The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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24 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2018 PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Running Backs MVP JUNIOR KARAN HIGDON Higdon had a breakout season and would have rushed for 1,000 yards if he'd remained healthy and hadn't been slowed by a late-season ankle injury. He still averaged 6.3 yards per carry, good for fifth in the conference, and became the first back since Mike Hart in 2004 to notch a pair of 200-yard rushing games in the same sea- son. The junior finished seventh in the confer- ence in rushing yards per game (77.4) and tied for third in rushing touchdowns (11). More impressively, he became a YAC (yards after con- tact) back, doing a lot of his damage after being hit. It was estimated that 94 of his 200 yards at Indiana came fol- lowing the first contact, a sign of growth from a player who has really come into his own. Unsung Hero SOPHOMORE CHRIS EVANS Evans proved to be a solid No. 2 back behind Higdon, rushing for 661 yards and six touchdowns. Although Higdon stole the headlines at the position most of the season, Evans put on some impressive performances of his own. Most notable was his 191- yard, two-touchdown effort against Minnesota Nov. 4, where he averaged 14.7 yards per carry. He followed that up with an 80-yard, two-touchdown show- ing the following week at Maryland when Higdon in- jured himself in the first half. The Indianapolis native also hauled in 14 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown out of the backfield. Regular-Season Grade Higdon grabbed the starting job most figured Evans would win this year, and he finished with 929 net rush- ing yards. He wasn't a one-man show, how- ever. The sophomore Evans netted 661 yards and showed flashes of the back many thought he'd be this year when he went for 101 total yards (67 rushing) and 6.1 yards per carry in a 31-20 loss to Ohio State, running hard in his best game of the season. Fifth-year senior Ty Isaac was solid at the beginning of the season and ended with 548 rushing yards on a 6.2-yard clip. The Wolverines finished third in the Big Ten with 186.3 rushing yards per game, but this group gets graded down for its collective struggles in pass pro- tection for most of the year. Game Higdon Evans Isaac Big 3 Total Florida 28 yds, 1 TD 78 yards 114 yards 220 yards, 1 TD Cincinnati 13 yards 15 yards 133 yards 161 yards Air Force 64 yards, 1 TD 30 yards 89 yards 183 yards, 1 TD Purdue 31 yards 97 yards, 2 TD 20 yards, 1 TD 148 yards, 3 TD MSU 65 yards 27 yards 9 yards 101 Yards Indiana 200 yards, 3 TD 5 yards 38 yards 243 yards, 3 TD PSU 45 yards, 1 TD 17 yards 36 yards, 1 TD 98 yards, 2 TD Rutgers 158 yards, 2 TD 29 yards 109 yards 296 yards, 2 TD Minnesota 200 yards, 2 TD 191 yards, 2 TD DNP 391 yards, 4 TD MD 50 yards 80 yards, 2 TD DNP 130 yards, 2 TD Wisconsin 20 yards 25 yards 0 45 yards OSU 55 yards, 1 TD 67 yards DNP 122 yards, 1 TD status Of schOlaRship playeRs GRADUATED: FB Khalid Hill RB Ty Isaac FB Henry Poggi ELIGIBILITY REMAINING (YEARS): RB Chris Evans (2) RB Karan Higdon (1) FB Ben Mason (3) RB O'maury Samuels (3) RB Kurt Taylor (4) RB Kareem Walker (3) FB Jared Wangler (1) B+ NUMBERS TO KNOW The trio of junior Karan Higdon, sophomore Chris Evans and fifth- year senior Ty Isaac totaled 2,138 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground during the regular sea- son. Nobody else on the squad had more than 68 yards rushing or 20 totes if you exclude quar- terbacks (fifth-year senior John O'Korn finished with 44 attempts, which lost 54 yards). Here's a look at the game-by-game produc- tion from the top trio of rushers: Running backs coach Jay Harbaugh "[Junior running back] Karan [Higdon] runs well, hard, decisive … violent at times. You see the second-level runs, particularly a couple against Indiana [Oct. 14] and a power play left against Penn State [Oct. 21] where he lowered his shoulder against the safety at the second level … that's who he is." Karan Higdon