Although Michigan hasn’t had one running back claim the position, the case could be made that its duo of junior Karan Higdon and fifth-year senior Ty Isaac has been better than any other tandem in the conference.
Higdon’s 604 yards are the eighth-most in the league, while Isaac’s 548 yards are just behind him at ninth.
Granted, several other teams possess a single running back that has posted better individual statistics than Higdon or Isaac, but an argument could be made that no team has a better true duo at the position.
Wisconsin could make a legitimate case, due to the outstanding season freshman Jonathan Taylor is having. He has totaled 1,185 yards on the ground, 322 more than any other player in the conference.
However, the Badgers’ next leading rusher — redshirt sophomore Bradrick Shaw — has just 279 yards on the season and nearly 100 fewer carries than Taylor, which begs the question of whether or not the two can actually be considered a true tandem.
Ohio State could make the next best argument. Freshman J.K. Dobbins and redshirt sophomore Mike Weber have rushed for a combined 1,111 yards this year — just 41 fewer than U-M's duo — but their 6.07 combined yards per carry average is slightly better than the 6.04 of Higdon and Isaac.
Maryland has a bona fide two-back system made up of junior Ty Johnson and sophomore Lorenzo Harrison. The duo have run for a combined 1,032 yards, just 120 fewer than Higdon and Isaac's 1,152.
Minnesota — Michigan's opponent on Saturday — also has a solid backfield tandem comprised of redshirt junior Rodney Smith and junior Shannon Brooks. Smith and Brooks have racked up a combined 996 yards, but their 4.38 yards per carry average is quite a bit behind the rest of the pack.
Combined rushing yards aren't the only statistic where U-M's two runners excel, though.
They have also combined for 10 touchdowns, which is tied with OSU's duo for second in the league, behind the Badgers' Taylor and Shaw with 13.
By the Numbers: Minnesota at Michigan
3rd Career start for Minnesota redshirt sophomore quarterback Demry Croft on Saturday. Croft replaced struggling fifth-year senior Conor Rhoda two weeks ago, but is completing just 42.1 percent of his passes with four interceptions.
5th Night game in the history of Michigan Stadium is Saturday. The Wolverines defeated Notre Dame in 2011 and 2013, and Penn State in 2014, but fell to Michigan State just under a month ago on Oct. 7.
10 Tackles for loss each have been posted by redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich and fifth-year senior defensive tackle Mo Hurst, which are tied for the most in the Big Ten. The two Wolverines share the conference lead with Ohio State sophomore defensive end Nick Bosa.
51 Percent chance that redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Peters will get the start on Saturday, according to Jim Harbaugh. Peters replaced struggling fifth-year senior John O'Korn last week against Rutgers and completed 10 of 14 passes with a touchdown.
96th Meeting between the two programs with the Little Brown Jug at stake occurs this weekend. It is the oldest regularly exchanged trophy in college football — the two teams first played for it in 1909.
103rd All-time meeting between Minnesota and Michigan, who first played back in 1892. The Wolverines hold a 74-25-3 advantage in the series.
116th Is where Minnesota's passing attack ranks nationally, out of 130 FBS teams. The Gophers throw for just 156.4 yards per game, while Michigan's pass defense allows just 151.4 yards per game, which is the second-lowest mark in the nation.
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