Michigan Football: Breaking Down Wolverines RB Position

Derrick Green and De’Veon Smith were supposed to be the answers to Michigan’s woeful running game.

However, instead of combining forces to dominate the Big Ten in 2014, the pair of 5’11”, 220-pound sophomores frequently—and somewhat surprisingly—struggled to find steady footing on Saturdays.

To be fair, Green appeared capable of turning the corner prior to suffering his season-ending injury Oct. 4 versus Rutgers. Before breaking his clavicle, Green had 12 carries for 74 yards during what ended up being a 26-24 road loss to the Scarlet Knights.

Before that, he rushed for 170 yards and one touchdown versus Appalachian State and gashed Miami (Ohio) for 137 yards and two scores. Unfortunately, those outbursts were tainted by a six-yard effort against Minnesota and a 25-yard flop versus Notre Dame.

Conversely, one of his best friends endured a similar up-and-down haul—minus the season-ending injury, of course.

At times, Smith looked like a tank. He had a few highlight runs, complete with stiff-arms, gallops and the rest of the trimmings. Back in Week 1’s 52-14 demolition-style victory, he teamed up with Green to bulldoze the Mountaineers for 385 yards and three touchdowns.

It was only Appalachian State, but Smith’s 115 yards and two touchdown runs looked great next to Green’s line. The future of the backfield—if even for just one weekend—looked pretty bright.

Life was good.

Then things fell apart.

What the Wolverines had in 2014

Leon Halip/Getty Images

Wheels spun, but they didn’t make much progress. Nonetheless, Green and Smith were the best available—or at least that was what Wolverines fans were led to believe this past season.

However, not until the emergence of Drake Johnson did Michigan begin to fully show what it had to offer on the ground. A wave of support from fans followed the 6’0”, 211-pound redshirt sophomore.

The Ann Arbor Pioneer high school hero carried the ball 55 times for 320 yards during the final four games, highlighted by a 122-yard, two-touchdown homecoming romping of Indiana and a 74-yard, two-score effort versus Ohio State.

He didn’t pack Green- and Smith-like power, but his shifty speed injected life into a position group that rushed 425 times for 1,954 yards and 17 touchdowns—numbers good enough for a lukewarm finish of No. 7 in the Big Ten (162.8 YPG).

But, in true bad-luck fashion, he retore his left ACL during the 42-28 loss to the playoff-bound Buckeyes—leaving fans to wonder, yet again, what he’ll bring to the mix next year.

Stats: 110 rushing first downs, No. 9 in the Big Ten. Each of Michigan’s 17 rushing touchdowns were scored in the red zone, good for No. 3 overall in the league.

What they’ll have in 2015

Well, let’s start with what Michigan won’t have in 2015: Mike Weber, a 4-star running back who, following Team 135’s stumble to 5-7, flipped from maize and blue to the scarlet and gray of Ohio State.

The 5’10”, 205-pound Cass Tech senior represented another phase in the Wolverines’ return to rushing prominence. But he now belongs to Urban Meyer.

Losing Weber hurt, but Brian Cole, another star prep from the Great Lakes State, appears to be on the way. The 6’2”, 190-pound 4-star athlete out of Saginaw Heritage runs a 4.35-second 40-yard dash and is expected to settle into the backfield this fall.

He could also be a viable pass-catching option, as he has hands to match his quick legs. 

Ty Isaac is a 6’3”, 225-pound combination of speed, power and finesse that Michigan wanted the first time around. However, the 2012 all-purpose back instead chose USC. 

The former Trojans depth-back should find a home in the rotations come spring—he already has a year at Michigan, so he knows the lay of the land. Before transferring from sunny Southern California, the sophomore ran the ball 40 times for 236 yards and two touchdowns, averaging an outstanding 5.9 yards per touch.

Late this past year, former coach Brady Hoke mentioned that Isaac had ran well during bye-week practices and should be ready sooner than later. 

Isaac and Johnson could be the new tandem in town, or they could be an impressive support system for Green and Smith, who seem to be the logical picks for No. 1 and 2 at the moment.

At this point, who's doing what and when hinges on the philosophy of the next coaching regime. 

But there are pieces in place, so the new guys won't have to start from scratch. 

Follow Bleacher Report’s Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and references were obtained firsthand by the writer