Now, 3 of his teammates are former Buckeyes. And 7 other Colts players are from the Big Ten Conference.

What was once a rivalry has morphed into a special bond amongst former Big Ten players; an us against them mindset, if you will.

“We all like each other. We’re on the same team now. When you get to the NFL, it’s not about Ohio State vs. Michigan, it’s about Big Ten vs. SEC, vs. ACC vs. Pac-10, you know which conference is better. This team has a lot of Big Ten guys so that’s definitely a good thing.”

What a difference a few months makes! Although, one can only imagine the amount of trash talk that will go on in the Colts locker room come November 22, when Michigan and Ohio State meet again.

Not only were fans and media pleased with his showing, but also his coaches and teammates.

Here are some choice words from Coach Dungy:

“We’ve seen that from Mike for four years of college and we’ve seen it every day in practice. He just continues to run hard and block well and catch the ball – do the things you need to get done.”

“When you watch him practise and watch him work, we felt he’d have a good game. He did everything that he was called on to do. … That’s probably what he’s been doing for eight or nine years.”

The Colts coaches and staff have maintained from day 1 that they were more than convinced that Mike Hart would be a great pick for the Colts based on his film. They never gave a second thought to his 40 time. Watching him play Sunday, I don’t think many fans were concerned with his speed either. The Redskins were probably worried, since they couldn’t quickly locate and catch him, but that’s a win-win situation for the Colts.

You know Mike has to feel good after falling to Round 6 in the draft and having people continually doubt him. He said the draft day experience motivated him to go out, work hard, and prove everyone wrong. Looks like he’s well on his way to reaching that goal.

For his part, Mike gave the credit to his offensive line, saying their work allowed him to find those holes and break off his runs. He’s used to running behind a great line. If you’ll remember, this year top draft pick, Jake Long, blocked for Mike for 4 years at Michigan.

Now, the big question is: Can he do it again?

Of course he can. He’s Mike Hart.

For Mike Hart, it was only a first step.

But as far as first steps go, Hart’s first preseason NFL game certainly could have been worse.

Hart, a Colts rookie running back from the University of Michigan, entered the preseason-opening Hall of Fame Game in the third quarter on Sunday night.

By the time the quarter was over, Hart was the club’s leading rusher.

HART ATTACK, By John Oehser - Colts.com

It looked like Mike may have only gotten one series to show what he can do, but he re-entered the game with about 30 seconds left, relieving a slightly injured Chad Simpson.

In the closing seconds of the 4th quarter, and the final play, Mike almost reached the endzone for the Colts. He lost a shoe in the process. In his earlier drive, he lost a helmet and kept playing. One determined young man with a lot of “Hart”.

Mike was the Colts’ leading rusher with 53 yds on 4 carries. He also contributed 28 yds from 3 catches; also tops amongst the runningbacks. [BOXSCORE]

Video highlights from NFL.com after the jump. I’ll probably make my own set (much longer) soon and post.
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The game, which kicks off at 8PM (ET), will be nationally televised on NBC.

Preseason action tends to be typically geared towards seeing the young/new talent in action, this will likely be our first look at Mike in the NFL.

Check out a preview of the game from NFL.com. There are some videos there as well.

“We’ve got some rookies who are working well. Mike Hart from Michigan is doing a good job. Cliff Dawson, who’s been here [one year], is doing a good job too. Those youngsters like Chad Simpson and Mike Hart are doing well on special teams. They’re trying hard to make the team.”

Terre Haute Tribune-Star

Apparently Coach Dungy is pleased with the young RBs at camp:

“In pads, they played bigger than they did in shorts, which is good to see”

Fan reports have Mike practicing with the 1st team, along with fellow runningbacks Joseph Addai and Dom Rhodes.

On Saturday, Mike took a hard hit from linebacker Freddy Keiaho and Coach Dungy was none too pleased.

Here are some pictures from Colts.com:

In addition, you can see some fan pics here, here, here, and here.

Mike had the following to say, via his agent:

“I’m excited to have my turn and begin camp tomorrow”

Congrats to Mike and good luck in camp!

In other news, ESPN program “NFL Live” will be taping from Terre Haute, site of the Colts Training Camp.