Coming into the year, most fans thought Jim Harbaugh would use a running back-by-committee approach that included sophomore Chris Evans, junior Karan Higdon and fifth-year senior Ty Isaac.
Through two games, though, that hasn’t been the case. Isaac has separated himself from the pack and appears to be turning into the "go-to guy" at the position. His 31 rushing attempts on the year are followed closely by Evans' 27 — but Isaac's career-high 20 tries against Cincinnati quadrupled the next-highest rusher's carries (Evans, with five).
In the season-opener against Florida, Isaac rushed for 114 yards and then followed it up by running for a career-best 133 against Cincinnati this past Saturday. The fifth-year senior nearly doubled his carries from week one to week two, with 11 and 20, respectively.
He has not only been the best running back for the Wolverines so far this year, but one of the best in the conference as well.
Isaac's 247 yards on the ground are good for sixth-most in the Big Ten, trailing only Wisconsin freshman Jonathan Taylor (310), Nebraska sophomore Tre Bryant (299), Penn State junior Saquon Barkley (260), Maryland junior Ty Johnson (256) and Ohio State freshman J.K. Dobbins (253).
Isaac's 247 rushing yards are also the 11th-most of any running back from a power conference in the entire country.
Meanwhile, his eight yards per carry are good for fifth-most in the Big Ten, trailing only Johnson (15), Barkley (9.2), Taylor (8.8) and Michigan State redshirt sophomore quarterback Brian Lewerke (8.8).
The fifth-year senior has also been one of the best big-play running backs in both the conference and in all of college football. His two runs of 30 or more yards are tied for second-most in the league and rank seventh nationally.
Additionally, he has seven runs of 10 or more yards this season, which are tied for fourth-most in the league.
The 6-3, 228-pounder is trying to become the first Michigan running back to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau in a single season since Fitzgerald Toussaint did so in 2011 (1,041).
Isaac is well on his way to reaching that mark, as he is currently on pace to rush for 1,482 yards this year.
By the Numbers: Air Force at Michigan
2 Straight 100-yard rushing performances by Isaac, becoming the first U-M running back to do so since Fitzgerald Toussaint in 2011.
3rd All-time meeting between Michigan and Air Force, with the Wolverines holding a 2-0 advantage. The Maize and Blue defeated the Falcons 24-7 in 1964 and eked out a 31-25 victory in 2012.
3.5 Tackles for loss for sophomore linebacker Devin Bush and sophomore viper Khaleke Hudson, which are tied for second-most in the conference. Michigan's 18 tackles for loss as a team are also tied for the second-most in the league, trailing only Penn State's 23.
9-0 U'M's record against teams which currently reside in the Mountain West Conference. Michigan lost to Utah in 2008 when the Utes were a member of the conference, but they left after the 2010 season to join the Pac-12.
21 Points scored by Michigan's defense this season, including two pick-sixes and a fumble recovery in the end zone. On the flip side, the Wolverines' defense has only yielded 17 points to opposing offenses.
82 Degree temperature projected for Saturday in Ann Arbor, which will make for an unseasonably warm day in the heart of September.
95 Yards allowed in Air Force's only game, against Virginia Military Institute, this season. The Falcons gave up just 40 passing yards and 55 rushing yards to the Keydets.
473 Rushing yards per game for Air Force's offense, which is the most in the country. Granted, the Falcons have only played one game, but the statistic is still impressive nonetheless. The squad finished third in the land last year with an average of 317.4 yards per contest on the ground.
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