The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Toussaint has believers in both Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges, though both were impressed by the play of the backups in the Oct. 23 blowout win over Illinois. Rawls showed better vision than he had in his career along with a bit of power in running through defenders, and seemed to have earned more time as a result. SHARING THE WEALTH Though he didn't notch carries in the two games following, he remains one to watch. "One thing I will say is I think Thomas has earned the right to get in there a little bit more," Borges said before the Michigan State win. "Fitz ran hard, did some good things in that Illinois game, but we're lucky in that Thomas is stating to surface, and that just gives us more depth, which is really good news." He still has plenty to learn, though, and his pass-catching skills also need work. Rawls has been banged up for a good portion of his young career, setting him back a bit, but his best days appear to be ahead of him. "You've still got to pick and choose what you do with him. If you don't, he's not going to look good," Jackson said. "He is still picking things up. Early in the year we put in so much new stuff, then he hurt his quad. Those kinds of things don't allow you to progress. He's as healthy as he's been. He's got some nicks and bruises because of the way he runs, but that's always going to be the case. "Now he's starting to pick things up, though. The more you do that, the faster you can play. He's still not where we want him to be or where he wants himself to be, but he's get- ting better each week. As you see him play more, you'll see him be- come the runner I told you a year ago he could be. I've seen it out of him. It's just a matter of him learning and being able to play fast because of his recognition of what he sees." rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year as one of the Big Ten's best quarterback/running back rushing tandems. Here's a look at the conference's best in that area through eight games this season. Top Big Ten Running Tandems Michigan's Denard Robinson and Fitzgerald Toussaint each 1. Ohio State, 207.1 yards per game Quarterback Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde have com- bined for 207.1 rushing yards per game, with Miller averag- ing 121.4 (6.6 yards per carry, 12 touchdowns) and Hyde 85.7 (4.8, 10). Miller has notched six games of more than 100 yards rushing, including 186 on an impressive 11.6 yards per carry in a 63-38 blowout win over Nebraska. Hyde has missed two games this year, but has two 100-yard games of his own, complementing Miller with 140 yards against the Cornhuskers. 2. Northwestern, 188.8 yards per game Quarterback Kain Colter has developed into one of the conference's better dual-threat quarterbacks, completing 69.7 percent of his passes and notching two games with more than 160 yards rushing. He's averaging 5.5 yards per carry and 69.1 yards per game on the ground, 10th in the Big Ten. Running back Venric Mark ranks second in the con- ference at 119.7 yards per game and averages 6.5 yards per carry for the Wildcats' explosive offense. 3. Michigan, 158.3 yards per game Senior quarterback Robinson has carried the load for Mich- igan, averaging 118.2 yards per game. That's good for third in the Big Ten. Toussaint hasn't been as productive, averag- ing 40.1 yards per game (and missing one), but combined the two are still the Big Ten's third-best tandem. 4. Nebraska, 147.1 yards per game The Cornhuskers' Ameer Abdullah has filled in admirably for injured Rex Burkhead, averaging 89.5 yards per game 34 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2012 Like Toussaint, senior Vincent Smith's production has dropped a bit from a year ago through eight games. The Wolverines' versatile, primarily third-down back had recorded only 67 yards through eight games after averaging 6.0 yards per carry a year ago, battling his own injuries. Jackson hasn't lost faith in Smith, noting he's still one of the Wolver- ines' best options on third down. His minor injury, though, opened the door for Justice Hayes against Illinois, and the redshirt freshman didn't disappoint. "He's kind of a Vince Smith type only a little bigger, but he did a nice job, too," Borges said of Hayes. "He's a really good open field runner. He's got some quickness and some speed." He's also got the ability to catch the ball, an attribute on which Rawls is still working. That's one trait that could help him see the field more in future games. Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah (above) had paired up with quarterback Taylor Martinez to average 147.1 rushing yards per contest through eight games, which was fourth-best in the Big Ten. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL and 5.6 yards per carry, good for sixth in the conference. Quarterback Taylor Martinez isn't among the league's top 10 runners, averaging 57.6 yards per game, but he's leading the league in pass efficiency (158.1). Together the two pro- vide a one-two punch that has made the Nebraska offense formidable. 5. Minnesota, 146.8 yards per game Running back Donnell Kirkwood averages 76.1 yards per game, good for ninth in the Big Ten on 4.4 yards per carry, while quarterback MarQueis Gray averaged 80 yards rushing in four games before being moved to wide receiver. Fresh- man Phillip Nelson has proven to be a decent running threat at quarterback for the Gophers, and he's now starting. He's notched 104 yards and averaged 4.1 yards per carry in two games. — Chris Balas