The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1178918
NOVEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 25 year, when Harbaugh asked him to move to linebacker. The U-M rookie just figured his coach knew what he was doing, and decided it was time for him to comply. "I just met with Jim Harbaugh," Haskins recalled. "He was talking to me that the best fit was probably for me to play linebacker. I came here to win games, so I'll do anything I can to help out the team. "Once he said that, I knew he was capable of knowing what people do best. I just became a linebacker and did my job." Sometimes, though, strong ath- letes can do more than one job. That proved the case with Haskins, and when Michigan saw a couple of vet- eran backs depart following the 2018 season, the door again flew open. It wasn't going to be easy, given a true freshman (Zach Charbonnet) coming in with bigger billing, and several other contenders vying for the coveted tailback spot. The 6-1, 220-pound Haskins just kept his head down and continued doing his job, getting noticed along the way. "He's been good at both, as far as playing linebacker and running back, then linebacker, running back," Har- baugh said. "He was good at both in high school, and he's been good here. We felt he could help the team the most at running back." He's just scratching the surface there, carrying no beef about his time jumping back and forth from offense to defense. "Every opportunity, whether it's on special teams or anywhere, I'm going to do it 100 percent," Haskins offered. "I learned the defense, and I learned offense. "I'm glad I did that, because I see how the two different things add up. I can tell what the defense is doing. That helps for sure." He has gone beyond Madden to study NFL running backs such as Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams and Le'Veon Bell of the New York Jets, among others. He's constantly picking up ways to improve his own game. "I definitely can [run people over]," Haskins said. "But I also can show agility, make some people miss. I've got a little bit of everything." It's beginning to show. Pushy or not, Haskins finds himself making his way toward the end zone and the front of the line. ❏ Michigan Features Young Century Men Michigan never minds breaking in a strong freshman running back. From Ty- rone Wheatley to Mike Hart and beyond, the Wolverines feature a rich history of putting those with freshman eligibility into the power position. They did it this year with true freshman Zach Charbonnet, and featured a pair of rookies with 100 yards each against Illinois — redshirt freshman Hassan Haskins (125 yards) and Charbonnet (116). There always seems to be someone waiting to break into that club. Here are the last five Michigan freshmen-eligible performers — prior to Haskins and Charbonnet — to enjoy a 100-yard game: • Chris Evans, 2016 — Evans hit the 100-yard mark in his first-ever game as a Wolverine. He rushed for 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his debut against Hawai'i. Evans wound up contributing 614 rushing yards and four touchdowns in his initial season with Michigan. • Vincent Smith, 2009 — Smith racked up 166 yards and a touchdown on 17 tries in Michigan's lopsided victory over Delaware State. The true freshman wound up carrying 48 times for 276 yards that year. • Sam McGuffie, 2008 — McGuffie posted a pair of 100-yard games as a true freshman in 2008. He bolted out for 131 yards on 25 carries against Notre Dame, and later rushed for 105 yards on 25 tries versus Toledo. On the season, McGuffie carried the ball 118 times for 486 yards and three touchdowns. • Brandon Minor, 2006 — The true freshman stepped into an unusual late-sea- son non-conference game, carrying 12 times for 108 yards against Ball State. Mi- nor wound up with 42 carries for 238 yards and two touchdowns on the season. • Mike Hart, 2004 — Hart not only broke the 100-yard barrier as a rookie, he shattered it half a dozen times. Hart broke out with 121 yards on 25 tries against San Diego State early in the season, then reeled off five straight 100-yard games during Big Ten play, three of them consecutive 200-yard efforts — 237 at Illinois, 206 at Purdue and 225 against Michigan State. He finished his true freshman season with 1,487 yards and nine touchdowns on 282 attempts. — John Borton During his freshman season in 2004, Mike Hart posted six 100-yard games — including three of over 200 yards — en route to finishing with 1,487 yards. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN