A bruised knee shouldn’t prevent sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson from starting Saturday against Indiana, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said Monday.

Rodriguez said Robinson is his undisputed No. 1 starter — even after suffering a minor injury last weekend against Bowling Green. Sophomore Tate Forcier and true freshman Devin Gardner are both considered second-string.

“Other guys can run the offense, (but) Denard is special,” Rodriguez said at his weekly news conference. “He's got the ability to break every play himself. He's so explosive as a runner.”

Forcier went 12-for-12 passing on Saturday, and he and Gardner each threw for a touchdown. Gardner also ran for another. Though offensive players and the coaching staff have maintained that the game plan doesn’t change depending on who’s under center, Rodriguez said there are differences between the three.

“We run the same plays with all of our quarterbacks,” Rodriguez said. “We may emphasize something a little bit differently with Devin or Tate, but we would expect those guys to be just as efficient as far as moving the offense. They're not going to be as explosive as Denard because he is different, but they should still be efficient.”

Rodriguez said Robinson’s bruised knee would keep him out of Monday’s practice, but he hoped the sophomore would be able to fully practice Tuesday. Rodriguez added that Forcier and Gardner will get equal snaps in practice this week, and how they perform will determine which quarterback enters the game in certain situations.

Been here before: After the Wolverines finished off their non-conference season with a sparkling 4-0 record, the inevitable comparisons began.

Last year’s 4-0 start, the thrilling win over Notre Dame and Heisman hype around the starting quarterback all seemed quite familiar.

But Rodriguez said it’s not even comparable.

“Every year is different,” Rodriguez said. “I'm not going to sit here and tell you we're completely where we want to be. We're not close to where we're going to be eventually.

“But at the same time, I think this year's team is executing pretty well, playing pretty good at times. I know we have to play better.”

One key difference from last year is the depth Michigan has at some key positions, like quarterback. The Wolverines also relied on six different running backs last weekend with four of them rushing for at least 56 yards.

Michigan’s defense remains a concern, though the unit responded well after a disappointing performance against Massachusetts two weeks ago. Rodriguez said in-game adjustments and basic skills like tackling need to improve.

Regardless of the team’s strengths and weaknesses, one thing is clear: A 4-0 start doesn’t guarantee conference success. It doesn’t even guarantee a bowl game, as the Wolverines learned last year.

In two years under Rodriguez, Michigan has gone 3-13 in Big Ten play. Only one of those wins has come on the road.

“You can ask anybody on our team,” Rodriguez said. “They'll tell you how important the Big Ten schedule is, how much better we're going to have to play coming up.”

Running back rotation: Michigan’s six running backs combined for 282 yards on the ground against Bowling Green, by far the team’s most balanced rushing attack of the season.

Rodriguez scoffed at the idea that his running backs struggled through the first two games of the year and then suddenly performed better the past two weeks. He said the game plan included more designed runs for Robinson in the early games.

“It wasn't like last week or two weeks ago we gave them magic pills and they became running backs,” Rodriguez said. “You know, they were running great during camp, running hard. It's just the way teams have been defending us, sometimes they take that away a little bit.

“They all have some explosive ability. Nobody's as explosive as Denard. When you compare who has the most explosive ability, it is No. 16.”

Rodriguez said he expects to use three or four running backs regularly heading into Big Ten season.

Injury notes: Forcier suffered a minor quad injury, but is fine. Freshman tailback Fitzgerald Toussaint hurt his shoulder in Saturday’s game, and the team will know more about his status in the next couple of days. Junior running back Mike Shaw (sprained knee) is day-to-day. Linebacker Brandon Herron (ankle) and safety Carvin Johnson (knee) could return Saturday.