The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Ray assured. Far from it. Harbaugh declared Morris the leader at the po- sition coming out of spring football, and the junior isn't conceding that advantage without a battle. "I told people Shane Morris was going to emerge by the end of the spring, because he had the most to prove," Ray said. "It wouldn't sur- prise me to see Morris beat out Jake Rudock. He's been here the longest, he knows the system … "Now, Rudock is going to give that position a lot of competition. Who- ever lines up on Sept. 3 is the guy who won the job. But it's not going to be easy for Rudock. He has to learn the system, different terminology. It's almost like a free agent coming in at quarterback. "It's going to help Michigan. It's going to add some depth and com- petition to that position, but I don't think Jake's going to beat Shane out without a fight." If Rudock does win out, Harbaugh will feature a team led by a two-year Big Ten starter with a completion percentage on the high side of 60. He'll have at his disposal a quarter- back who threw three touchdown passes at Ohio State in a 34-24 loss in 2013, and who did lead that come- back win over the Wolverines in Kin- nick Stadium, 24-21, before tearing up tearing up Nebraska 38-17 in Lin- coln the following week. They'll feature someone who had Iowa in the thick of the Big Ten West Division race into the final two weeks last year, before cliffhanger defeats against division champion Wiscon- sin (26-24) and Nebraska (37-34 in double overtime) took the Hawkeyes out of it. If Rudock is not Michigan's starter come the 2015 opener, it means some- one has beaten out that experience to grab the job. Either way, Harbaugh, Fisch and Michigan offensive coor- dinator Tim Drevno will have ratch- eted up the depth and competition at the most scrutinized spot on the field. ❑ Chris Balas and Michael Spath con- tributed to this report. Rudock posted a two-year record of 15-10 in 25 games as the starter for the Hawkeyes. PHOTO BY BRIAN RAY/UI ATHLETICS