Michigan Football: Can Michael Shaw Shift Running Burden off Denard Robinson?

With power football returning to Ann Arbor this fall, Michigan coaches and fans are expecting a single running back to emerge and lead the team in the same way that Mike Hart did before the Rich Rodriguez era.

Heading into the season, the popular prediction was that sophomore Stephen Hopkins would be the 6'0", 228-pound battering ram that drove the offense down the field with power and consistency. Then the focus shifted, as it always does, to the promise of an incoming freshman named Thomas Rawls. Rawls combined size and speed—the likes of which Michigan hasn't seen since Anthony Thomas. Nobody was talking about senior running back Michael Shaw any more.

Most fans have written off Michael Shaw as another Michigan back that showed great promise, but could never stay healthy or run consistently enough to be the guy. Fall camp, however, has proven otherwise.

While Stephen Hopkins has seemingly been in the doghouse all fall, Thomas Rawls suffered a shoulder injury and Michael Shaw ran consistently well in camp. As is typically the case, the senior seems to have overcome the hype of the underclassman.

Equally as surprising as Shaw separating from the pack was the emergence of redshirt sophomore Fitzgerald Toussaint, who has pulled himself into a neck-and-neck battle with Shaw. The official starter for Saturday has yet to be named, but the final decision probably will not come until we see who performs well at game time.

Regardless of who starts, it is critical for Michigan to find someone to help carry the load that rested squarely on Denard Robinson's shoulders. The staff is insistent upon keeping Robinson's carries down from last year and with a very good line in front of them, you can expect a primary running back to emerge.

"Primary," however, will not mean what it may have in the past. Unless someone really catches fire early on, you will see the bulk of the carries split between Shaw and Toussaint, with Stephen Hopkins in short yardage and Vincent Smith on the field as a third-down back. It isn't ideal, but it is the best option to start the season and it plays to the unique talents of a deep, but unproven, backfield.

Whether it is Shaw, Toussaint or a combination of backs, this staff will find a way to establish a running game outside of Denard Robinson. There is enough talent to get the job done, but in crunch time you can still expect it to be the Denard Robinson show. When the offense sputters, Hoke will look to Robinson to ignite the offensive unit—and he would be crazy not to.