Devin and Denard - what could have been

Last Saturday saw another sizeable win for the Michigan football team, but it came in a little different style.

After missing the last two games with an injury to his elbow, Denard Robinson returned to the field against Iowa and was creatively used alongside backup quarterback Devin Gardner.

Robinson didn’t throw a pass in the game. He was instead used as a running back and a receiver.

Defenses still had to respect Robinson for his speed and his quickness while Gardner remained the quarterback. Gardner finished with 314 yards passing and three touchdowns while running for two more scores.

The Michigan offense totaled over 500 yards and looked as good as it has all season, but the real question is, why now?

Obviously the answer for Saturday was to get Robinson on the field for his final home game with Michigan.

But, when you see what this offense is capable of with Gardner at quarterback and Robinson used as a running back/receiver, you have to scratch your head at why this wasn’t implemented earlier. Last season saw Gardner take some occasional snaps at quarterback with Robinson, but it wasn’t anything like what we saw on Saturday.

Could this combination have helped in games against Alabama, Notre Dame and Nebraska?

Digging up this kind of success this late in the season doesn’t do much good for Michigan outside of possibly beating Ohio State, but even a win over the Buckeyes won’t get them a Big Ten title unless Nebraska loses.

Is it fair to say that Brady Hoke and the Michigan coaching staff missed the boat here?

Coaches always say they have to put their best 11 on the field each week.

It is starting to appear that the Wolverines haven’t had their best lineup on the field most of the season.

What are your thoughts on how Michigan used Robinson/Gardner against Iowa