Minnesota quarterback MarQueis Gray reminds Michigan coach Brady Hoke of former Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor.

Associated Press

From a physical standpoint, Minnesota quarterback MarQueis Gray resembles a player that Michigan football fans should know quite well.

"He's 6-4, 6-5," Michigan head coach Brady Hoke said earlier this week. "Probably more physically like (former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle) Pryor."

A former prep All-American, Gray has yet to duplicate the on-field production (or off-field ruckus) that Pryor created during his days as a Buckeye. And as of today, his status for his visit Saturday to Michigan Stadium (Noon, Big Ten Network) remains up in the air due to an ailing toe.

But if he can go, Gray presents a familiar set of problems for the Michigan defense.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Gray spent his first two seasons at Minnesota splitting time between quarterback and wide receiver. Gray caught 42 passes for 587 yards and five touchdowns last season, while adding 119 yards on the ground.

This year, Gray (a player Hoke recruited while at Ball State) has moved exclusively to quarterback. But his multiple-personality profile on the field hasn't changed. He leads the Gophers in rushing with 351 yards and has thrown for 521 yards and three touchdowns.

And for those who forgot, chasing mobile quarterbacks is something the Wolverines haven't exactly excelled at recently.

The issue became evident when Troy Smith and Ohio State ran all over Michigan in the regular-season finale of 2006.

In 2007, it continued when the Wolverines were blitzed by Appalachian State's Armanti Edwards and Oregon's Dennis Dixon in back-to-back weeks to open the year. That duo accounted for 657 yards of total offense and eight touchdowns during the season’s first two weeks.

In 2008, former Illinois quarterback Juice Williams set a Michigan Stadium record with 431 yards of total offense in a 45-20 win. That same year, Purdue’s Justin Siller (who now plays wide receiver) threw for 266 yards, ran for 77 more and racked up four total touchdowns in a 48-42 win in West Lafayette, Ind.

Pryor wasn’t spectacular against the Wolverines in 2009, but he had his way in 2010 (racking up 269 total yards and two scores in a 37-7 win). So did Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, who rushed for 101 yards and a score while also throwing for 211 yards and two touchdowns in a now infamous 67-65 three-overtime Michigan win.

If Gray can't go Saturday, the point is moot, as Minnesota would likely then turn to freshman drop-back passer Max Shortell.

But if Gray plays, the Wolverines say they're in for a challenge.

"He's an awesome player, and he has a lot of ability," Michigan senior defensive lineman Mike Martin said. "For us, preparing well and making sure we know tendencies and little things (is important).

"But really, it all depends on how we play on Saturday. And leading up to that, (it's about) our offense giving us the best look they can so we can prepare to do whatever we can to (be ready for) MarQueis Gray."

As far as preparation goes, Michigan doesn't have an exact Gray replica on its roster, but it does have a few that are close enough.

Last week, the Michigan defense prepared for speedy San Diego State running back Ronnie Hillman by chasing around Denard Robinson. As dangerous as he is during games, Robinson is quite an asset for Greg Mattison's defense.

But it's not just Robinson that's helping in this week's Minnesota prep. It's also backup quarterback Devin Gardner, and freshman signal caller Russell Bellomy.

"I'm not going to say he's Denard, but (Gray) has the same kind of mentality," Mattison said. "He’s going to be able to run the football. He's a big strong kid, and he has good speed. And if there's nothing open, he's going to scramble.

"I'm impressed with him; he can make some plays."

So far this season, Michigan’s faced one true mobile quarterback: Eastern Michigan’s Alex Gillett, who ran for 61 yards and threw for 29.

The Wolverines have yet to encounter a dual-threat player.

And though it won’t be a dynamic former Ohio State quarterback entering Michigan Stadium on Saturday, the possibility for problems is in Hoke’s mind.

“You’ve got to chase the rabbit,” Hoke said. “You’ve got to stay after it through the whistle, and you’ve got to be part of the 11.”

Nick Baumgardner covers Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2514, by email at nickbaumgardner@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.