Michigan Football: Harbaugh Reveals When He Hopes To Have Chris Evans Back
Michigan’s 56-10 destruction of Nebraska on Saturday was the best game the Wolverines had played in two years.
The team was clicking on all cylinders throughout the entire contest, and head coach Jim Harbaugh talked about how pleased he was with the effort this evening on the Inside Michigan Football radio show at the Pizza House in Ann Arbor.
“It’s what we wanted to see,” he said. “Improving, winning each week and staying healthy are the three things we want to do. The team now is excited to see what they can do better and what’s being put into the next game plan.
“It’s a fun group to work with. Judging by Saturday, all the position groups played very well.”
One spot in particular that shined was running back.
Sophomore fullback Ben Mason scored three touchdowns on the ground against the Cornhuskers, while senior running back Karan Higdon rushed for 136 yards.
“Higdon broke off big runs, and also turned two-yard runs into seven-yarders," the head coach noted. "He doesn’t go down easy, which is a sign of a good back. He’s ascending in pass protection as well.
“We love Mason and his style of play. There’s a lot of ways to utilize what he can do — we’ve talked about playing him on defense, so nothing is out of the realm of possibility for him. There are a lot of roles for guys who are tough like him — you won’t find a more gung-ho guy than Ben Mason.
“We’re hoping [junior running back] Chris Evans will play on Saturday. We’ll hope for the best but also prepare for it not to happen. You just don’t want anything that will linger.
“He’s always answered the bell, so I want it to be healed. It’s the same issue he’d been dealing with. I think it’ll be this week or next when he returns, but he’s still day to day.”
Another area that shined on Saturday were the special teams.
Several players made headlines in that phase, including sophomore wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones with his 60-yard return for a score, and redshirt sophomore Will Hart’s 59.3 average on punts.
“Donovan’s confidence is growing, along with everyone else’s,” Harbaugh observed. “He has really taken off, and people like it so much when players develop.
“The blocking on Saturday was also tremendous — [sophomore safety] Brad Hawkins had the best block on Donovan’s return. The unit is confident in him because they know they can make some hay on punt returns.
“Will Hart is also handling snaps well for us and getting the ball off in timely fashion, while flipping field position.”
While the offense and special teams shined against Nebraska, the defense played better than both of them.
It allowed just 132 yards of offense to the Cornhuskers, including 17 in the first half.
“All of Nebraska’s drives ended without points, except ones that were kept alive by penalties,” Harbaugh recalled. “It jumps off the page when you see 14 drives and 12 of them end without scores.
“The defensive staff has been together for three years and have been so good ever since Don Brown got here. Everyone is happy when players improve and get better.
“We had a secondary a few years ago where all the guys wound up in the NFL. Now we have [junior cornerback] Lavert Hill, [junior cornerback] David Long, [fifth-year senior cornerback] Brandon Watson, [senior safety] Tyree Kinnel and [junior safety] Josh Metellus, who has had an interception in two straight games.
“Now there will be a new wave of guys with Brad Hawkins and [redshirt freshman cornerback] Hunter Reynolds, who got nine stickers on his helmet this week.”
Finally, Charles Woodson was honored on Saturday at the game for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, and Harbaugh explained how proud it makes him to see former Wolverine greats still making headlines for all the right reasons long after they’ve left the school.
“We’re lucky at Michigan to have so many alumni doing great things in the world,” he expressed. “It seems like someone who has done something amazing is honored each week at our ball game, and it makes you proud.”
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