The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541451
DECEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 19 "I definitely embrace it," Marshall as- sured, regarding the challenge of com- ing out of Ohio to bolster That School Up North. "They say the best in Ohio go to Michigan. For me, it's how do I keep putting myself in that category with all those greats? How do I do that week-in, week-out, day-in, day-out, just to put myself in that conversation? How do I prepare for that? How I uphold that standard is very important to me, be- cause I want that to stay true. "I've gotten to know both of them very well. Just to hear them talk and un- derstand what my role could be at this university, how I can bring this team back to the top, is something that's very important to me." Fate and his own considerable prow- ess presented Marshall with the per- fect proving ground. In a 1B position at running back behind breakaway junior transfer Justice Haynes (now recover- ing from injury) through the first half of the season, the second-year Wolver- ine currently stands clearly as RB-1A. While Marshall rushed for 109 com- bined yards in Michigan's first three games, he reeled off 133, 110, 185 and 142 against Washington, Michigan State, Purdue and Northwestern, re- spectively. With 871 yards through 10 games, he's clearly in striking distance of a 1,000- yard season, but cares far more about what the yards, the effort and the grit he shows through Michigan's homestretch can mean for his teammates. His head coach insists he's built for November, so it could all come together nicely. "One, he's from that state that we all know of," Sherrone Moore said. "He was the Ohio state player of the year. He's played in this type of weather. "But it's his mentality, and how he runs. He's a physical runner. You can see it from the first game he ever played, down there in the rain in Tampa. He just got better with more carries. "How he's built, how he works, how he studies the game — he's a back that in November is going to thrive. We're just excited for him, excited to see what he's going to do." Moore notes — with no small amount of satisfaction — that while Marshall might be sore after the cold encounters of November battles, those he bumps into will be more so. Marshall himself doesn't discourage that notion. "I love playing in the cold, number one," he said. "Being from Cincinnati, you have to play in the cold. Also, my mentality, how I run the ball and how I prepare to play is why he says that. It's repeated actions. How you build trust is repeated actions over time. For me, that's how I want to be built, how I want people to see me, that they can trust me through thick and thin. For my coaches and people to say that, it's truly hum- bling and a blessing to know that they can trust in me. "These next three games, it's some- thing I take on my plate to just play hard, max effort and strain. That's what I'm going to do for my team, and make sure everybody else does." If he puts a dent in a defender or two along the way, so much the better. He's perfectly capable of going the distance, putting the Spartans away with a 56- yard touchdown run and racing 54 to paydirt in Nebraska. But if a 5-yard run needs to be 6, any defender standing in the way is going to be as much prey as predator. "Big Ten teams know how to stop the run," Marshall insisted. "That's what the Big Ten is. It's a physical league. We talk about, you have to wear them out for four quarters. You wear them out, you wear them out, you wear them out, and then you'll crease one. That's what we pride ourselves on. Taking the short ones and hitting them in the mouth, hitting them in the mouth, hitting them in the mouth. Then one of them is just going to bust. "In the running back room, we talk about it all the time. You have to be pa- tient in the run game. The Big Ten is Marshall reeled off consecutive games of 133, 110, 185 and 142 yards rush- ing versus Washington, Michigan State, Purdue and Northwestern, respectively. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ❱ Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore, on Marshall "How he's built, how he works, how he studies the game — he's a back that in November is going to thrive. We're just excited for him, excited to see what he's going to do."