards, 

3.9 yards per carry, 3 touchdowns

Isaac: 18 carries, 161 yards, 8.9 

YPC, 1 touchdown

Green: 13 carries, 46 yards, 3.5 

YPC, 1 touchdown

Johnson: 6 carries, 31 yards, 

5.2 YPC, 0 touchdowns

The 
numbers 
are 
a 
little 

deceptive, as different backs come 
in at different situations. That 
said, every back is making forward 
progress, as the Wolverines are 
sixth in the nation with just eight 
tackles for loss allowed.

With Johnson’s role increasing 

by the day after tearing his 
anterior cruciate ligament for the 

second time last November, the 
backfield might look a little hectic 
at times, but the Wolverines see a 
method to the madness.

“I wouldn’t look at it as 

throwing guys in there,” said 
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. 
“We’ve got football players that 
are hungry, that want to be in 
there, that are improving and 
making 
contributions 
to 
the 

team, 
and 
there’s 
something 

about not just throwing a guy in 
but strategically putting a player 
in to be successful.”

Isaac was the most successful 

last week. In a game that was 
over almost as soon as it began, 
Isaac broke free for a 76-yard 
touchdown run to pave the way 
for his game-high 114 yards.

In the second half, Green 

and Johnson took most of the 
snaps. Green — whom Wheatley 

assured wasn’t in the doghouse 
despite lackluster numbers — was 
the fourth back to be used, as 
Johnson continues to build to a 
heavier load.

“I’m 
not 
a 

doctor and I’m 
not in Drake’s 
knee, 
so 
I 

don’t 
know,” 

Wheatley said. 
“Right now, he 
looks good. He’s 
doing well. Of 
all the things 
we’ve 
asked 

him to do to 
this point, he’s 
passed 
with 

flying colors, so up until now I 
would say he looks good.”

As for the matchup against No. 

23 BYU, the Cougars gave up 296 
rushing yards against No. 9 UCLA 

last week, suggesting Michigan 
will once again rely on its run 
game to carry the offensive load.

Wheatley isn’t quite sure how 

he’ll split up the carries, but he 

knows the game 
plan will be the 
same for all the 
backs.

“Each 
week 

is pretty much 
the same thing 
for us in the 
backfield,” 
he 

said. “A) reduce 
— pretty much 
reduce, 
have 

no 
negative 

yards 
rushing. 

B) Try not to leave any yards out 
there, meaning let’s hit the right 
tracks, hit the right marks, right 
cuts. Let’s not leave any yards 
out there. And C) I would just 

say pass protection. Protect the 
quarterback.”

Of course, there’s one more 

matter of importance to the 
run game. The Wolverines have 
rushed the ball 116 times, and 
have yet to fumble the ball once. 
After coughing up the ball eight 
times last season, the decrease is 
a welcome change for Michigan.

Wheatley — who felt compelled 

to knock on wood after hearing 
the stat — feels the negative 
consequences afforded by the 
position’s depth have led to the 
improved effort.

“There’s two ways to really 

get put on the bench: A) get the 
quarterback hit, B) put the ball on 
the ground,” Wheatley said. “All 
the guys want to play, so you’ve 
just got to put one stigma in their 
mind about sitting on the bench, 
and then it kind of hits home.”

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Junior running back De’Veon Smith has received by far the most carries for Michigan, but fellow junior Ty Isaac had a breakout game of his own last weekend.

“We’ve got 

football 

players that 
are hungry.”