With Denard Robinson and Tate Forcier, Rich Rodriguez delivers a fast, new look at Michigan

When Rich Rodriguez took the head coaching job at Michigan, he promised to improve the team’s overall speed.

Denard Robinson’s presence in the huddle fulfills that promise.

When Rodriguez took the job, he promised to bring a spread offense that would refurbish the school’s plow-ahead image. Tate Forcier and Robinson are delivering that now. Just three games into their freshmen seasons, the rookie quarterbacks are the most exciting offensive players Michigan has seen since Mike Hart. With all due respect to Hart, he simply didn’t have the kind of speed Robinson displayed Saturday. Robinson turned on the burners for two touchdowns in a 45-17 victory over Eastern Michigan. With the win, Michigan matched last season’s win total - three - before the calendar even turns past September. A big part of the reason for their perfect start has been the play of Michigan’s freshmen quarterbacks. Last week, Forcier completed 23 of 33 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which came with 11 seconds remaining and provided a seminal 38-34 victory over Notre Dame. On Saturday, Robinson took his turn in the quarterback spotlight. Three carries. Two touchdowns. The first came on a third-and-two play with 3:06 left in the third quarter. With the Eagles defense looking for the run, it still couldn’t stop him from jetting through the middle of the line for a 13-yard score. That touchdown essentially iced the game for Michigan, allowing the crowd to finally breathe easy at 38-17. A few minutes later, Robinson was at it again. Two plays after an Eastern turnover, Robinson accelerated through the line again. Again, no one could keep up. He scored on a 36-yard run early in the fourth quarter. He’s flat-out the fastest guy on the field every week, a threat to score every time he touches the ball. You may remember he scored on his first college carry, a 43-yard blur against Western Michigan. His speed can give defenses fits. As it turns out, it can present some problems for his teammates too. “As much as you’re told to stay in your tracks and stay on your man, most of the time that doesn’t matter when Denard is back there,” tackle Mark Ortmann said, chuckling. “You look around, and he’s behind you when he’s not supposed to be.” It’s all an incredible contrast to the 2008 season, when Michigan could only hope and pray its quarterbacks would play well enough not to lose games against MAC opponents. In the span of three games, Forcier and Robinson have reversed that mindset. Both have a lot to learn. Forcier played a pretty up-and-down game against the Eagles, and Robinson still must show much more as a passer. But three games into the season, both have shown that they’re game-changers. Both have shown that they’re really fun to watch. And with the echoes of the 2008 season not too far away in the rear-view mirror, they’ve shown that the Wolverines have two options at quarterback everyone can feel good about.

Pete Bigelow is the sports producer for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at petebigelow@annarbor.com or 734-623-2556.