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Michigan football stock watch: Hassan Haskins stiff-arming the rest of Wolverines' RB rotation

Free Press sports writer Orion Sang looks at which Michigan football players helped their stock and which players hurt their stock Saturday in the 27-17 loss to Penn State:

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RB Hassan Haskins: Right now, the only positive development on the offensive side of the ball is Haskins' emergence as Michigan's No. 1 back. The redshirt sophomore had 17 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns against Penn State for his second consecutive 100-plus yard game (he had 22 carries for 110 yards and a score at Rutgers). Haskins runs hard and has the ability to make something happen out of nothing — which has really helped Michigan's inexperienced offensive line this season. One could argue that Haskins should have seen more carries Saturday, especially in the first half. He had eight rushes for 73 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter alone, and then only got one touch over the next two possessions. Either way, he has been the offense's most valuable player the past two weeks.

Michigan running back Hassan Haskins jumps over Penn State linebacker Ellis Brooks for a touchdown during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020.
Michigan running back Hassan Haskins jumps over Penn State linebacker Ellis Brooks for a touchdown during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020.

CB Gemon Green: Green had a rough start to the season, but he has since shown steady week-to-week improvement. When it comes to pass coverage, he might've just played his best game: Green was a major reason why Penn State's star receiver Jahan Dotson had just three catches for 30 yards (the last catch coming against safety Hunter Reynolds, who was the nearest man in coverage). Dotson, who entered the game averaging over 100 yards per game with six total touchdowns, was targeted nine times.

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The quarterbacks: Cade McNamara seemingly took ahold of the starting job last week, and now he is hurt. McNamara was forced out of the game in the fourth quarter despite his attempts to play through the injury. Meanwhile, backup quarterback Joe Milton entered the game, completing 1-of-3 passes for 21 yards. The staff didn't call many passing plays for Milton, who had thrown four interceptions in his previous two appearances. Michigan's offensive struggles can't all be attributed to the quarterback room, but the lack of consistent production from the position has certainly not helped.

Mike Sainristil: With Giles Jackson sitting out due to injury, Sainristil took on a bigger role for the Wolverines and struggled. He dropped one second-down pass near the sticks, with the drive ending in a punt a couple plays later, and then muffed a punt just before halftime that put Penn State in scoring position. In total, he caught zero passes and was targeted twice.

The other running backs: As Haskins has strengthened his position atop the depth chart, Michigan's other running backs have received fewer touches. Haskins took 67% of all running back carries last week and against Penn State, he received 71% of all running back carries. Chris Evans had four carries for 35 yards, and Blake Corum had three carries for 27 yards. Zach Charbonnet, meanwhile, was dressed but did not appear in the game. Haskins has proven he deserves the most touches of the group. The four-man rotation that Michigan utilized through the first half of the fall continues to transform into more of a one-man show.

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football's Hassan Haskins, Gemon Green continue to rise