Kornacki: Higdon's Breakout a Team Effort
9/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 25, 2016
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore tailback Karan Higdon hadn't carried the ball in the first half during the University of Michigan football team's first three games this season. But on the second series of the Penn State game, Higdon got the ball on the first play and ran for six yards.
He stayed in the rotation with starter De'Veon Smith, Ty Isaac and Chris Evans throughout Saturday's (Sept. 24) 49-10 win over the Nittany Lions, finishing with nine carries for 81 yards and two touchdowns.
Wolverine running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley liked what he'd seen recently of Higdon -- who missed spring practice and preseason camp -- and went with his gut.
"It was a Tyrone Wheatley feel," said Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. "He got Karan in there early and saw some really explosive runs. That's just something Coach Wheatley had seen, and he got him in there. He reeled off some impressive runs early and was physical, hitting the hole fast, explosive type of runs.
"The same on that (40-yard) touchdown. That was an exciting run, an explosive run. I thought he shot out like he was coming out of the starting blocks, and it was a heck of a good run."
Higdon took the handoff and cut left. Wide receiver Amara Darboh made a nice block near the sideline, while left tackle Grant Newsome derailed one defender before heading up field to take care of another. Higdon then broke a tackle attempt by safety Troy Apke, and that was the difference in a first-down run becoming a touchdown run.
He reached the sideline and was off to the races. Higdon outran linebacker Cameron Brown and then beat safety Malik Golden, occupied by tight end Sean McKeon, to the end zone.
"It was an awesome thing," Higdon said of the fourth-quarter run. "Before the play, my O-line told me to trust in them as I always do. I read their keys, and it happened.
"I saw the defender get blocked by one of my O-linemen, and it was awesome. I knew if I made a move and got to the outside, I'd get in the end zone. I trusted in them and also got a great block down field. It was great to see everyone working together."
Higdon, 5-foot-10 and 189 pounds, also scored on a two-yard run up the middle in the second quarter. He followed fullback Henry Poggi to score, while right guard Kyle Kalis opened a huge hole with a pancake block.
"Give credit fully to my O-line," said Higdon. "It was exciting to see how their productivity transfers into mine."
Higdon finished as the No. 2 rusher behind Smith's 12 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown, and Higdon's performance put a smile on the face of Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight.
"He came in for his freshman camp and impressed everybody," said Speight. "Then he just got banged up with injuries, and in the off-season he got mono and then hurt his knee. He didn't play in spring ball or the entire summer, and so he came into (this preseason) camp and we hadn't seen him in like eight months.
"But he didn't lose a step and kept his body in great shape. He's a real natural runner who sees the field well."
When asked about the hurdles he had to clear to get significant playing time, Higdon, who had 11 carries for 19 yards in 2015, said, "Oh, man, it was a hectic freshman campaign. But to roll over from that adversity and just to keep moving and keep striving and having guys like Coach Wheatley and Coach Harbaugh constantly in my ear, pushing me, pushing me, motivating me, it just leads to great things. You trust in God that everything's going to be okay.
"I was sick during the spring and had another obstacle I had to overcome. But I got through it, and now I'm back. I didn't go at all during fall camp but got back the last week before the Hawaii game. So, to get back and have the season I'm having, I'm feeling pretty good. But it all goes to credit for my O-line."
Higdon said it was "mentally challenging" to watch from the sidelines but now has 22 carries for 145 yards (6.6 average) and shares the team rushing touchdown lead with three.
How did he make up so much ground in one month of practice?
"Focus," Higdon said. "You focus on the playbook, focus on what other guys are doing and learn from them. It's a competition. I compete, compete, compete. I don't take a play off. So, if you love to compete, this is the place to be."
Higdon committed to Iowa during his senior season at Sarasota (Florida) Riverview, but Harbaugh flipped him to Michigan down the recruiting stretch run. What influenced Higdon's decision?
"It was strictly life after football," said Higdon. "I was looking at the opportunities that Michigan can provide. Iowa was a great place, a great opportunity. I loved the whole coaching staff, but there is more than football to my life, and Michigan was the place where I could fulfill that."
Harbaugh said on signing day in 2015: "In Karan's case, he wants to be a medical student and play football at the highest level, and Michigan sends the most undergraduate students to med school out of any school in the country. That was a big deciding factor. I would not call that a pitch, I would call that a fact, and facts are stubborn things."
Wheatley also made a quick impression on Higdon, who has bonded with his position coach. How has he influenced Higdon?
"Just to go get it," said Higdon. "That would be the biggest thing -- to always work hard, give 100 percent, and if you always give 100 percent, and you have no regrets, he's a firm believer and I'm a firm believer that it'll pay off."
He called Smith "a big brother" and a "humble leader" whom he looks up to.
"He's always asking me certain things about how to improve his game," Higdon said of the rugged senior. "I do the same. So, he doesn't feel above anybody or beneath anybody. He believes that we all have special skill sets and believes that we should use them.
"De'Veon's having a heck of a year. I enjoy watching my boy run. He's always an inspiration. If he gets six (points), he wants you to get 12. You get 12, he wants 18. You get 18, he wants 24. He always wants more. He wants more, and he wants us to have more. That's the awesome thing about having a senior running back.
"The biggest thing our coaching staff instills is just to do your job and always congratulate the next man, no matter what. I had a heck of a week of practice, and we all had a heck of a week of preparation. We pushed each other a lot this week, and it was great."
The Wolverines rushed for 326 yards and six touchdowns, and Higdon got his share of the workload and glory.
