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Mike Hart says he expects fewer carries this season, because of Michigan's depth at running back, but doesn't mind if that happens.Hart's name, game are big-time
U-M back proves good things come in small packages
There was no sophomore jinx last week, when Mike Hart carried 27 times for 117 yards and had touchdowns rushing and receiving.Related links
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Mike Hart is back for an encore in the U-M backfield after a freshman season in which he impressed his team and his campus.
ANN ARBOR -- Apparently, getting dates has never been a problem for Mike Hart.
"That's definitely not an issue," Hart, Michigan's sophomore tailback, said with a laugh this week.
It could be the charm, the easy high-watt smile and the deep dimples. And it could be the football fame. That certainly doesn't hurt. He was, after, all the Big Ten freshman of the year last season as he became Michigan's leading tailback.
He could be the big man on campus if not for the fact that he is among the shorter players -- at 5-foot-9 -- on the team. He is 19 years old, a Doak Walker Award candidate and, in some circles, a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate.
Being Mike Hart is all good.
"You get noticed more," he said. "People know who you are around here, and you have to deal with it. It's fun sometimes, and sometimes it gets annoying."
So he isn't fond of the attention all the time, but it is better than the alternative.
A year ago, Hart was well known for his gaudy high school résumé. But he was a blip on the Michigan tailback screen behind starter David Underwood and backups Pierre Rembert and Jerome Jackson.
While playing for Onondaga Central in Syracuse, N.Y., Hart set national records for career touchdowns (204) and career 100-yard rushing games (47). He rushed for 11,232 yards.
But as Hart and fourth-ranked Michigan prepare to face Notre Dame on Saturday, life is so much different for this diminutive back.
"Last year, as the season went on, people kind of knew who you were," Hart said. "A lot of people don't say stuff, but they just look at you, and you know they know who you are. It will probably be a lot more different this year. My face has been out there a lot more this year. A lot more people probably know who I am."
Every opponent knows who he is, too. He played in 13 games last season, started eight and gained 1,455 yards on 282 carries. He scored nine touchdowns and, perhaps most impressively, fumbled only once. He has had 283 consecutive carries without a fumble.
In the season opener last week against Northern Illinois, Hart had 27 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown. He also had four catches, including a 34-yard touchdown after a screen pass from sophomore Chad Henne.
"Hart is a very dynamic runner," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said. "He's got a lot of similarities to the guy we're playing with (Darius Walker). They could run the ball inside, they could run the ball outside, they could run with speed. I mean, there's many similarities."
But there are plenty of differences for Hart, too. He went into the Notre Dame game a year ago in a deep backup role. When Underwood left the game early because of a concussion, Michigan worked in all the backs. The following week, Hart gained 121 yards against San Diego State. Two weeks later at Indiana, he was named the starter.
"I'm in a lot different role," said Hart, referring to where he is now compared with going into the Notre Dame game in 2004. "Last year I went in there hoping to play a couple plays. This year I'm going in there as the starter, and I have to go in there and run the ball."
Coach Lloyd Carr has seen a marked difference in Hart, who lost six pounds in the offseason and added muscle.
"He's in better shape, he's stronger," Carr said. "With the experience he had a year ago, he's much more confident, although he was confident a year ago."
Carr chuckled as he mentioned Hart's confidence, because in that department, Hart has never been lacking. And it isn't that Carr is attempting to stroke Hart's ego or artificially boost his confidence. He has made it clear he will not evaluate Hart's play this year by comparing his numbers from this season and last.
The difference in backfield depth from a year ago is enormous. Michigan had to rely on Hart last year. This season, the Wolverines have five backs who can contribute. With that in mind, Hart expects the number of his carries to dip, although he did have 27 in the opener. He said he'd be happy carrying 20 times a game.
"I don't worry about a guy going downhill, unless his attitude changes, and he buys into all the hype that comes with being a very high-profile guy at a young age," Carr said. "Michael Hart is one of those guys who is very capable of handling everything that comes his way, and I think he's going to get better and better."
Hart doesn't shy away from the attention, but he is not asking for it. Last year, he and Henne turned heads because they were freshmen running the Michigan offense. They became the Henne and Hart Show.
But that kind of stuff, Hart said, is for the headlines and television highlights. He isn't about that.
"We don't have any egos on this team," he said.
But the Wolverines do have Hart.
You can reach Angelique S. Chengelis at angelique.chengelis@detnews.com.
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