Michigan Football Preview 2017

2017 Michigan Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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64 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 'Why am I only going to play one quarter?'" Harbaugh explained he wanted to get him just enough work to get him going, but not too much that he might get injured. Evans finished his day with three carries for only 10 yards, but the play callers also provided a potential glimpse of the future by running him out of the wildcat formation on one carry. "I just do what I'm coached to do," he said. "I'm trying to bring extra energy to the team, being able to bring life to the offense like Jabrill [Peppers] did, spark the offense up. We had another play, but our offensive line got messed up and we had to switch it up. We had some more wildcat plays, but …" But he only got to play one quarter, he reiterated with a grin. "I wanted to play more because I saw it was a tie score [late in the game]," he said. "I said, 'I've got to score!' But [the coaches] said, 'Nuh-uh.' I can respect that." He's already Michigan's best back in terms of vision, but he gets more and more comfortable in that area with each carry. If there's one area he'd still like to improve, that's it. "To me, my vision was pretty good, but going in I've already had a move predetermined," Evans said. "Like that Florida State move; I had that predetermined. Now talking to coach Jay, I need to let my body go and react to whatever I'm thinking." A Leadership Role Another necessary step on his agenda — to get out of his comfort zone and become a bit more vocal. He made strides toward that end this spring when he got up in front of his teammates before the spring game April 15 and addressed them, surprising many of his teammates. "One horse can pull up to 7,000 pounds; two horses can pull about 14,000 pounds," Evans said. "But if you train two together and give them a bond with each other, they can pull up to 20,000 pounds. "They know they've got each other's back. They can get through tough times. So if you wake up and there's a problem bigger than 7,000 pounds, look to your left and look to your right." His teammates — not just the running backs, but the linemen, receivers and everyone else — are putting in the work just like he is to be a strong link on the chain of a team vying to win its first Big Ten title since 2004, and there are some changes in store. U-M will run more zone blocking principles this year, so everyone will be learning some of what new run game coordinator Greg Frey helps implement. This year, Evans hopes his added strength will allow him to break the arm tackles that kept big plays from becoming huge plays a Evans burst onto the scene with 112 yards and two touchdowns on just eight totes in the season opener against Hawai'i to become the third Wolverine to reach triple digits on the ground in his first collegiate game. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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