ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -Denard Robinson had an ear-to-ear grin as he stood behind a podium, answering questions from reporters for the first time since he was knocked out of Michigan’s last game with an injured right shoulder.
“I’m feeling good,” he said. “It was great to have a week off.”
Robinson said his throwing shoulder and left knee, which was bruised a month ago, have healed.
“I feel 100 percent,” he said.
Michigan (5-2, 1-2 Big Ten) also expects some of Robinson’s banged-up teammates to be healthy enough to play at Penn State (4-3, 1-2) on Saturday night.
Running backs Mike Shaw (knee) and Fitzgerald Toussaint (shoulder), along with center David Molk (ankle) and defensive tackle Mike Martin (ankle) all seemed to get the rest they needed during the Wolverines’ open week ahead of the matchup with the Nittany Lions.
“They should all be good,” coach Rich Rodriguez said.
Michigan started the year well, winning its first five games, before losing by 17 points to Michigan State and by 10 against Iowa at home.
The Wolverines are slightly favored to beat Penn State, and if they do, they’ll become bowl-eligible for the first time in Rodriguez’s three seasons at the helm of college football’s winningest program.
Rodriguez scoffed at the notion that his team, coming off a two-game skid, feels a greater sense of urgency to win this game compared to the previous matchups on the schedule.
“They’re all critical,” he said.
A Michigan win would stop some of the comparisons to last year, when a 4-0 start spiraled into a 5-7 finish.
Robinson insisted he’s confident this season won’t end like the last one.
“We’re a different team,” he said. “We train harder, we practice harder, we play harder. We’re more like a family.”
Michigan moved some members of its football family last week – perhaps permanently – by giving defensive tackle William Campbell a chance to practice as an offensive guard and offensive guard Quinton Washington a shot at being a defensive tackle.
After some practices, the Wolverines relaxed over the weekend.
“It’s nice to get out of the pressure-cooker for a little bit,” linebacker Craig Roh said. “I feel refreshed and ready to go.”
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