Michigan's Roy Roundtree shows that receivers can lead in Rich Rodriguez's offense

Michigan receiver Roy Roundtree attempts to power through the Ohio State defense on Saturday. Roundtree, a redshirt freshman, finished the season as Michigan's leading receiver. (Photo: Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com)

He started the season as a cameo player, showing up on special teams and rarely, if ever, in the wide receiver rotation.

Yet as the season wore on, redshirt freshman Roy Roundtree went from an afterthought in the Michigan offense to its most reliable option.

Roundtree played in all but one of Michigan’s games, started the last four and finished as Michigan’s leading receiver with 32 catches for 434 yards and three touchdowns.

On Saturday against Ohio State, he led Michigan in receiving with nine catches for 116 yards, yet another step in his emergence.

“I just got in a rhythm,” Roundtree said. “I got used to playing out there. I wasn’t really nervous. So I was out there playing my game and working on what I had been working on all summer and winter from last year and redshirting.

“So I just put it out there and learned all the techniques that coach (Calvin) Magee taught us. I was just putting it out on the field.”

He’s also proving wrong a myth that a wide receiver cannot be successful in Rich Rodriguez’s run-based spread option offense.

Michigan finished the 2009 season with more passing yards (2,380) than rushing yards (2,234).

It’s a description that has followed Rodriguez from West Virginia to Michigan, but when he has a talented receiver, the second-year Michigan coach is showing he can use him.

“That’s what they all say, that RichRod is this option and this and that but, you know, we can pass the ball also,” Roundtree said. “We’ll get all the wide receivers we can get because, you know, further down the road it’s going to be passing game and run game.”

Roundtree also expressed support for Rodriguez and his coaching staff after the game, saying he has confidence in his coaches and what they are trying to do.

“Everybody else talk about coaches,” Roundtree said. “They ain’t this, they ain’t that, but you know, they are really going to turn this program around and everyone in this locker room feels that.”

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.