The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 63 said. "If they can trust you, you'll play, no matter what. That goes from a fifth-year se- nior to a first-year freshman. If they can trust you to do your job, be reliable in practice and handle your position, you'll play. "My main goal is gaining that trust, them knowing I can go in there in any situation. The next thing is to perform. You've got to go out and perform in front of some people." He did that in the spring game, and now he'll be preparing in relative anonymity all summer long, gearing up for fall camp. He's determined to get the "absolute most" out of a summer of training, from getting his weight to a range of 222 to 225 and further honing his skills within the offense. Talk is cheap, Isaac continues to insist. Work remains the word of the day. "I had a good spring, but I didn't get to this point to stop at this point," he stressed. "As much as people want to talk about my spring, I don't want to plateau there. I want to continue to build. "I don't want to just be along for the train ride and not have a finger- print on it. I want to be out on the field, helping the team win games." He knows Michigan's offense could be gearing up for something special. He sees it every day in practice. "I think we can be as good as we want to be," he said. "The offensive line has been playing really, really well. All of those guys are really smart. They've been playing to- gether for almost three years now, without any major change in the line. They're a huge key for us. "Our wide receivers are freaks, athleti- cally. They go up and get the ball, and they make a lot of plays. Our running backs are good, our tight ends can catch and block. We're going to take this thing as far as we want to. "This team has never had an issue with working hard. We've just got to stay focused and stay hungry." That goes double for Isaac, especially after last season. He's starving, and knows any- thing he says right now about what he wants to accomplish in the fall means as much as sandals on a hiking expedition to the South Pole. With the re-arrival of Nike gear this Au- gust, it's time to just do it. "What I really like is, 'Let's just go do it. There's no need to talk about it. You don't need a pep talk. We're going to do this, now let's go do it,''' Isaac pointed out, regarding Harbaugh's approach. "Personally, I like that. "My dad's like that. A lot of people around me are like that. I just believe in it. If you're going to do something, just go do it. Don't talk about it. Talking about it isn't going to get it done." He has a message for Michigan fans: "I can't wait to see them on Sept. 3." He's hoping that works both ways. ❏ Looking For Mr. 1,000 From 1974, when Gordon Bell ran wild for Bo Schembechler's teams, to 1995, when Tshimanga Biakabutuka reeled off a record 1,818 rushing yards, Michigan failed to feature a 1,000-yard tailback only four times. Since Mike Hart departed following the 2007 season, the Wolverines have seen one 1,000-yard tailback in eight years. That doesn't mean Michigan fans haven't witnessed scintillating ground-game feats. After all, from 2010-12, quarterback Denard Robinson sailed away for totals of 1,702, 1,176 and 1,266 rushing yards. Those years, though, involved the end of a truncated switch to a spread and the Wolverines working their laborious way back toward a tailback-geared run game. Only Fitzgerald Toussaint's 1,041-yard effort in 2011 allowed U-M to avoid going 0 for 8 for tailbacks hitting four figures. Obviously, a 1,000-yard season by a tailback isn't the only standard of success for a rushing game. But the Wolverines would certainly benefit from a breakout runner or two this season, with Smith and redshirt junior Ty Isaac representing prime contenders. Smith piled up plenty of yardage early in the season, topping the 100-yard mark against Or - egon State (127) and BYU (128), while Isaac stepped in to rush for 115 yards in a non-conference game versus UNLV. The going got much tougher when the Big Ten season ensued. Isaac made very sparse ap- pearances, while Smith didn't post another 100-yard performance until Michigan's bowl win over Florida, when he carried 25 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Rising fifth-year senior Drake Johnson, meanwhile, enjoyed his best game rushing the football in the win at Maryland, accounting for 71 yards. Head coach Jim Harbaugh is determined to run the ball, and his teams have demonstrated improvement in that area con - sistently. One obvious sign of development for the 2016 Wolverines would involve once again putting a back over the 1,000- yard mark, or finding a combination to significantly exceed the 1,229 yards the Smith-Johnson-Isaac trio managed last year. — John Borton U-M running backs have achieved just one 1,000-yard season over the last eight years — Fitzgerald Toussaint with 1,041 in 2011. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN The Last 10 To Crack The Century Mark Year Name Att. Yds. TD 2012 Denard Robinson (QB) 177 1,266 7 2011 Denard Robinson (QB) 221 1,176 16 2011 Fitzgerald Toussaint 187 1,041 9 2010 Denard Robinson (QB) 256 1,702 14 2007 Mike Hart 265 1,361 14 2006 Mike Hart 318 1,562 14 2004 Mike Hart 282 1,455 9 2003 Chris Perry 338 1,674 18 2002 Chris Perry 267 1,110 14 2000 Anthony Thomas 319 1,733 18