Michigan RB coach Tony Alford: 'I failed as a coach' following win over Fresno State

Trent Knoop | Sep 4, 2024

Michigan running back coach Tony Alford walks down the tunnel before the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 20, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Michigan fans have been used to seeing three -- or four at times -- running backs play in a single game. But the Wolverines used just Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings on Saturday in a 30-10 win over Fresno State. The ground game didn't do anything special, but was efficient enough thanks to a huge second half from Kalel Mullings. Starter Donovan Edwards gained 27 yards on 11 carries and Mullings ended the game with 92 yards on 15 carries.

While sitting up in the booth, Sophomore Ben Hall appeared to be next in line behind Edwards and Mullings, but the bowling-ball-like runner never saw the field. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, running backs coach Tony Alford said he failed as a coach now letting Hall see the field on Saturday against the Bulldogs.

Alford said Hall has earned the right to play for Michigan this season. But the key for Hall is running vertically, not horizontally. Alford believes if Hall can run north and south, he's one of the tougher backs to bring down, and he hopes to get him playing on the field real soon.

"Yeah, you know, I wanted to get him in the game," Alford began. "And in full transparency, once again, I failed as a coach to make that happen. And I told him as such. And I've got to find ways to get him in the game because he's earned the right to do that. He's had a really, really good summer. As far as training camp goes, he's had a really good past week and a half, two weeks. He deserves opportunities to play. I think that he's hard to get on the ground when he runs vertically. If he's a guy that starts running sideways, you know, he becomes very average. And he knows that. And I'm not saying anything out of turn. So I'm not trying to upset him or his family. But I've told him as such, when he runs downhill vertically at you, he's hard to handle. So we continue to impress upon him to do that.

"But he's a really good player and has an opportunity to just continue to grow in this offense and build his role. But I'm excited about him as a player and as a young man. He's always asking how to get better. Matter of fact, I just got a text message when I was walking in to hear about, you know, Coach, you talked about leading. What can I do more to help lead? And so he's always on this quest for knowledge and to get better. So I'm excited about him."

Michigan running back Benjamin Hall runs against Indiana defensive back Amare Ferrell during the second half of U-M's 52-7 win over Indiana on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Ann Arbor. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

After Hall, it would appear true freshman Jordan Marshall might be the next in line, the former Mr. Ohio running back. The former Ohio State running backs coach said Marshall is a dynamic running back and like Hall, wants to find a way to get him on the field. Alford hinted fans could see him play as soon as Saturday against Texas.

"Yeah, I think Jordan's going to be a dynamic, dynamic football player," Alford said about the true freshman. "He's an excellent player. He's got an unbelievably bright future, I believe. He's smart. The kid studies the game. It's important to him. He has shown throughout camp that he's capable of making plays. Now we just got to get him out there and to make him, and I would hope that we'll be able to get him on the field this weekend."

The problem with getting Marshall on the field right away is the amount of plays an offense gets per game. Michigan is usually one of the slower-tempo teams and doesn't run 70 or 80 players per game. Michigan ran 56 offensive plays over the weekend with all the carries going to either Edwards, Mullings, or quarterback Alex Orji.

Alford reiterated Marshall is also earning the right to get onto the field, but it's all about the flow of the game and balancing things out.

"No, I think it's just opportunity," Alford said on Marshall not seeing the field. "I think we ran 56 plays, something like that. So it's not a lot of plays. And we've already talked about what, three?.... So with that being said, there's four guys. So we ran 56 plays. And so a lot of things are just game situations. And where are we at in the game and the flow of the game? And to your question, well, does a guy have to get in the rhythm? Does a guy have to carry the ball 20 times a game? Well, if he carries it 20 and you only had 56, that's very limited for everybody else. So which one do you want here?

"But, yeah, he's going to earn his right to get on the field, which he already has just as far as getting him in in the timeframe within the game and situational stuff. But he's going to be a great player here. There's no doubt."

You can see the Michigan running backs in action on Saturday at Noon ET against Texas.

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