Posted: Sep 4, 2010 at 6:25 PM [Today]
Michigan junior running back Michael Shaw celebrates a touchdown with his teammates during the second quarter of Michigan’s season home opener against Connecticut.
Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com
All the questions about which quarterback would start for the Michigan football team during the preseason?
Denard Robinson emphatically answered them Saturday.
The sophomore from Deerfield Beach, Fla., flashed his trademark speed in a record-setting performance, running for 197 yards on 29 carries and leading Michigan to a season-opening 30-10 win against UConn.
He also displayed something new – razor-sharp accuracy throwing the football.
Robinson showed no signs of the fluttering passes he threw in spot duty last year, and completed 19 of 22 passes for 186 yards, finding eight different receivers along the way.
Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson trots untouched into the end zone for a Wolverines touchdown during first quarter action.
Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
Plenty of people were on hand to witness it – the crowd of 113,090 in the debut of a renovated Michigan Stadium was the largest to ever watch a college or pro football game in U.S. history.
Right from the start, UConn had no answers for Robinson, who earned the starting nod over last year’s incumbent, Tate Forcier, and true freshman Devin Gardner.
On the season’s first offensive drive, Robinson led a 14-play drive that started on U-M’s own 4-yard line and culminated with a 12-yard touchdown run by Vincent Smith.
One drive later, Robinson ran untouched for a 32-yard touchdown.
By the midway point of the third quarter, Robinson had broken the single-game rushing record for a Michigan quarterback with 155 yards. The record was previously held by Steve Smith, who rushed four times for 147 yards against Minnesota in 1983.
Michigan opened a 24-10 lead in the third quarter. UConn was poised to close the gap, with a 4th-and-1 play on the Michigan 6-yard line with 2:39 left in the third quarter.
J.T. Floyd forced a D.J. Shoemate fumble that was recovered by Michigan’s Obi Ezeh that iced Michigan’s first home victory since the completion of a $ 226 million stadium renovation of the 80-year-old Big House.
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Tags: 3010, beats, Connecticut, Football, Michigan, new, opener, season, Team, ti