Heisman Trophy candidate visits Bloomington for battle of unbeatens

Nobody has come close to stopping Denard Robinson this year.

All four of No. 19 Michigan’s opponents have let the sophomore quarterback take over the game with his arm and his legs.

IU (3-0) will look to change that when it plays host to the Wolverines (4-0) in its Big Ten opener at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Containing who many believe is the frontrunner in the race for the Heisman Trophy could be difficult for the IU defense.

Robinson might be one of the most versatile dual-threat quarterbacks the Hoosiers have faced in recent memory.

“He presents a different kind of challenge than anyone we’ve faced thus far,” co-defensive coordinator Brian George said.

“I think he fits the system that they run perfectly.”

Robinson leads the nation in rushing as a quarterback with 688 yards.

He ran 57 times for 455 yards in Michigan’s first two games, leading the Wolverines to wins against UConn and Notre Dame.

If that wasn’t enough offensive production, the sophomore sensation also passed for 430 yards and a pair of touchdowns in those contests.

In the Wolverines’ 28-24 win at Notre Dame on Sept. 11, Robinson either ran the ball or threw it on a Michigan record 68 of 81 offensive plays.

The theme of Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez’s offense has been simple — the football is in Robinson’s hands.

The only time Robinson did not both throw and rush for a touchdown was last week in a 65-21 win against Bowling Green.

Robinson injured his knee near the end of the first quarter when he ran out of bounds after a 47-yard run.

The injury ended Robinson’s day as well as his streak of scoring both passing and rushing touchdowns.

But Robinson still got his money’s worth in the first quarter, rushing for 129 yards and two touchdowns.

Robinson has led an offensive attack that has gotten big leads early in games. Michigan has outscored its opponents 56-10 in the first quarter this season.

It is a statistic IU coach Bill Lynch said he believes reflects how good Michigan has been this season with Robinson at the helm.

“Denard Robinson is scary good,” Lynch said. “I think when you have an explosive team that has success doing that early in the game, they’re going to come in with confidence that they’re going to do it again.”

In preparation for Robinson, the Hoosiers have been mixing it up at practice this week. Senior safety Mitchell Evans and several running backs have attempted to give the defense a similar look to Robinson.

“Obviously you want to use someone that has speed and is used to carrying the football to simulate him as opposed to a guy that usually drops back and throws the football or hands off to somebody else,” George said.
 
IU has already faced multiple dual-threat quarterbacks this year. Towson’s Chris Hart and Western Kentucky’s Kawaun Jakes brought out both elements against the Hoosiers.

“It prepares us a lot because it’s what we’ve been going against all season,” IU defensive tackle Larry Black, Jr. said. “It’s just that with (Robinson), he’s a lot faster than those other guys.”

But the Hoosiers are not naive in thinking that Robinson is on the same level as Hart and Jakes.

Black said the team has kicked up the intensity this week, knowing that a ranked Big Ten opponent and a Heisman Trophy candidate are strolling into Memorial Stadium as double-digit favorites.

After suffering a 36-33 loss at Michigan last year, the Hoosiers will look to get revenge Saturday.

IU has not beaten Michigan since 1987 and has not won a Big Ten opener since 2001.
If the Hoosiers can stop Robinson, they will be in position to snap both streaks.

“It’s Michigan,” Black said. “We showed that we can play with them, but now it’s time to go out and show that we can beat them.”