The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/116680
ing Gardner and the offense as a whole — isn't hard to identify, Hoke cautioned. "It's taking care of the football," Hoke said. "Not thinking you have to do everything. Sometimes guys who are tremendous competitors think they have to do it all. He's going to have a good cast of teammates around him. "Sometimes, it's not a bad deal to punt the football. That is a big part of it. It's not trying to force things." The numbers — 27 turnovers for Michigan, 18 for opponents last year — are a wake-up call that goes far beyond the QB position, Hoke noted. "From a defensive perspective, it's forcing the quarterback into some bad decisions," Hoke said. "Not sacking him, but making him throw the ball too early, too late, over a hand or whatever it might be. We didn't do a very good job with the four-man rush, which you'd like to be able to do. "We turned the ball over too much, in games away from home and in big games. You can't do that. We get beat by two undefeated teams, five points by one [Ohio State], six by the other [Notre Dame]. It's a different game if you don't have six turnovers." Gardner and redshirt sophomore backup Russell Bellomy (6-3, 213) will be operating behind a revamped offensive line, featuring fifth-year seniors Taylor Lewan (6-8, 308) and Michael Schofield (6-7, 303) at the tackles. A pair of promising freshmen who redshirted in the fall of 2012 — 6-6, 314-pound Ben Braden and 6-5, 297-pound Kyle Kalis — have been slotted at left and right guard, respectively, for the spring. "When you look physically at Ben and Kyle, they've obviously done a good job with their bodies," Hoke said. "They've done a nice job in the weight room, with body fat. It will be interesting to see them develop in the fundamentals and the technique of it." All eyes will focus on the battle at center, where redshirt sophomores Jack Miller (6-4, 291) and Graham Glasgow will compete, with redshirt junior Joey Burzynski (6-1, 291) at both center and right guard. Redshirt freshmen Blake Bars (6-5, 284) will play left guard, and redshirt sophomore Chris Bryant (6-4, 325) is also slotted at guard. Redshirt freshman Erik Magnuson (6-6, 286) and fifthyear senior Erik Gunderson (6-8, 316) will vie for time at tackle. "We'll just look to get the best five," Hoke said. "We're really in a position to get the best seven. We'll be a little more flexible than we've been." Fifth-year senior running back Fitzgerald Toussaint suffered a devastating leg injury in the Iowa game, and he'll be held from contact in the spring. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore Justice Hayes (5-10, 190), redshirt freshman Drake Johnson (6-0, 212) and junior Thomas Rawls (5-10, 217) get the chance to show what they can do prior to the influx of talented freshmen in the fall. Sophomore Dennis Norfleet (5-7, 168) rejoins that group this spring, after playing defensive back through the bowl period.