The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/178977
should do something that could upset the rhythm we had. That's more me than them, because those kids had prepared and were ready to go. They need to be rewarded with playing time, and I'm going to do the best I can when the situation presents itself." Shockingly, the situation didn't present itself in the next two games, either. The fights to the finish against Akron and UConn kept the football in Toussaint's hands. The backup running backs combined for one carry in those two games, Green's three-yard run against Akron. Jackson insists he's anxious to see more of the true freshmen as the season goes along. "He's got power and good vision for a big guy," Jackson said. "He's a big change-up from a guy like Fitz. You're playing defense and you're tackling a guy who is shifty like Fitz is, then all of a sudden you're trying to tackle a guy who is not going to do a lot of shake on you. He's going to run through you. "That provides a second-threat kind of back that will allow us to be successful, especially as we start getting farther into the season and those guys get a little banged up. I'm expecting a lot out of him." Jackson also waves off talk about Green's weight, reported at 240 on the Michigan roster. "He's okay," Jackson said. "He's around 231, 232 now. That's about where he should be. He's lost fat and gained muscle mass. In that process, he probably got a little faster. He's going to be a tremendous back before all is said and done." Fellow freshman De'Veon Smith posted seven carries for 12 yards against CMU, but Jackson sees him often enough to know that doesn't tell the tale. "He's a guy who runs reckless, runs angry," Jackson noted. "He's the kind of kid who is hard to bring down. He'll be a guy you can insert in short yardage and goal-line situations and expect him, if there's an unblocked guy, to go through the unblocked guy. I think he's going to be tremendous also." Junior Thomas Rawls remains available as someone who knows U-M's system well, while redshirt sophomore Justice Hayes can work in as a third-down back, this year's version of Vincent Smith, according to Jackson. The veteran coach was frustrated to lose redshirt freshman Drake Johnson to a season-ending knee injury in the opener. "The kid is a lot like Fitz in terms of the pass protection," Jackson said. "He's very physical, a very tough kid, a big-time special teams player for us. To lose him is a tremendous blow to this team because of all the things he brought, not just at the running back position but to all of the special teams." Michigan's early struggles against purportedly inferior teams raised a number of questions heading toward Big Ten play. The backup running back answers appear to have been put on hold as well. — John Borton