At some point shortly before halftime in the No. 23 Michigan football team’s rout of Central Michigan, junior running back Justice Haynes approached sophomore running back Jordan Marshall on the sideline.
Minutes before the two talked, freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood had marched the Wolverines down the field, zipping a pass to sophomore wide receiver Channing Goodwin that brought Michigan all the way to the Chippewas’ 1-yard line. Haynes, the Wolverines’ leading back, was involved in the drive, too. He tacked on 18 more to the 20 yards and a touchdown he had rushed for en route to Michigan’s 28-3 lead.
But Haynes — at least, at that moment — didn’t want more yardage.
Subbing in for him on the goal line with nine seconds left in the half, Marshall faced little resistance running into the endzone. On his fifth touch, Marshall scored his first touchdown of the season.
“He’s like, ‘I want Jordan to score this one,’ ” Marshall said, recalling what Haynes told him. “… Getting to the endzone for the first time, feel like it’s been a long time, like I’ve been playing, but it was great. And to have the culture and a guy like Justice, we get to feed off each other’s energy, it’s amazing.”
If it feels like it’s been a while since Marshall has scored a touchdown, it’s because he hasn’t scored one at all. His breakout performance against Alabama last year, as much hype as it generated for the then-freshman back, didn’t include a trip to the endzone. And for the Wolverines’ first two games of the season, Marshall was relatively quiet.
Rushing for 34 yards against New Mexico and 28 against Oklahoma is fine on its own, but Haynes’ back-to-back 100-plus yard games with a combined four touchdowns spoke for itself. After Michigan’s claims that the two backs were ‘1A’ and ‘1B,’ the results on the field were starting to suggest otherwise.
“It’s been hard, but it’s how you respond,” Marshall said. “… Just to get the opportunity to step out there is a blessing. So when I’m not getting those runs I want, or I’m getting those three, four yards and not really no long runs, I have to think to myself, I’m helping Justice. I’m helping soften up the holes for my teammates. You have to be unselfish. You have to give all you can.”
Marshall’s day didn’t end with that touchdown. In the third quarter, when the Wolverines found themselves in Central Michigan’s redzone for what felt like the hundredth time, Marshall ran down the middle before darting to the left and scoring.
Contributing 5.2 yards per carry and two touchdowns, Marshall was a significant part of Michigan’s dynamic offensive attack.
Haynes didn’t have a quiet day either. Putting the Wolverines on the board early with a touchdown and rushing for 104 total yards on 14 carries, his third consecutive game in triple digits, Haynes continued to show why Michigan targeted him in the portal. He was patient yet decisive, making smart cuts and juking tackles, only muscling through contact when he had to.
“Maybe, if I don’t get some of those runs in the past, Justice doesn’t break a big one,” Marshall said. “Just that energy of feeding off each other is something that we’re going to have to do. Sometimes I’m not going to have a great game or a breakout run, and sometimes he might not, but it’s how we balance off of each other and how we pick up where one’s lacking.”
For the first time in the Wolverines’ young season, Marshall and Haynes were complementary, with Marshall making an impact at the goal line and Haynes consistently stringing together strong runs. For a running back room as deep as Michigan’s is — two more running backs scored a touchdown as well — having a dynamic pair at the top of the depth chart is an added bonus.
All preseason, the Wolverines have claimed Haynes and Marshall as ‘1A’ and ‘1B’. On Saturday against the Chippewas, those claims were validated.
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