Denard Robinson ran wild against Air Force just one week after beind held to 27 yards rushing against Alabama. (Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. –– For Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, it was a complete reversal of character on the field.
A week after being held to 27 yards rushing in a lopsided loss to No. 1 Alabama, Robinson emerged as the Wolverines’ marquee player in Saturday’s 31-25 win over Air Force Saturday at Michigan Stadium.
Robinson scored two touchdowns and accounted for 426 yards; he finished with 218 yards on 20 carries and 208 yards on 14-of-25 passing. The senior had two touchdown passes and one interception.
“I calmed down a little more,” Robinson said of his performance Saturday. “But we’ve still got time to improve.”
Robinson needed just two carries to make an impact. On his second carry, Robinson gave Michigan (1-1), ranked No. 19 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 coming into the game, a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game on a 79-yard touchdown run.
“Not to be cocky or anything, but once I get in front of everybody, I don’t think I’m going to get caught,” Robinson said.
To earn its first win, Michigan had to push past Air Force’s triple-option offense, which finished with 290 yards rushing and 127 yards receiving.
“There’s a uniqueness to the offense and to schemes,” Michigan coach Brady Hoke said. “But at the same time, we’re a work in progress.”
Air Force kicker Parker Herrington missed a 36-yard field-goal attempt less than five minutes into the game, ending a 15-play drive, but Herrington’s 22-yard field goal with 3:44 left in the first quarter cut Michigan’s lead to 7-3.
Robinson connected with freshman tight end Devin Funchess (four catches for 106 yards) for a 30-yard touchdown with 7:34 left in the second quarter. Air Force cut Michigan’s lead to 14-10 after Cody Getz’s 5-yard scoring run with 1:20 left in the half, completing a drive that began after Air Force linebacker Josh Kusan intercepted Robinson on third-and-4 from the Michigan 44.
“That’s football,” Hoke said. “When you’re called to play defense, you’ve got to keep them out of the end zone.”
Robinson opened the third quarter with a 58-yard touchdown run to help the Wolverines to a 21-10 lead, but Getz (26 carries for 130 yards, three touchdowns) converted on fourth-and-goal to complete a 14-play, 88-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown. He eluded the grasp of Michigan cornerback Raymon Taylor to cut Michigan’s lead to 21-17 at 5:10 of the third. Less than four minutes later, Robinson connected with Devin Gardner for a 7-yard touchdown.
Air Force (1-1) cut Michigan’s lead to 28-25 with 12:01 left in the fourth on Getz’s 8-yard touchdown run, followed by Connor Dietz’s two-point conversion pass to Marcus Hendricks.
Brendan Gibbons gave Michigan a 31-25 lead on a 31-yard field goal with 7:58 left.
Air Force quarterback Dietz finished with 127 yards and went 10-for-19 passing. He and the Falcons were unable to produce a game-winning drive in the final minutes after getting the ball back in their own territory, trailing by six.
“We all came together and it was a defensive effort the whole time,” Michigan linebacker Jake Ryan said. “We decided we needed to get this done. We just needed to stop them and go from there.”
NOTES: Air Force did not make its players or coaches available to the media after the game. … Ryan wore No. 47 in honor of former Wolverines player and head coach Bennie Oosterbaan. Ryan, a redshirt sophomore from Westlake, Ohio, will wear the number for the remainder of the season. Ryan finished with 11 tackles. … Air Force and Michigan met for the first time since 1964. That year, Michigan defeated Air Force 24-7. … With his 79-yard TD run in the first quarter, Robinson passed Rob Lytle to become Michigan’s seventh all-time leading rusher.
