The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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camp, feeling like he was ready. Harbaugh then saw a player begin to understand the speed limits put on him by team trainers, so he wouldn't overdo it. By mid-camp, Johnson re- called, he started feeling like himself again. "You've been out of the water for a while," Johnson acknowledged. "They're not just going to throw you in the water and [tell you to] swim. They're like, 'Yeah, you can dip your feet, kick your feet a little bit.' Now I'm kind of submerged. It's like, 'Swim now, dude.'" He swam slowly at first. No carries in the opener against Utah, one in the home opener versus Oregon State. He rushed five times for 28 yards against UNLV, and five more for 26 in the rout over BYU. Johnson broke out at Maryland, rushing for 68 yards and a touch- down on 13 carries in Michigan's 28-0 victory. He helped break open a perilously close 6-0 game at the half by gathering in a screen pass and rac- ing 31 yards for a touchdown. Johnson scored another TD in the 38-0 rumble past Northwestern then hit the sidelines, Harbaugh acknowl- edging that he's "working through something." The head coach likes how he works his way into defenders. That's eye catching for any mentor who appre- Johnson has bounced back from a pair of torn ACLs — including one suffered after scoring a touchdown at Ohio State last year — to help power the U-M rushing attack, which is aver- aging 181.4 yards per game. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL