The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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"It's pretty obvious when they look at the records and their stats, they'll know they can always do better. You have to get your body in shape. It seems like Smith is in shape. I feel like he's prepared. Maybe he can get a little bigger, a little faster. And that will happen, as part of the natural maturation process. "Derrick Green on the other hand, he needs to lose some weight. He needs to do that and get better feet, which will come with the training that Michigan will provide and him being more mature as a player." Green is a more straight-ahead runner, Perry noted, who would benefit from dropping weight. "He's not going left or right," he said. "Smith can go left, right, over you, however. Once Derrick adds that to his game, it will make him a better runner and a more wellrounded back, which in turn will make Michigan a more well-rounded team." The Wolverines also figure to get redshirt sophomore Drake Johnson and senior Thomas Rawls back from injuries to compete next fall, while redshirt junior Justice Hayes will also be in the mix. State and led the Wolverines past Notre Dame, putting up 41 points while passing (294 yards) and running (82) his way by the flailing Irish. After an interception-saturated non-conference season, he threw 14 touchdown passes compared to only three pickoffs in conference play. Obviously, that wasn't the whole story. Despite his mobility, Gardner absorbed 35 sacks this season. He and Michigan's offense suffered through a November in which the Wolverines — aside from the OSU game — struggled mightily not only to score, but even to move the chains. Michigan's third-down conversion percentage plummeted from around 49 percent to 39 percent. Gardner wound up with 11 interceptions and he also lost fumbles at key junctures in games such as at Penn State and at Iowa. Still, Gardner threw for 2,960 yards — only one Michigan quarterback in history threw for more yardage in a single season (John Navarre, 3,331 yards, 2003). Borges gave Gardner credit for making substantial strides this season. At the same time, he saw part of DEVIN GARDNER WILL LOOK FOR MORE CONSISTENCY IN 2014 At quarterback, Devin Gardner put up some incredible numbers at times. He threw for 503 yards and ran for 81 against Indiana, producing five touchdowns and leading U-M to a school-record 751 yards of offense. He passed for 451 more against Ohio DIGITAL BONUS: CLICK THE ICON TO PLAY OR STOP THE PODCAST The Wolverine's Chris Balas talks with Doug Skene about the offseason