The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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like him a whole lot more if on game day he goes out there and makes the plays that are there to be made." "Practice was proving you were ready to play," Biakabutuka added. "Game day was when you proved you deserved to keep playing." Still, the players are not taking pre- season practice lightly, knowing they still have a lot to prove on game days but they must emerge from camp in a position to play. "No fumbles in practice, that's key," Smith said. "The coaches don't like that. You have to battle every day, be- cause the coaches are looking for rea- sons they can't count on you, and if you give them one, then you're going to fall on the depth chart. "You just have to show toughness. You can't show that you're mentally or physically weak. You have to do everything you can every day for them to have confidence in you, and then when you get to the season, you have to get the job done." SIZING UP THE CONTENDERS After the first week of camp, head coach Brady Hoke identified Smith and Johnson as Nos. 1 and 1A in the battle to start while Green and Hayes were a step behind them, and Isaac lurked in the shadows awaiting word from the NCAA whether he would re- ceive a hardship waiver allowing him to play this fall after transferring from Southern Cal. "With his situation being unre- solved, it's really hard to answer [what role he'll play]," said Nussmeier, who did acknowledge Isaac is receiving reps just in case he is cleared. "You have a plan for every guy on offense when we go to practice, who is getting what reps." The 6-3, 225-pound Isaac would almost certainly factor into the rota- tion if the waiver is granted, however, Michigan must prepare with the eligible backs it currently has on the roster. A former three-star, Johnson may be viewed as the sleeper, but he had earned the backup role a year ago be- fore tearing his ACL in week one. It is a Redshirt sophomore Drake Johnson has made only two carries for nine yards thus far in his Michigan career, but he could see plenty of game action this season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL