The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Five Years Ago, 2011: Quarterback Denard Robinson paced the pack in The Wolverine's annual preseason list of the top 25 players on Michigan's roster. The cheetah-quick QB geared up to lead the Wolverines in Brady Hoke's first season as Michigan head coach. Robinson was coming off an NCAA single-season rushing record for a quar- terback (1,702 yards), and the new Michigan brain trust had to walk a fine line between using his running talent and not getting him too banged up. Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges both spoke about optimizing Robinson's skills in a power offense. "The quarterback getting hit is a two-fold problem," Borges said. "It affects not only his ability to run, because he's getting hit in the legs, but also you're taking shots in the passing game. "The more you run him, the more he gets beat up, the more it affects your pass- ing game. They invented the hook slide for a reason for quarterbacks. I'm not sure Denard will do a lot of that, but there are some times where we can avoid taking some punishment." Hoke figured U-M would settle for 10 to 15 runs per game for Robinson, after he rushed an average 19.7 times per contest the year before. THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY even include the guys playing overseas." The Wolverine: You're known as a great defensive mind, an expert on the pack- line defense, and [Kentucky head coach] John Calipari praised you after you made it tough on his team last year. Describe the philosophy. Donlon: "We played a little different than the pack line — we play the gaps. There's a difference … not a big one, but there is one. We play the gaps, and Ken- tucky … they're well coached. We really wanted to tease them into threes. We didn't want them attacking the lane or attacking the rim, but they only shot 10 of them and made two. "What you want to try to do when you play the gaps … it's constant guys in posi- tion. The most important thing is getting in position and trusting your position." The Wolverine: What's the hardest offense to face? Donlon: "The hardest thing to prepare for on the defensive side of the ball is when you have an elite point guard, because he's going to get it every time almost and there's not a lot of game planning for that. He's going to have it in his hands. "Just think about preparing for Trey Burke; then think about preparing for Trey Burke under John Beilein. I was smart enough not to put Michigan on the schedule that year." — Chris Balas