It’s what every Michigan fan has known since Denard Robinson botched his first snap as a freshman and practically trotted through the Western Michigan defense for a touchdown.

Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges just reaffirmed it.

Denard is deadly.

“With the ball under his arm, anything can happen,” Borges told the media Wednesday. “If you’re going to hook slide him prematurely, when he could juke a guy—”

Borges paused.

“You coach Denard different than you coach (San Diego State quarterback) Ryan Lindley. They’re different players.”

It’s safe to say that opposing defenses can still expect a heavy dose of Robinson, even under Borges’ pro-style offense. But it’s not going to be quite so heavy.

Robinson led the Wolverines in 2010 with 1,702 rushing yards. But it took 256 carries to reach that mark — an average of nearly 20 attempts per game. And that’s a number Borges aims to shrink.

Borges wouldn’t commit to a number of carries he’d like Robinson to have, but said, “It’s gonna be less.”

“As a play caller, you go into games with a plan, but then all of the sudden things change and they can’t stop (Robinson),” Borges said. “Now, I was born at night, but I wasn’t born last night. Call his number, give him a chance, but try not to beat him up.”

And, as always, he just has one piece of advice for his junior quarterback.

“Make plays, don’t make miracles,” Borges said.

Borges won’t be reinventing the wheel to tailor his offense to fit Robinson’s unique skill set. But it won’t be old hat, either.

“A lot of the stuff you’re going to see, you’ll say, ‘Oh, I’ve seen that before,’” Borges said. “But because we’re going to a power-run style, we’re trying to take some of the burden off him as a runner — and more than anything keep him in one piece. Because the one thing that jumped out at me as I studied tape from last year is (Michigan was) a different team when he wasn’t in there.”

To ease the strain on Robinson’s legs, Michigan is committed to featuring the running backs early and often in the first season under Borges and Michigan coach Brady Hoke.

Borges intends to cut the race at tailback down from a handful of backs to two or three in the near future. Although he’d name the starter “yesterday if we could,” the offensive coordinator gave no indication as to the front-runners in the backfield.

“Nobody’s been tackled yet, so you can’t tell anything yet,” Borges said.

When asked to list his criteria for a leading candidate at tailback, Borges’s response sounded reminiscent of former running back Mike Hart and some of Michigan’s all-time best backs.

It’s not about the size.

“The ability to win in the open field, break tackles, make people miss, understand our protection scheme,” Borges said were vital pieces. “Receiving skills are a part of it, too — it’s not at the top of the list, but it’s part of it.

“It’s a vision position. As long as you give them an opportunity to see the cuts, they can make the cuts easily.”

At 5-foot-6, junior Vincent Smith has been tabbed as a strong contender for duties at running back, but is jockeying for the No. 1 job alongside redshirt junior Michael Cox and senior Michael Shaw.

Borges referred to burly sophomore Stephen Hopkins as a “hybrid” back, and possibly a third-down threat.

But even with the seemingly tight race in the backfield with just over three weeks remaining, Borges doesn’t plan to rotate running backs once Sept. 3 rolls around.

“I don’t like rotating guys,” Borges said. “But that being said, if two guys are on an equal plane we may do it. Never say never, but it’s never been my preference.”

But, for now, the running backs are looking to the man at the pinnacle of the nation’s running game — No. 16. And Borges wouldn’t mind some Robinson-like runs from his tailbacks.

“(We want) a guy we feel … can give us some of the same things Denard gave us last year and he’ll give us this year,” Borges said.