Randy Edsall had seen it all before. Four times before, the Connecticut coach game-planned for a Rich Rodriguez offense, knowing it is predicated on a quarterback capable of picking defenses apart in multiple ways.

Four times, his Huskies failed to find a suitable solution.

And once Denard Robinson got going in Michigan's 30-10 win over the Huskies on Saturday at Michigan Stadium, everything Edsall experienced in four straight losses to Rodriguez at West Virginia quickly came rushing back.

Different quarterback. Same result.

Michigan sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson works around Connecticut defensive end Trevardo Williams.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

"Rich's thing has always been having a running quarterback, and Rich has always been a guy that wants to run the football and do some things," Edsall said after Saturday's loss. "Denard Robinson can do those things for them.

"This is what Rich did when we played him at West Virginia with Pat White. I'm not saying (Robinson) is Pat White, because Pat was pretty good. But I think with time, I think this young man will have the chance to be a very, very good quarterback."

Connecticut's last run-in with Rodriguez resulted in a 45-point loss in 2007 when White ran for 186 yard and two touchdowns. On Saturday, Robinson - making his first collegiate start - ran for 197 yards while throwing for 186 yards on 19-of-22 passing.

The sophomore's gaudy numbers aside, perhaps the more back-breaking aspect of Robinson's performance was the 14 of 19 times he converted on third down, keeping Connecticut's defense on the field.

Again, that forced Edsall's mind to rewind into the past.

"We had opportunities on third down, and it's deja vu' all over again," Edsall said. "West Virginia - Pat White, third-and-15 and they run the quarterback draw, and here we go again."

Edsall called Michigan a "totally different" team with Robinson on the field. Unlike last year when the Wolverines struggled at times to sustain drives with freshman Tate Forcier running Michigan's offense, Connecticut continually struggled to get its defense off the field.

Connecticut senior linebacker Greg Lloyd said the Huskies had too many "mishaps" defensively to win Saturday. Connecticut prepared all week without knowing who they would see at quarterback. Ultimately, though, as was the case in the past against Rodriguez-run offenses, the final result came down to a lack of execution.

"They played great and they executed and that's what happens some times," Lloyd said. "We had everything down pat. ... To me, it was the same stuff (as UConn saw in the past) and it came down to recognizing plays and coming out and executing. We had opportunities, and we let them pass them by."

The defensive struggles were only part of Connecticut's struggles. The Huskies failed to convert on a golden scoring chance, fumbling inside the Michigan 4-yard line when a touchdown would have trimmed the Wolverines' lead to seven points. Adding to UConn's misery were a collection of dropped passes and missed offensive opportunities - far from the performance Edsall expected in a game that was expected to come down to the fourth quarter.

"Our kids gave great effort, but it's all about winning," Edsall said. "We came out here to win, we didn't win. You can find out a lot about your team in the first week when you play Michigan.

"It's an opening ball game, and you're playing the winningest program in college football, and so you better have all your wrinkles ironed out, and you better be able to execute at a high level if you're going to beat a time like this on opening day. We just didn't do it."

Jeff Arnold covers sports for AnnArbor.com and can be reached at (734) 623-2554 or by e-mail at jeffarnold@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffreyparnold.