Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson wasn't perfect Saturday - but did enough to win
UMass defensive lineman Galen Clemons grabs Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson -- and vice versa -- as he carries the ball during the first half Saturday.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
For two weeks, the Michigan sophomore had done so little wrong. He had the two most prolific offensive days in school history, didn’t commit a turnover and looked nothing like the tentative, run-only player he showed in spot duty as a freshman.
Who knew it would take playing a lower-division opponent to force a faux pas. On the second play of Michigan’s 42-37 win over Massachusetts on Saturday, Denard Robinson threw an interception.
“Everybody is going to throw a pick,” Robinson said, shrugging off the mistake. “I wasn’t going to go a season without throwing a pick. You make mistakes.”
That might be the most important thing Robinson -- and Michigan -- learn from Saturday’s closer-than-expected win over UMass.
Don’t start sluggish was Robinson’s proclaimed lesson of the day. The ability to shake off those doldrums might be his biggest takeaway.
A year ago, a Robinson turnover would have sent him to the bench, perhaps for the rest of the game. Saturday, Robinson went out the next possession and led Michigan to its first touchdown of the game.
“He knew what happened,” wide receiver Darryl Stonum said. “Knew he made a mistake and he came to the sideline with a smile on his face and he said, ‘Look guys, I got that out of my system. Now let’s go play.’”
He did. And for the first time this season, he got significant help from his teammates.
Michigan relied on Robinson almost exclusively the first two weeks and he set the school record for total yards in both games. On Saturday, he played well, compiling 345 yards of total offense, only good enough for 10th all-time.
Usually, that’d be cause for praise. But when the first two games of the season were Nos. 1 and 2 on that all-time list, it left small room for criticism considering Michigan’s offensive struggles as a whole in the first half.
“I thought Denard started out a little bit, I don’t want to say shaky, but not polished, you know,” Michigan offensive coordinator Calvin Magee said. “Then he settled down and got into the groove and overall did a good job.”
Magee, though, wasn’t surprised by Robinson’s comparative lack of eye-popping numbers. Magee said the plan, unlike the first two weeks, was to give the ball to running backs Michael Shaw and Vincent Smith more than let Robinson run roughshod.
In reality, any real criticism of Robinson is nit-picking. He directly accounted for three Michigan touchdowns, two passing and one rushing. And, as is the case with any Rich Rodriguez-based offense, the quarterback is the focal point of all things good and bad for the Michigan offense.
Through two games, Robinson carried the ball 57 times. On Saturday, he had 17 carries and for the first time this year threw for more yards (241) than he ran for (104).
That was still more than Rodriguez, Michigan's third-year coach, wanted.
“That was more than we anticipated, more runs were designed to the running back,” Rodriguez said. “We tried to give him some relief.”
The UMass strategy to try to take Robinson out of the offense also contributed.
Against Notre Dame a week ago, the Irish defensive front keyed on Shaw and Smith, forcing Robinson to make reads where he’d keep the ball. On Saturday, in the middle of the second quarter, Robinson went to Shaw and told him to expect the ball more.
Massachusetts changed the read. The Minutemen started focusing on Robinson instead of Shaw.
So off went Shaw for 126 yards and three touchdowns, the first time this season Robinson hasn’t been Michigan’s leading rusher.
“Normally they are keying in on me, I don’t know why,” Shaw said. “But they are keying on me and that’s where they are getting his yards from, breaks it outside and does what he does best.
“Well now, I guess UMass got the memo and they started to lock in on his speed and a lot more things opened up for me.”
Not that Robinson minded.
He smiled more when talking about Shaw or wide receiver Darryl Stonum, who caught three Robinson passes and turned them into two touchdowns, than about anything he
did.
And on a day where many anticipated Robinson receiving rest for the first time this season, he did in some ways. He didn’t take the beating he did against Connecticut and Notre Dame.
The game never dictated pulling Michigan’s starters to allow reserve quarterbacks Devin Gardner and Tate Forcier playing time, so Robinson remained and quarterback and led the Wolverines to their third victory.
Just one much closer than many people thought.
Michael Rothstein covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein