The Green Half-Mile

This week the other team KNEW what was coming. And they still couldn't stop it.

For an offense as wide open as the Michigan Wolverines offense, their primary weapon is no mystery. Two weeks ago Denard Robinson held his breath as coach Rich Rodriguez decided which of his three young quarterbacks would lead his team into the 2010 season. Yesterday 80,000 held their breath as Robinson darted left, right, over and through the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for 502 yards of total offense--258 of them on the ground. Both numbers set Michigan all-time records for a quarterback, the first of which broke his own record of 383 yards, set seven days earlier against Connecticut.

In just two weeks, this lightning bolt of 4.3 speed has already covered 885 yards--nearly nine football fields, over a half mile of real estate--and may not slow down until he reaches the Downtown Athletic Club in December and speeds off with Michigan's fourth Heisman Trophy.

Denard's inexplicable rise has carried him from prominence to dominance. Whether the Irish defense knew when he'd call his own number or not, had little effect on the result. difference. In the second quarter, pinned back on their own 13-yard line, Robinson once again called on Robinson to make something happen. The swift sophomore took the snap from center and rolled right, then cut to the left and dashed through a hole off his right tackle in a dead sprint. That was as close as any golden-domed defender came to #16, as the sold-out crowd at Notre Dame Stadium watched Robinson actually pull away from the Irish secondary as he soared into the north end zone.

World-class sprinting aside, perhaps the most astonishing aspect of Denard's upward spiral is the zip he's put on his own spiral. Robinson followed his near-perfect 18-for-21 performance against UConn with 24 completions in 40 attempts for 244 yards. Rarely did a ball get away from him, and only one of his passes even came close to being intercepted. The 87-yard sprint was impressive to be sure, but Denard's shining moment came on the first play following Jonas Mouton's first-quarter interception.

From the Irish 31 Robinson took the shotgun snap, faked a handoff to tailback Mike Shaw and rolled left, floating along the line of scrimmage, looking for an opening. Notre Dame's two linebackers read the play as yet another quarterback run and broke toward him. Denard took a step back instead and fired, hitting a suddenly wide open Roy Roundtree in stride. The sophomore split end scored easily, and Michigan had its first lead of the game.

The play was an absolute work of art. In fact, these two weeks have been an offensive masterpiece. Robinson's rating is a robust 138.3, his 70% completion percentage ranks 20th among division-1 quarterbacks and he leads the nation in rushing. THE NATION. In fact, Oklahoma State tailback Kendall Hunter and Kansas State's Daniel Thomas are the only players within a hundred yards of Mr. Robinson's neighborhood.

How ironic is it that the kid who didn't know whether he'd be named the Wolverines' starting quarterback, now has his name mentioned as a Heisman contender, in the same breath as former Wolverine Ryan Mallet.

How ironic is it that the man who didn't understand what Michigan football is all about, now has lit up two favored opponents with none other than a triple-option attack? Remember the option, Wolverine fans? Remember the Bo Schembechler offenses run by Don Moorheaad and Dennis Franklin and Rick Leach? They've got nothing on Rich Rod and his six-point buck from Deerfield Beach, Florida, who cuts his way through opponents as effortlessly as he sprints down an open green field.

The coach now his ideal quarterback in place, the Pat White of the Big Ten. And football is once again exciting in Ann Arbor.