Drake Johnson expected to play this Saturday

[hungry]

http://michigan.247sports.com/Bolt/Harbaugh-We-expect-Johnson-to-play-against-Illinois-48340452

so much for applying for a medical redshirt.

 

[sggatecl]

Interesting. Maybe they had a reason to believe he wouldn't qualify?

 

[UMRules06]

We already have 4 quality RBs who have all had their moments of looking great out there. Where is he going to fit in? Although Smith has been a disappointment this season.

 

[dubbsco]

As down as I was on Isaac before, he's seemingly playing a lot better. Pretty shifty.

I like Evans and Higdon both. I don't think you are at the point with Evans where you can start him and give him 20 carries but he's a terrific change of pace.

 

[UMRules06]

We don't really need a guy to carry it 20 times though. I don't mind the approach we've had so far...try different guys throughout the game, and whoever seems to have the hot hand that day let him ride it out. Different running styles can be better suited against particular teams. We just need to make sure if it's a passing situation that the guy out there can protect.

 

[deathroh]

We already have 4 quality RBs who have all had their moments of looking great out there. Where is he going to fit in? Although Smith has been a disappointment this season.

Tough crowd. He hasn't matched his citrus bowl level of play, but I'll take 5.5 ypc all day every day.

 

[deathroh]

Agree on being fine with splitting the carries though. The backs really do compliment each other well.

 

[sggatecl]

I like that it keeps them fresh for the entire season. Nobody in the backfield should be wore out come crunch time in Columbus or beyond.

 

[Michchamp]

Agree on being fine with splitting the carries though. The backs really do compliment each other well.

from what I've seen, Evans in particular seems to really gash the defense when he first gets on the field. his quickness is like a change-up... catches the defense off guard.

 

[biggunsbob]

Love the Drake !!!

 

[Monster]

I love Drake and even Smith, but at this point, Higdon, Isaac, and Evans are all better. Smith is too slow to hit the hole unless there is perfect blocking and Drake hasn't played all year. I'm really not sure what he can bring that the others can't.

 

[rumseyhouse77]

I'd love to see Drake get some PT. He seems to raise the other backs performance when he plays. If this is his last season at Michigan I hope he can finish big. GO BLUE!

 

[deathroh]

from what I've seen, Evans in particular seems to really gash the defense when he first gets on the field. his quickness is like a change-up... catches the defense off guard.

Hell yeah, that's an element we haven't seen since....Carolos Brown? To a degree I guess, but Evans really takes it to another level. I do like that they're not over working him. After a breakout like he had some teams might be tempted to turn him into a 20-25 carry a game back. Maybe he will be that at some point, but for now it's best that they're able to keep him fresh and hopefully injury free.

I am glad to have Drake back though, if fully healthy. He'll hit the hole faster than any of the other backs and has a good combination of speed and vision (at times). I think Higdon might be a little more of a refined version of him in a way, but along with Evans, Drake has the best chance to break one long. I really do like Higdon though too. Kind of has that Emmitt Smith style of staying low to the ground with powerful slashes. Add in Isaac and Smith who can sidestep and bowl over defenders respectively, and this group really checks all the boxes.

 

[dubbsco]

The other thing I really like Evans is that he seems pretty tough to bring down. Those guys with breakaway speed can sometimes be on the lighter side and go down on first contact. He's bounced off a ton of tackles on his long runs.

 

[thewolverines24]

 

[bphillips4gg]

The other thing I really like Evans is that he seems pretty tough to bring down. Those guys with breakaway speed can sometimes be on the lighter side and go down on first contact. He's bounced off a ton of tackles on his long runs.

You must be referring to a different Evans than everyone else here, because the one they've all been talking about will fall over in a stiff breeze. I like him a lot, but he needs an off-season in the weight room because he hasn't broken a tackle all season.

In regards to Drake coming back, I'm excited. He holds into the ball, he has good vision, he runs hard. He doesn't have the speed of Ty, but he holds into the ball. Smith is a bit tougher to bring down, but he doesn't seem to see the holes as easily as Drake. Evans can break one in any play, but he can't break tackles. Higdon I like a lot, and I think he's the most comparable to Drake of the whole group. A good balance of everything you want in a back with no glaring weakness.

 

[dubbsco]

Maybe we are watching someone different. I get it was Rutgers, but there was a ton of missed tackles and he dragged a guy down to the 1 on his big run.

He's listed as 5-11, 200 lb. He ain't a twig.

 

[thewolverines24]

Maybe we are watching someone different. I get it was Rutgers, but there was a ton of missed tackles and he dragged a guy down to the 1 on his big run.

He's listed as 5-11, 200 lb. He ain't a twig.

He's lean, but not light.

 

[Monster]

Maybe we are watching someone different. I get it was Rutgers, but there was a ton of missed tackles and he dragged a guy down to the 1 on his big run.

He's listed as 5-11, 200 lb. He ain't a twig.

Agreed. On his run to the 1 yard line, he had a guy draped all over him for the last 5-10 yards. He's had several other runs where he broke tackles, especially in the first game of the year.

Obviously he's not Deveon Smith or Ty Isaac, but he will break tackles if the tackling isn't solid. He'll never be a power guy, but his elusiveness more than makes up for it.

He had one big run against Wisconsin that he hit the hole so fast, I doubt any other back on our roster (except for Peppers) could have picked up more than a few yards.

 

[dubbsco]

Yeah, I'm a bit confused by "he can be brought down with a stiff breeze." I must have been watching someone completely different.

I'm not saying he's just shedding tackles left and right, but I have seen him bounce off plenty of defenders and have watched every game start to finish and never thought to myself one time, "yeah, he's really easy to take down."

If you want to remember someone easy to bring down, take a look at Derrick Green. That dude fell down on his own more than anyone I've ever seen.