ANN ARBOR -- Devin Gardner and Fitzgerald Toussaint both had emotional journeys to finish Saturday afternoon.
They started in different places and took different paths, but by sunset, they were happily in the same spot -- singing "The Victors" in the Michigan locker room after a 59-9 rout of Central Michigan.
For Gardner, the day marked the beginning of his career as the undisputed top dog in the Wolverines offense. After being a highly touted recruit out of Inkster, Gardner couldn't beat out Denard Robinson for the starting quarterback job, and started the 2012 season as a wide receiver. Robinson, though, wrecked his elbow, Russell Bellomy melted down when given the opportunity to replace him and Gardner ended up taking the reins.
As well as he played down the stretch, though, it was never his team. No matter what Gardner did, the first question Brady Hoke always faced was "When is Denard coming back?"
This year, that's not an issue. Robinson is trying to figure out a role with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Wolverines are now Gardner's team. He's known since January, but it didn't really hit home until he prepared for one of the most iconic pregame rituals in the sport -- running out of the tunnel and leaping to touch the "Go Blue" banner.
"I can't even begin to explain to you how that felt," he said. "It was amazing to stand there, knowing there were 112,000 people out there, and that I was the No. 1 quarterback. My heart was beating out of my chest, and I was just telling myself not to trip and fall when I went to jump for the banner. I didn't want to do that."
Fitzgerald had his own special moment before the game, but unlike Gardner, he was putting things behind him, not just looking to the future. A year ago, he had sat out Michigan's opener after being suspended for a DUI arrest, but that was a minor blip on his career compared to what happened a few months later.
Early in Michigan's Nov. 17 game against Iowa, Toussaint swept right for a short gain and was tackled by a pair of Hawkeyes as he went out of bounds. The two players hit him in different directions, snapping both bones in his lower left leg.
"I went down thinking I had a bad cramp, and then I looked down at my leg," he said. "That's when I knew things were really wrong."
Toussaint amazed his teammates by participating in spring camp less than six months after the injury and he was 100 percent by the time the game regrouped in the fall. He regained the starting tailback job, but he had a bit of a pilgrimage to make before Saturday's game. He walked to the exact spot where he had fallen on the visiting sideline and had a quiet moment of contemplation about the last year and the one ahead.
"It was emotional, because this has definitely been a long journey," he said. "I felt great physically today, but this game was never about the physical stuff. I knew that was fine. Today was about the mental aspect of getting back out there, playing football and getting hit again. It was tough, but by the end of the game, I was fine. I'm ready to go without thinking about it."
Of course, having won by 50 points and scoring the most points in an opener in 108 years, almost everyone in the stadium was happy by the game's end. Except, of course, one man.
"There were a lot of negatives today _ we're going to have a lot of things to correct before Notre Dame next week," Brady Hoke said. "We'll have a lot of teaching moments from this one."
Even Hoke couldn't pretend there hadn't been a few positives on the day, starting with Gardner. While he did throw two interceptions, one that would have been returned for a touchdown if not for a quick reaction by Devin Funchess, he also ran for two scores and threw for a third. Both rushing touchdowns came on plays where he scrambled after being unable to find an open receiver, as opposed to the designed runs that were Robinson's specialty.
"He's athletic, and even if there are a few times when I cross my fingers while he's being an athlete, he does a great job of handling the ball and keeping plays alive," Hoke said. "He should have made better decisions on both interceptions, but he was showing confidence and believing he could make the throw. I'd always rather have a confident quarterback than one who doubts himself in big moments."
Hoke said Gardner's play was "good -- not excellent or elite, but good," and the junior mostly agreed.
"I thought I managed the game very well, and I made some plays," he said. "I just have to take away the turnovers. Those were both rust throws, and now I've got that knocked off and I'll be ready for next week."
On the ground, Toussaint rushed for 57 yards and two touchdowns, while much-heralded freshman Derrick Green added 58 yards and a score and Gardner finished with 52 yards. Michigan played six running backs and three quarterbacks, including three true freshmen.
"We ran the ball well, and that's a big focus this year," Gardner said. "Fitz was very good, and the other guys came out and did a nice job. We told the freshmen last night that pressure isn't something you can taste, it isn't something you can feel and it isn't something you can smell. It's not tangible, so it isn't real. They listened, and they showed up today."
Toussaint praised three new players -- interior linemen Graham Glasgow, Jack Miller and Kyle Kalis. They started at center and the two guard spots -- new faces in between veteran tackles Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield.
"You have to give all the credit to our line tonight," he said. "Those guys worked so hard together in fall camp and really developed chemistry, and that paid off in today's game."
Michigan knows that it won't face many games easier than this one -- the team blocked Central Michigan's first punt for a touchdown and knocked the Chippewas' starting quarterback and running back out of the game in the first quarter. That's why Hoke isn't going to let them enjoy it too long, especially with Notre Dame on tap.
"The one good thing about the score was we were able to let a lot of young guys get their feet wet in front of 112,000 people," he said. "We're going to tell them that next Saturday, there will only be a few more thousand people in the stadium, but the energy is going to be a lot different. This is going to be the last time Notre Dame comes in here for a while, and I think people are going to care.
"It's going to be special."
