Much of the Michigan Wolverines struggles the past few years can be attributed to a devastatingly poor rushing attack. Quarterbacks Devin Gardner and Denard Robinson have made a large contribution to the team’s rushing stats the past five seasons, which have helped to mask the backfield’s deficiencies. Over the past four seasons, the team’s rushing numbers and national ranking has dropped precipitously every season, going being ranked 13th nationally with 3,101 yards in 2010, to a paltry 101st national ranking with only 1,634 yards on the ground in 2013. More alarming is that Michigan’s QBs have accounted for 49% of the total rushing yards over the past four seasons
Statistics compiled from ESPN.com.
While the aforementioned statistic might point to the prowess of dual-threat passers that have been under center for the Wolverine over the past few seasons, it cannot be ignored that both yardage and win totals as well, have dipped over that timeframe. Since Michigan cannot establish the running game via its backs, it puts much more pressure on the signal caller to make every play. Opposing teams do not respect the running game and will continue to put pressure on the QB with minimal risk until the running backs can step up. More pressure means more hits on Devin Gardner and Shane Morris, which will affect their ability to throw down the field and stay healthy.
It’s quite apparent that there has been a dearth of talent at running back since Mike Hart left his impact from 2004 to 2007. Michigan has only had one thousand yard RB since Hart graduated, which was Fitz Toussaint in 2011, which also happened to coincide with a Sugar Bowl victory for the team. If that proves anything, it’s that a strong running back-based rushing attack is imperative to the Wolverines success. If Michigan is going to rebound from back-to-back underwhelming seasons, it will be because Derrick Green ignites for a stellar sophomore season.
A true sophomore from Hermitage High School in Richmond, Virginia, Green was one of the most highly touted recruits that the Wolverines had landed during Brady Hoke’s short tenure as head coach, and perhaps longer than that. Green was a unanimous five-star recruit according to all the major online recruiting services, and was also the top running back in the nation. Despite all the hype, Green had a disappointing first season on campus, gaining 270 yards on 83 carries with only 2 TDs, and no contribution in the passing game.
Derrick Green is a large-built running back, listed at 5’11 227, but appears even stockier than that number would suggest. It was reported during the 2014 spring game that Green was out of shape in 2013, and that he was in much better shape for this upcoming season. If that is in fact the case, Green should be able to make a much bigger impact, as he has already been named the starter over De’Veon Smith, Justice Hayes, and Drake Johnson. Green will not be the first Wolverine athlete to have entered his freshman season out of shape, only to make a huge impact later on. Basketball center Mitch McGary was out of shape at the start of the 2012-2013 season, before working his way into the starting lineup and helping lead the team to a Final Four victory.
However, weight might not be the only obstacle Derrick Green will need to hurdle in order to reestablish Michigan’s rushing attack. After watching film from his high school days, his freshman season, and the spring game, several issues jumped out at me. Though Green is reportedly in better playing shape, his foot speed is still below average for a collegiate running back. One of the reasons many high school stars wash out in college is because they are simply so much bigger than the other athletes on the field as high school opponents, and simply don’t have the athleticism to succeed against other collegiate athletes, which is a very grim, yet realistic possibility for Green.
Green also appears to be tight in the hips, as he generally runs straight downhill and makes few effective cuts. Furthermore, when getting of his stance on run plays he will first swivel his hips in the direction of the run, rather than burst directly out of his stance. Not only does this limit his initial burst and ability to gain a step on the defense, but also tips off the direction of the running play to the defenders. As most of Green’s issues relate to his athleticism, rather than a coachable flaw, better conditioning and gains to his overall strength and power as a runner will have to be what carries Green and Michigan’s running game to victory.
Unfortunately, given what I have seen of him, I suspect that Green is a longshot to achieve the level of performance that was expected of him coming out of high school, which will make it difficult for Michigan to regain their seat near the top of the Big Ten standings for the foreseeable future.
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