Michigan Football 2012: Previewing the Spring Game by the Numbers

Michigan fans will get their first glimpse of the 2012 football squad when the Wolverines host their annual spring game at The Big House, Saturday at noon ET.

Several players will be making their debuts in game-like conditions, some will be vying for vacant positions and others will be protecting their starting spots.

So let's take a look at what we might see Saturday at Michigan Stadium, according to the numbers:

1—The jersey number occasionally awarded to a Michigan wide receiver who shows great potential. It's doubtful a current Wolverine will ever wear it, but it appeared that Roy Roundtree might get a shot after catching 72 passes during the 2010 season.

But his production dropped off to 19 in 2011, and now he'll simply be trying to salvage his career by having a solid 2012 campaign. Braylon Edwards was last to wear the jersey in 2004, while such Michigan stars as Anthony Carter, Derrick Alexander and David Terrell wore No. 1 in the past.

2—There appears to be a pair of interesting matchups worth watching. First, the battle up front between center Ricky Barnum and nose tackle Will Campbell could be epic. Both have something to prove as Barnum tries to come back from ankle injuries to learn a new position. Likewise, Campbell hasn't played a lot of tackle; in fact he's been a disappointment wherever he's played.

Second, many teams have assigned a “spy” to help contain dual-threat quarterbacks like Denard Robinson. On Saturday, the “spy” could come in the name of nickelback Courtney Avery. Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison is competitive enough to try such a stunt. In any case, it'll be interesting how the Wolverine defense faces Robinson.

3—The number of early enrollees from the 2012 recruiting class. Watch for safety Jerrod Wilson (22) and LBs Kaleb Ringer (49) and Joe Bolden (35) to see some action Saturday. Remember the impact Jake Ryan made in last year's game? Look for Bolden to make a similar impact.

4—The number of 2013 recruits who should be at the spring game. LB E.J. Levenberry, DE Joey Posa, DT Christian Lecouture and CB Kendall Fuller will be in attendance, reports scout.com. Posa and Fuller and ranked No. 2 at their position, and Levenberry is rated seventh.

7—Once again, Devin Gardner will be Denard Robinson's backup at quarterback. And once again, look for Gardner to occasionally line up at other positions on offense. You'll see him at flanker, in the backfield with Robinson and often in motion. With Russell Bellomy now an adequate backup quarterback, the coaching staff needn't fear the injury bug.

8—The number of defensive starters returning. New to the lineup will be a nose guard, tackle and defensive end. Big Will Campbell replaces Mike Martin at the nose, Jibreel Black takes over for Will Heininger and Craig Roh moves over to replace Ryan VanBergen. Another newcomer to watch is sophomore Brennan Beyer, who's expected take Roh's old spot.

9—The number of offensive starters returning. With Ricky Barnum apparently winning the center battle, only tight end and left guard will be manned by newcomers. TE Brandon Moore and LG Elliott Mealer lack experience, but both are seniors.

133—The spring game marks the unofficial opening of Michigan's 133rd football season. The Wolverines lead the nation in all-time wins and winning percentage. Michigan has won 895 games, with Yale second (863) and Texas third (849).

The Wolverines boast a winning percentage of .736 (895-310-36), with Notre Dame is second (.733, 845-295-42) and Texas third (.719, 849-322-33).

238— While the crowd at the spring game will not approach 100,000, crowds of that size or more than common at The Big House. If fact, the Wolverines have played 238 consecutive home games before more than 100,000 (from 1975 to present), which is tops in the nation. Michigan set the NCAA single-game attendance record of 114,804 when the Wolverines defeated Notre Dame, 35-31, last September.