Michigan Wolverines football freshman running back Donovan Edwards showed flashes of what he could be as a collegiate back when he ran for 27 yards on six carries in the second half of a win over Western Michigan. After that game, a 47-14 U-M victory, head coach Jim Harbaugh predicted we’d see more of the freshman, even as the other backs (Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum) were dominating on the ground.
“He just had the feel that the way he was running the ball, breaking tackles, driving through — he was doing a really good job of going north and south,” Harbaugh said. “That’s been a big coaching emphasis.
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“He’s been used to just trying to run everything around everybody all the time. That’s been a steady process. It’s all nothing but north and south out of Donovan. It’s going to be a matter of time before he breaks one — you just have that feeling on the sideline, and it’s the same thing after watching the tape. He just wants it so bad — he’s one of those types of players.
“We’ll be seeing more of Donovan Edwards.”
He carried only once for four yards in a 31-10 win over Washington, however, and didn’t see the field much.
Expect that to change soon. Edwards has been working on punt return and could get a shot Saturday against Northern Illinois — running backs coach Mike Hart insisted Wednesday he would — and he’s continued to improve in practice. He was even better than expected against WMU with the way he attacked the middle of the defense, something that takes maturity for a guy used to having a chance to go the distance on every play in high school.
“One of the biggest transitions when you get to college — everybody is fast,” Hart said. “Not just fast, but they contain the ball and angles, so you have to get vertical. He did a great job.
“One thing … I have to get him on the field more. He’s talented. I told him other day, he should have had more carries in the game against Washington, without a doubt. I’ve got to get him in there, get him oiled up.”
But there are only so many carries to go around, especially when redshirt frosh Corum (282 yards in two games) and redshirt sophomore Haskins (225) are dominating like they have. They all want to play, Hart noted, and unlike the situation when he played (2004-07) — when he was the bell cow with nobody close to him in ability — he has a deep room.
“You want them to want be out there,” he said. “My job as a coach, why we’re coaches … we put them out there in the best situations possible from that standpoint.
“They all want 25 carries. Donovan wants that, too. As a coach, it’s my job to manage the room. That’s the biggest thing when you have a talented room. Everyone wants to be in there, on the field.”
Hart seems to have great feel for when to play his backs, and it’s worked out well in two weeks. He’ll continue to do what he feels is right, but it’s clear he wants the freshman to see the field more.
“I just think you have certain plays for certain guys going into the week, then they just practice it throughout the week, then it’s just a feel thing. I played a lot of Madden (video games) growing up,” he said with a grin. “Once a back has a certain amount of carries, they automatically sub them.
“When we run the ball on a 12-play drive, Hassan has got to come out a little, then Blake comes in. Sometimes it’s Blake, sometime Hassan, then Don every now and then and go with the flow and how you feel.”
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