ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It wasn’t bursting onto the scene in the same way that Chris Evans did in his two-touchdown performance in the 2016 season opener, but assuredly Michigan football fans were asking, ‘Who’s that?’ late in Saturday’s game against Colorado State.
The who is C.J. Stokes, a first-year running back from Columbia, South Carolina who arrived on campus in June. He drew accolades from Jim Harbaugh last Saturday when he revealed the overall depth chart, noting that Stokes would be the third tailback off the bench, while meanwhile noting that the only thing holding him back is inexperience.
Well, that held prescient in Week 1, as Stokes came in after starters Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards and saw more time and had more carries than any others who came after him — including second-year running back Tavierre Dunlap. Stokes finished with six carries for 35 yards, and had a couple of long runs, including a long of 18 yards.
“I really thought he was gonna have a big game,” Harbaugh said on Monday. “I told him that in the days leading up to the game — I don’t know if it will be this game or the next but you’ll be one of those freshmen that everybody’s talking about — he’s just good. Super important to him. He is a studier and a very, very focused. player and really talented, too, so it’s fun to see his first run be a 13, 14-yard pickup and a first down.”
We’re likely to see much more of Stokes on Saturday when Michigan takes on an overmatched Hawaii team, and then a rebuilding UConn squad the week after that. The schedule allows for him to get a bit more of that coveted experience — especially in blocking — before the Wolverines get into the meat of their schedule.
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