The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Toussaint had his first 100-yard performance since the Ohio State game in 2011 when he rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries in U-M's win over Connecticut on Sept. 21. photo by cyle nunemaker Toussaint stands better equipped to accomplish it now than he was in 2011. "I fully expect that," Jackson said, regarding the fifth-year senior 's chances for another 1,000-yard campaign. "I actually believe now that he's a smarter runner. He had a couple of cuts in the Notre Dame game that the average guys couldn't make. That's going to help him tremendously, because his knowledge of the overall game is so much greater than it was two years ago." Clearly, Michigan has its sights on greater production out of the tailback position. With Robinson gone, along with his prolific rushing efforts, the Wolverines were supposed to start looking more like The Big House offenses of old. Such a development wasn't immediate. Through four games, Gardner ranked second on the Wolverines in rushing, his 301 yards on 49 attempts (6.1-yard average) just 18 yards behind Toussaint's total. They all count, Borges noted. "Are we killing people running the ball?" Borges rhetorically offered. "Not necessarily, but you can see flashes of it happening. Devin ran through a couple of holes you could drive a truck through. The quarterback rushing does count — that's part of your rushing." Jackson and his room of running backs know it shouldn't be the main part. "They've got to be more productive," Jackson said of Michigan's tailbacks. "Denard took a lot of pressure off the running backs position, but he put the pressure on himself. Now, the pressure is on our position to produce those yards that Denard had. It's going to allow for us, now, to rush for 1,000 yards in our backfield." Gardner's talents will help pave the way for some extra yards on the