Sophomore Chris Evans knows he is ready to take the next step as Michigan’s starting running back this season.
He says he has become more familiar with the blocking schemes and better understands why the Wolverines run certain plays the way they do, setting himself up to let natural instincts take over instead of thinking so much.
Pass protection is an area that he feels he’s much more prepared for this year.
“I’ve come very far from where I was last year,” Evans said. “Blocking Ben Gedeon, he was huge and he always knocked me on my back, all the time. So being able to break down the film and falling back on my technique just really helps me in that situation.”
This year, the player that most reminds him of Gedeon is sophomore linebacker Khaleke Hudson.
“He’s like a rollercoaster,” Evans said. “He might go through you, he might go around you. You just hope you guess right.”
Evans will be counted on even more than last year with the departure of De’Veon Smith. Despite being a sophomore, Evans has taken to bringing up the freshmen, among other things, at camp.
“Making sure I stay focused,” Evans said. “Making sure I bring the young guys along with me like [freshman] Kurt Taylor and [freshman] O’Maury Samuels just making sure they’re on board with everything and making sure I’m being a positive teammate.”
The two freshmen have been physically impressive so far.
“They’re physically gifted,” Evans said. “They’re ready, they’re ready athletically, but mentally it’s a whole other thing to get ready mentally.”
In practice, Evans said he feels comfortable with whoever is on the offensive line. They have been able to improve by facing Michigan’s defense in practice every day.
“They get their fair share of wins and we get our wins, it’s back and forth,” Evans said. “We just make sure we’re competing and going hard against each other.”
To get ready for Florida, the Wolverines have been practicing with crowd noise. Something Evans said has helped, especially with communication with the quarterbacks. He also said that Michigan will be prepared for AT&T Stadium, because the team already plays in front of over 100,000 at the Big House.
“Honestly, I feel like we are ready to play right now, just because of all the things we’re doing,” Evans said. “We do the same thing every day, but it’s just football.”
He said Florida’s defense reminds him a little bit of Florida State’s, but leaner and faster.
“They’re very aggressive, very fast,” Evans said. “They like to hit. They don’t really blitz much and try to cause commotion, they just let their athletes be athletes and play naturally.”
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