It didn’t take long for Michigan running back Justice Haynes to introduce himself to a new fanbase, or as an explosive threat in the Wolverines’ backfield.
On just his third carry in a maize and blue uniform, the transfer from Alabama ran through a gaping hole, made one cut to his right and sprinted up the right sideline for a 56-yard touchdown. By the time the clock hit 0:00 in the fourth quarter, Haynes had a new Michigan record under his belt.
“I mean, 16 carries, 159 yards, three touchdowns, pretty electric,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said of Haynes after the game. “Most yards since 1970 in a debut, so that kind of explains it. It’s really good.”
As Moore said, Haynes’ 159 rushing yards were the most by a Michigan player in their debut over the past 55 years, surpassing the 112 yards that former Michigan tailback Chris Evans ran for as a true freshman in 2012, in a 63-3 win over Hawaii.
“It’s something we’ve seen since spring,” Moore said. “It’s something we’ve seen this summer and we saw in fall camp. I think I said it to the staff on Thursday. I’m like, I don’t know when it’s going to be, but he’s going to break a 50-yard run and he’s going to be gone, and it was early in the game. So I’m not surprised by it, but excited to see how it continues to build.”
Moore wasn’t the only one who wasn’t surprised at Haynes’ early success. Tight end Marlin Klein echoed his head coach’s sentiments during postgame media availability as well.
“Yeah. Honestly, that’s what I’ve been seeing from him since he got to Michigan. So I’m not surprised at all,” Klein said. “You know, shout out to the boys up front, the O-line, getting him right, and just him being the playmaker that he is. But he had a great game, and I hope that’s what he’s going to do for the rest of the year. He looked outstanding out there, and he’s going to continue to be a great player for us.”
There was an element of ‘boom or bust’ to Michigan’s rushing attack against the Lobos, particularly with Haynes toting the rock. Of his 16 carries, 10 went for three yards or less, albeit one of those coming on a one-yard touchdown run. With that said, when there was a play to be made, Haynes showed every bit of the speed and athleticism that made him a five-star prospect coming out of high school.
In addition to the 56-yard score on Michigan’s opening possession, Haynes also had a 59-yard run early in the fourth quarter, coming up just a yard shy of the endzone.
“I just saw, you know, a hole, opened up well, and then saw green grass and ran the green grass,” Haynes said of his first, long touchdown. “But the offensive line, like I said, did a great job out there.
“All glory to God, I couldn’t do it without the man upstairs. Couldn’t do it without the offensive line, the tight ends, the receivers, and Bryce obviously handing me the ball and also making plays in the air to keep the box light and then also Coach Lindsey, but you know it means a lot, but it’s just one step and we got to keep going.”
Haynes’ counterpart in the backfield, sophomore Jordan Marshall, was limited to just 29 yards on 11 carries against New Mexico, but the tandem has the potential to be one of the best one-two punches in the Big Ten, and all of college football, if Michigan’s offensive line play continues to improve.
Those are expectations that Haynes has put on himself, in addition to what was expected by his head coach and teammates.
“Yes, I definitely expect this out of myself,” Haynes said. “Like I said, all glory to God and all the boys up front. But I definitely do expect this out of myself, you know, each and every week. Like I said, I put in a lot of work, I feel like, and, you know, I’m hard on myself. So I want to, you know, I’m going to go back and watch the film and see what I could have even done better in this game.”
