The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1386887
[ R U N N I N G B A C K S ] 70 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW [ R U N N I N G B A C K S ] New Michigan running backs coach Mike Hart set the modern U-M record for yardage netted, from 2004-07. He piled up 5,040 rushing yards during that time, scoring 43 total touchdowns (third in program history) along the way. Now he leads a crew of backs operating in a very different system from the offense he knew so well. While offensive coordinator Josh Gattis insists he's committed to a downhill rushing attack, it has yet to fully develop in two sea- sons (or one and a half, to be fair). Hart became Michigan's lead back his freshman season, rushing for 1,455 yards that year. He carried the football 282 times — a far cry from the work- load of either of Michigan's leading rushers the past two seasons. Redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins paced the Wolverines last year, with 61 carries for 375 yards. Even doubling those totals to account for a full 12-game regular season, he'd have tallied 122 carries for 750 yards. On the whole, Michigan's running backs rushed 122 times total, projecting to 244 over the course of a 12-game regular season. In 2004, U-M backs rushed 360 times, with Hart drawing the aforementioned lion's share of those carries. In 2019, Michigan backs did carry 369 times over the course of a full sched- ule with Gattis throwing the switches. The now-transferred Zach Charbonnet led the way that year with 149 carries. In both seasons, there were questions raised about the top backs getting enough carries to get into a groove in any particular game. That's a question Hart never had to worry about when he racked up his record-breaking totals. His carries dipped in 2005, to 150 tries, among 396 total rushes by Michi- gan's backs. That's because he spent time on the bench due to injury, and Hart posted a career-low 662 yards. He roared back the following season, rushing for a career-best 1,562 yards. Michigan backs that season lugged the football an astonishing 464 times. Hart carried the ball 318 times himself, with Michigan making it to the brink of a na- tional title game appearance via a No. 1 versus No. 2 showdown at Ohio State. As a senior, Hart carried 265 times out of Michigan's 441 carries by running backs, cashing in with 1,361 yards. The Wolverines have featured only two 1,000-yard running backs since Hart's time on the field. It remains to be seen whether Gattis' offense will produce a feature rusher at that level, or as much emphasis on running the football as that to which Hart became accustomed. Gattis did state, on Michigan's 'In The Trenches' podcast, he sees conditions much more favorable for success coming the Wolverines' way. "I'm excited, because this is the first time in two years we haven't had to have a wholesale change," he said. "Two years ago, coming in, we had the lack of depth at running back. We had all new players at running back to start the season. "You go into last year, having to replace four starters on the offensive line, with all guys who had never really started or played in games before. When you've got the amount of attrition that really wipes away a position, each year, there are challenges." — John Borton Hart, Michigan's all-time leading rusher with 5,040 yards from 2004-07, is in his first season as the Wolverines' running backs coach. PHOTO COURTESY U-M ATHLETICS MIKE HART'S CHARGES FACE A DIFFERENT WORLD