Yes, sophomore quarterback Tate Forcier replaced sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson when Robinson was knocked out of Saturday’s game with about 11 minutes left in the third quarter. Yes, it appeared Robinson was fine on the sidelines while watching Forcier finish out the game.
But no, according to Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, there is no quarterback controversy.
“Denard Robinson’s our starting quarterback,” Rodriguez said after the game. “Tate Forcier’s a pretty good quarterback too, and so is Devin Gardner. But, they can play better.”
Apparently, Robinson had been nursing a shoulder injury all week in practice, and Rodriguez said he aggravated it when he was tackled on a 12-yard run to start the drive.
The trainers wouldn’t let Robinson back in the game because of the shoulder injury.
“He wasn’t able to go,” Rodriguez said.
For the second time this season, Forcier came in to replace an injured Robinson. Against Bowling Green on Sept. 25, Forcier completed all of his 12 passes and threw for a score. The 12-for-12 day for the sophomore set a Michigan record for pass efficiency.
On his opening drive on Saturday, he led the Wolverines down the field to the Iowa 15-yard line, but sophomore running back Vincent Smith fumbled the ball away.
It seemed that no matter who was playing quarterback, the Michigan offense fell victim to momentum-swinging turnovers all day. Robinson threw a devastating interception in the beginning of the second quarter and on Forcier’s second drive of the game, the sophomore threw a pick just as the Wolverines were moving into Iowa territory.
“I thought he made some good throws, made some good decisions,” Rodriguez said. “There’s a few he’d like to have back.”
After the interception, Forcier played well. On the next drive, Forcier completed six of his eight passes on his way to leading the Wolverines to their first touchdown since the first quarter, a two-yard run by freshman running back Stephen Hopkins.
After a Hawkeye touchdown, Forcier unleashed a 45-yard touchdown bomb to redshirt junior wide receiver Junior Hemingway. The throw probably shouldn’t have been made — Hemingway was on the opposite side of the field and Forcier was throwing across his body — but it ended up being one of those big pass plays Forcier has been known to make.
“I saw him, he had him beat,” Forcier said after the game. “He stacked the corner, so I thought I had him. After I saw what Junior did for Denard against Indiana, I trusted him, so I just threw it up there and he went and got it.”
After an Iowa punt, Forcier led Michigan down the field yet again, this time eventually running into the end zone from three yards out for the score.
Forcier orchestrated a furious comeback by the Wolverines, who scored three times in the fourth quarter of a game that seemed out of reach to bring the deficit to a touchdown.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said his defensive scheme didn’t change with the new quarterback, but that Robinson and Forcier present two different styles of play.
“You’d never know it but we were trying not to give up anything easy or big plays,” Ferentz said. “With number five back there it’s a little bit more of a throwing game … either guy is tough to defend.”