While running backs fifth-year senior Ty Isaac and junior Karan Higdon were largely ineffective rushing the ball last Saturday at Purdue, sophomore Chris Evans took it upon himself to get things going on the ground.
With Michigan trailing 10-7 late in the third quarter, his 10-yard touchdown run gave the Wolverines the lead for good.
“We ran that play in practice all week, but it never looked good,” he explained. “We figured we’d give it another try and it wound up working. Every time we ran a toss in that game they’d bite on it fast, so that’s why the middle opened up.”
Because he grew up in Indianapolis — which is just over an hour from West Lafayette, — Saturday’s contest meant a little more to Evans than usual.
“I knew a lot of people there, and lot of people on their team,” he revealed. ‘It was their homecoming, but it felt like home cooking for me.”
While the Purdue contest was big, Evans said he also understands the magnitude of the next game on the schedule.
“You really don’t know the rivalry until you’re in the game,” he exclaimed. “Their record wasn’t as hot last year, so it wasn’t as crazy of a game as it could have been.”
The sophomore also said he loves the fact that it’ll be a night game.
“When we heard it was going to be under the lights, you just get goosebumps,” he said. “It’ll be my first game inside the Big House — I think it will kind of have a Friday night lights feel to it.
“With our fans behind us, there’s no stopping us. It’d be good if we could come out and punch them in the mouth in the first quarter.”
Even though Michigan has a bye this week, Evans said the team has already begun preparing for the Spartans.
“We’re already on top of the game plan and everything else,” he confirmed. “I’ve noticed that No. 23 [senior linebacker Chris Frey] is back for them and he’s kind of a rowdy guy, so we’ll have to deal with him.”
The sophomore said he personally feels he has made a big leap from last year to this season, and explained what the main reason for that leap has been.
“My confidence,” he said. “It’s so much higher now because I’ve been through the offseason workouts and I trust everybody on the team. The success I had in the Purdue game will just make me work harder — I have to, because guys like [Penn State junior running back] Saquon [Barkley] and [Ohio State freshman running back] J.K. [Dobbins] are out there working hard too.”
Finally, Evans touched on what led to the success of fifth-year senior quarterback John O’Korn on Saturday against the Boilermakers.
“I told John after the game I wasn’t surprised,” he recalled. “He would hit me up this past offseason and tell me to come catch some balls, and I’d pull up and be there right away. All his hard work really unfolded on Saturday.”
The next question is whether or not O’Korn and Evans can each carry their respective success against Purdue into the Michigan State game.
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