Justice Haynes shockingly on record setting pace as Michigan Wolverines rack up another Big Ten win over Wisconsin Badgers

If Sherrone Moore keeps feeding Justice Haynes he could break Michigan Wolverines records

Travis May — College Football Managing Editor
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Star quarterback Bryce Underwood and the breakout wide receiver games from both Donaven McCulley and true freshman Andrew Marsh hogged all the spotlight amid Michigan’s 24-10 win over Wisconsin on Saturday, but the real star of the season continues to shine.

Transfer running back Justice Haynes has been carrying the Michigan all season long, logging over 100 rushing yards in every single game this season and he did it again on Saturday. When the Wolverines pass attack was still finding it’s rhythm early in the game it was Haynes who found the end zone. Following his phenomenal showing against Wisconsin, Haynes is now seriously looking like he could break Michigan rushing records.

Justice Haynes stats as Michigan Wolverines star RB

  • Justice Haynes added another 117 yards and two rushing touchdowns amid Michigan Wolverines 24-10 victory over Wisconsin
  • Haynes now leads all Big Ten running backs in rushing yards with 654 through just five games and ranks second among all power conference rushers behind only Ahmad Hardy of Missouri
  • If Haynes maintains his current 131 yards per game pace through 13 games this season he will rank third all-time in single season rushing yards for all Michigan RBs in program history
  • If he maintains that pace and the Wolverines play 14+ total games he’ll break the single season record currently held by Tim Biakabutuka at 1,818 yards.

Justice Haynes on potential record breaking pace as he carries Michigan offense

It’s one thing to wipe the floor with a soft opening schedule. It’s another entirely to make it through five games, three against top notch Big Ten and SEC defenses, averaging 131 rushing yards per game. That’s where Justice Haynes currently stands as the season nears the midpoint for Michigan.

Haynes leads all Big Ten running backs in rushing yards and ranks second among all power conference RBs behind only Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy and it doesn’t look like he’s going to be slowing down any time soon. What’s even more impressive is that he’s averaging 7.7 yards per carry on 85 rushes this season, an unbelievable pace of efficiency and explosion.

If Haynes does somehow continue his blistering pace through the rest of the season, and Michigan possibly makes the playoff there’s a real shot that he will break the single season rushing record for the Wolverines. He’s already destroying recent rushing precedent as he’s the first Michigan player to post 100+ rushing yards in each of the first five games of the season since Denard Robinson did it 15 years ago in 2010. Now he’s eyeing another record that’s stood for 30 years in Tim Biakabutuka’s 1,818 rushing yards in a single year.

Breaking Biakabutuka’s record won’t be easy since Michigan still has a few tough games on their Big Ten schedule. However, if he can capitalize on a few more soft defensive opportunities, there’s a real path to the record for Haynes and plenty more offensive success overall for the Wolverines.

Both Purdue and Northwestern (back to back opponents to begin November) rank outside the top 70 FBS rush defenses right now. Michigan State and USC rank outside the top 30. All four could be huge spots for Haynes to take advantage and put massive numbers.

Regardless of how the rest of the season plays out, Haynes has proven to be one of the best running backs Michigan has had this century already and it’s only been five games. Hopefully that trend of elite play continues so that Michigan finds itself in the College Football Playoff when the regular season comes to a close.

We’ll be back with more Michigan Wolverines coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

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