Kornacki: Dissecting the 391 Rushing Yards for Higdon and Evans

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Who did you like better, Karan Higdon or Chris Evans?

When the starting tailback rushes for 200 yards, it generally ends the debate before one begins. But when the next guy in the backfield rushes for 191 yards, you have a tough decision to make.

Fortunately for University of Michigan J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach Jim Harbaugh, he didn't have to pick. He could just rotate them and watch them run Minnesota into submission in Saturday night's (Nov. 4) 33-10 win by the Wolverines.

Higdon had 16 carries for 200 yards, becoming the first Michigan running back to reach 200 yards twice in a season since Mike Hart did so as a freshman in 2004. He had two touchdowns -- with one coming on his long run of 77 yards and the other on a five-yarder when he dragged a would-be tackler into the end zone.

"It's big-time," said Higdon. "It's big-time to meet that goal and meet that accomplishment. When I found out during the game that I had 200 again, I almost wanted to cry because I was so excited and so happy to share that moment with my boys like Chris and Kareem (Walker), the O-line, Mason (Cole) and those guys. It's a team effort."

Evans had 13 carries for 191 yards and a career high while scoring two touchdowns on his longest runs of 67 and 60 yards, both of which came down the right sideline.

"I knew the holes were going to be there," said Evans. "So, if I just made one person miss, I could score. That's the mindset I had every time I had the ball."

The Wolverines have never had two backs rush for 200 yards apiece in one game, but Harbaugh elected not to put Evans into the game's final series just for the sake of accomplishing that.

"I mean, stalwart performances," said Harbaugh. "... But it was a great job. I've never seen that many 50-plus-yard runs in a game that I've coached or been in. That was quite the performance. Karan and Chris had spectacular runs. The counter play was really good to us today. The blocking was really efficient, great precision there by the line. Tight ends, very good.

"That was a game for the ages if you're an offensive lineman. Fullbacks, same. The receivers got in on the action and were blocking as well. So, it was quite the performance rushing the football."

Chris Evans
Evans had a career day against the Gophers

Left tackle Cole, the anchor of the line, said, "We've just been really focusing on the run game and knew it was a game where we were going to have to run the ball to win. We had the backs to do it, and we blocked well enough to get them through the line of scrimmage and onto the second level. From there, it was all those guys. So, just a great job by everyone.

"Not just these two guys, but all of our backs run with a lot of heart. They run hard -- really, really hard -- and when you see that up front, that just motivates you to block even harder."

Higdon said "they had tremendous push up front" and then it was up to them "to make people miss," and that combination happened so often that Evans averaged 14.7 yards and Higdon averaged 12.5. Those are mind-boggling rushing averages.

This was the 103rd time Michigan has played Minnesota, and no Wolverine has ever rushed for more in the Little Brown Jug series. Tshimanga Biakabutuka's 196 yards in 1995 had been the record.

It also marked the first time in 42 years that Michigan had two backs exceed 100 yards in the same game in back-to-back contests. Higdon (158) and Ty Isaac (109) turned the trick last week against Rutgers.

Rob Lytle, who was Michigan's career rushing leader with 3,307 yards when he departed in 1976, ran for 100-plus yards in three successive games against Michigan State, Northwestern and Indiana in October 1975. Gordon Bell joined him in reaching 100 yards in each of those contests, and Harlan Huckleby made it a trio in the middle game against the Wildcats.

Harbaugh was a young boy on the sidelines that year, helping older brother John keep coach Bo Schembechler's headphone lines from getting tangled. Those backs were among their boyhood heroes.

"They are right up there with people I think of as legends," said Harbaugh. "Gordie Bell, Rob Lytle and Huckleby and 'Easy' Ed Shuttlesworth -- there were great fullbacks in those days as well -- and I think our fullbacks (Khalid Hill, Henry Poggi and Ben Mason) are playing extremely well, too."

Jack Harbaugh, the father of the boys who became coaches, was the defensive backs coach in that era.

"Wasn't that beautiful," said Jack, referring to the great memories mentioning those players conjured up for him. "And, you know, Rob Lytle was the consummate team player. He went on to play tailback in the NFL but moved to fullback to allow Gordie Bell to play tailback. That was a sacrifice for him, and he never blinked or discussed it. It was just, 'If that's where I can help the team, that's where I want to be.'

"We talk about (Schembechler's) 'The Team! The Team! The Team!' Well, we should flash a photo of Rob Lytle up there with that."

Karan Higdon
Higdon (22) celebrates his first TD with LT Mason Cole, FB Henry Poggi and LG Ben Bredeson

Higdon is becoming a great story, too.

Last week, Hart, now the running backs coach at Indiana, sought out Higdon to congratulate and praise him while also requesting the gloves he wore in the game. Higdon's younger brother, Kavon, was the only one in the family who recognized Hart.

Karan recalled: "Once my brother informed me, 'You just gave your gloves to Mike Hart,' I kicked myself in the butt. I said, 'You're kidding me!' I could've asked for an autograph or had a conversation or something.

"To know that I'm following his path is a great feeling."

Only there's one big difference. While Hart had 106 carries in the three consecutive games in which he rushed for 206, 224 and 234 yards in 2004, Higdon has had just 41 carries in his twin 200s.

That's 9.8 yards per carry in those games for Higdon and 6.3 for Hart.

Hart (2004-07) and quarterback Denard Robinson (2009-12) share the school record with five 200-yard games. Hart is Michigan's career rushing leader with 5,040 yards.

The Wolverines have had just one 1,000-yard rusher since Hart left, and that was Fitzgerald Toussaint with 1,041 in 2011. Higdon, with 804 yards and three regular-season games to play, has a very real chance to reach that plateau in his junior season.

The dominating running game, once the staple of the Michigan attack, appears to be on its way back. Harbaugh said the "power, counter, isolation and toss" running plays are working.

Harbaugh credited his father with suggesting more counters, which use misdirection and multiple pulling blockers to mash opponents.

I asked Jack if the Wolverines ran the counter play to his liking.

"Very much so," he said with a wide smile. "He put a smile on my face when he said that ... and I'm very appreciative."

This is old-fashioned Michigan football being served up. Higdon has rushed for 603 yards in the last four games, and he had 127 yards in the first quarter alone against Minnesota.

Maryland is the next test, and then Wisconsin and Ohio State loom as very big challenges. But the Wolverines have some momentum in the running game, and it's been a long time coming.