UMass Vs. Michigan 2012: Running Game Shows More Balance

With Denard Robinson in the backfield, the Michigan rushing attack will be potent this season, but the Wolverines have been looking for other contributors to the ground game so far this season. Against UMass, that supporting cast looked strong, according to Anthony Mammel of SB Nation's Michigan blog Maize 'N Brew:

The Michigan running backs found more room to run, and Fitzgerald Toussaint looked like his old self. Thomas Rawls also had a nice outside rush that he finished by crushing the defender with his pads. Toussaint, Robinson and Hayes all had a single rushing touchdown while Vincent Smith chipped two in.

Michigan ran for 294 yards against UMass. Robinson had 106 yards on 10 carries, Toussaint gained 85 on 15 carries, Rawls had 6 carries for 42 yards and the touchdown by Justice Hayes was the first of his college career.

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UMass Vs. Michigan Final Score: Denard Robinson Accounts For 4 TDs In 63-13 Win

The Michigan Wolverines came out on Saturday and earned themselves a 2-1 record by thoroughly dominating the UMass Minutemen, 63-13. Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson was, as usual, the star of the game. He was effective both on the ground and in the air, with 291 passing yards and three passing touchdowns alongside 105 rushing yards and one touchdown run.

Aside from an interception in the second quarter that saw Christian Birt score a defensive touchdown for UMass, Robinson was pretty much perfect on the day. He threw strikes to Devin Funchess (26-yard TD), Devin Gardner (42-yard TD) and Roy Roundtree (18-yard TD). With the help of running back Fitzgerald Toussaint (15 carries, 85 yards), Michigan rolled through UMass virtually undeterred.

UMass quarterback Mike Wegzyn managed just 141 yards passing, while running back Michael Cox needed 18 carries to go 76 yards. Their only touchdown was the interception return, while Brendon Levengood hit a pair of field goals in the second quarter to account for the other six points.

Michigan will face a tougher matchup next week, as they hit the road to take on No. 20 Notre Dame, while the Minutemen will take on an easier opponent in Miami (OH).

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can learn more about college football around the country over at SB Nation's College Football hub.

UMass Vs. Michigan Score: Wolverines Lead 56-13 Heading Into Fourth

The Michigan Wolverines picked up right where they left off as the third quarter began: with Denard Robinson making plays all over the field. After Massachusetts stalled on the opening possession of the third quarter (thanks to a pair of personal-foul penalties), the Wolverines put up their seventh touchdown of the game when Robinson hit Roy Roundtree for an 18-yard touchdown to make the score 48-13.

Massachusetts actually picked up a first down on the next drive, but another penalty helped stall them and Colter Johnson was forced to punt again. The next drive, Michigan found the end zone again after 10 plays over 72 yards. VIncent Smith capped off that drive with a nine-yard touchdown run to bring it to 56-13.

The third quarter came to an end with Massachusetts actually driving well. Michael Cox got a couple carries and Mike Wegzyn converted a pair of third downs with passes to Alan Williams and Rob Blanchflower. The quarter came to an end with UMass in Michigan territory.

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can learn more about college football around the country over at SB Nation's College Football hub.

UMass Vs. Michigan Score: Wolverines Hold Commanding 42-13 Lead At The Half

The Michigan Wolverines hold a firm lead over the Massachusetts Minutemen, and look well on their way to a 2-1 start with a 42-13 lead at the half. Denard Robinson is having a great game, and is making plays with both his arm and his feet. He's already rushed for 105 yards and a score, and has thrown for 260 yards with two touchdowns through the air.

The Minutemen came close to putting up a touchdown to start the second quarter. At the end of the first, they had three-straight plays of 10+ yards to end up at the Michigan 13-yard line. They followed that up with an 11-yard pass from Mike Wegzyn to Alan Williams that put them at the Michigan 2-yard line. A holding penalty set them back 10 yards though, and they eventually had to settle for a field goal.

They managed to pick up their first touchdown of the game when Robinson was intercepted by Christian Birt in Michigan territory. Birt turned it into a 32-yard touchdown and that put the score at 21-10. But Michigan answered back with a 5-play, 75-yard drive that saw Robinson hit Devin Gardner for a 42-yard touchdown pass. After another Massachusetts three-and-out, Robinson managed to rush for 36 yards and a touchdown on the following drive.

A UMass field goal was added, and yet another touchdown drive by Michigan capped off the first half, leaving us with the 42-13 score.

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can learn more about college football around the country over at SB Nation's College Football hub.

UMass Vs. Michigan Score: Wolverines Lead 14-0 Through First

No. 17 Michigan got things started off the right way against the Massachusetts Minutemen on Saturday. The unranked Minutemen were unable to stop the Wolverines from scoring on their first offensive. Michigan notched two first downs before Denard Robinson hit Devin Funchess for a 26-yard touchdown pass. A Brendan Gibbons extra point gave Michigan a 7-0 lead, which they'd double before the second quarter came around.

UMass got off to a poor start, beginning their first possession with a holding penalty, followed by a 3-and-out. They did manage to force Michigan to punt on the next possession -- before going 3-and-out again. Michigan wouldn't be deterred for long though, orchestrating an eight-play, 45-yard drive capped off with a Fitzgerald Toussaint touchdown rush to take a 14-0 lead into the second quarter.

The Minutemen started to put a drive together near the end of the first though. A 3rd and 11 was converted on a Mike Wegzyn 16-yard rush, which was followed by a 14-yard rush by Michael Cox for another first down. Wegzyn passed to Tajae Sharpe for 22 yards on the very next play to bring the ball to the Michigan 13 for yet another first down. The quarter came to an end there.

For more on the Michigan Wolverines, check out Maize n Brew. You can learn more about college football around the country over at SB Nation's College Football hub.

UMass Vs. Michigan 2012: Game Time, TV Schedule, Odds And More

The Michigan Wolverines are installed as huge favorites against the UMass Minutemen Saturday in Ann Arbor. So this game should afford the Wolverines an opportunity to get a look at some players deeper in their depth chart while Michigan chalks up another win on their schedule.

Michigan is No. 17 in the nation and concludes a two-game homestand with Saturday's game, before a big non-conference tilt at Notre Dame and then the start of the Big Ten season. So it will be easy to look past this game, despite the downplaying of the 45.5-point spread by the Wolverines, they are favored to win over 0-2 UMass.

UMass lost only 42-37 to Michigan two years ago at the Big House.

Everything for Michigan starts with quarterback Denard Robinson, who has scored six total touchdowns in two games and also leads the team in passing (408 yards) and rushing (245 yards). But this could be the week the Wolverines try to get running back Fitzgerald Toussaint rolling after a one-game suspension and a pretty unproductive game against Air Force last week.

UMass running back Michael Cox is a former Michigan player who transferred to the school in his home state after getting few opportunities to play in Ann Arbor. UMass has six points of offense in two games.

TV: Big Ten Network

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET.

Odds: Michigan -45.5

Head over to Maize N Brew for more Michigan football coverage, and be sure to check out SB Nation's college football hub for more news from around the country.

Michigan Vs. UMass Injury Report: Stephen Hopkins And Desmond Morgan Are Questionable

Michigan fullback Stephen Hopkins and linebacker Desmond Morgan are questionable for Saturday's game against UMass, according to what Michigan coach Brady Hoke told Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press:

After citing the known ones, linebacker Brennen Beyer (knee) and tight end Brandon Moore (knee), he indicated fullback Stephen Hopkins and linebacker Desmond Morgan are questionable.

"Hop’s struggling a little bit with a hamstring, and Desmond’s got a little bit of a head problem, but we’ll see," Hoke said on today’s mgoblue.com walkthrough video.

Snyder also noted that Hoke said injured defensive backs Courtney Avery and Raymon Taylor will both play in the UMass game.

UMass comes into the game 0-2 and the team has been out-scored 82-6 in those two games. Michigan, which comes into the game at 1-1, opens as 45.5-point favorites.

Head over to Maize N Brew for more Michigan football coverage, and be sure to check out SB Nation's college football hub for more news from around the country.

Michigan Vs. UMass: Wolverines Coach Brady Hoke Dismisses Huge Point Spread

The Michigan Wolverines are favored by a whopping 45.5 points on Saturday at the Big House against Massachusetts, but coach Brady Hoke scoffed at the number Thursday.

Hoke told a local radio station that the point spread that oddsmakers gave was "ridiculous." More from Hoke, based on a previous meeting with UMass:

"All you’ve got to do is go back two years, and it was 42-37 here in Ann Arbor. That gets your attention."

The Wolverins are 1-1 but got crushed by No. 1 Alabama and beat Air Force 31-25 despite being three-touchdown favorites.

Hoke said his team has plenty of improving to do starting with this week, as the Big Ten season starts the following week. He feels Michigan needs to stop the run on defense far better than how it has so far, and needs to establish a running game on offense, among other things.

Hoke also admitted that he misused his timeouts late in the first half against Air Force, by not using them at all.

Head over to Maize N Brew for more Michigan football coverage, and be sure to check out SB Nation's college football hub for more news from around the country.

Michigan Freshmen Paying Dividends Early On For Brady Hoke

Although his team struggled against Air Force in a narrow six-point win, Michigan coach Brady Hoke was still encouraged by the play of a number of freshmen in Saturday's victory.

The second-year coach managed to send out a whopping 12 freshmen against the Falcons, but because of Michigan's lack of depth at a number of positions, he didn't have much choice. "It was by design," Hoke told ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein on Saturday. "And by necessity."

Among the most encouraging youngsters on Saturday was tight end Devin Funchess, a 6'5 athlete from Farmington Hills who was one of the stars of the afternoon with a four-catch, 106-yard performance. Funchess' leaping downfield touchdown grab also offered plenty of hope for the future of the position, athletically speaking, and the youngster seems to be a big part of the team's future plans.

"He's done a nice job," Hoke said of his first-year tight end. "He's bigger than when he got here. He did a good job at the point of attack. And he's got ability."

Also making a sizable impact of his own on the other side of the ball was true freshman linebacker Joe Bolden, a four-star recruit from Cincinnati, Ohio. Bolden recorded 10 tackles and played the entire second half for coordinator Greg Mattison's blitz-heavy defense, and figures to be in line for extended playing time at the expense of senior Kenny Demens if he can keep things going.

Be sure to stay with this StoryStream for more coverage leading up to Michigan against UMass, and head over to Maize N Brew for more news and analysis on Michigan football. Also visit SB Nation's college football hub for more coverage from around the country.

Michigan Listed As 45.5-Point Favorites Over UMass

Brennen Beyer Injury: Michigan DE To Miss Game Against UMass

The Michigan Wolverines will be without defensive end Brennen Beyer when they take on Massachusetts on Saturday.