SPORTSWEDNESDAY
Corum, Wolverines
give Cornhuskers
nightmares in 34-3 rout
T
he identity of the No. 3 Michigan
football team is already known.
On defense, it’s inspired by its lineman,
touting the No. 1 run defense heading into
Saturday’s game and consistently pressuring
opposing quarterbacks. On offense, though, the
identity is one man:
Junior running back Blake Corum.
Leaning on Corum once again, the Wolverines
(10-0 overall, 7-0 Big Ten) trounced Nebraska (3-7,
2-5), 34-3 in a gritty, ground-powered game that
was all but decided from the opening kickoff.
“Blake, another great game by him,” Michigan
coach Jim Harbaugh said Saturday. “… There
wasn’t a long (run), there wasn’t a 50-yarder today
like there has been. Just really, really good, tough
running.”
From their first drive, the Wolverines did
nothing to hide their hard-nosed identity, and the
Cornhuskers did nothing to stop it.
The first play, a pass, went to Corum. Seventy-
eight yards and six Corum carries later, Michigan
was on Nebraska’s two-yard line. Another touch
and the Wolverines were on the board with the
ball in Corum’s hands.
For the rest of the game, Michigan’s gameplan
remained the same — just as it has all season.
Corum, drive after drive, proved why. And Corum
wants it that way.
“I always go into each game wanting the ball,”
Corum said. “I want it as many times as they’re
going to give it to me.”
Every time the Wolverines trusted their
Heisman-hopeful
back,
it
paid
dividends.
Whenever Michigan strayed, a struggling pass
game reminded everyone why Corum averages
over 22 rushing attempts per game.
On both the Wolverines’ second and third
drives, this reality showed. On the first, a five-yard
Corum run was negated by a sack on a dropback
and an incomplete pass to graduate receiver
Ronnie Bell for a three-and-out. The second,
Corum blasted through for a 12-yard gain, only for
three-straight pass plays to fall incomplete.
Conversely, when Michigan let Corum set the
offense up, it prospered. In the second quarter, on
a drive where he racked up 29 yards and two first
downs on four carries, just the threat of Corum
opened up two gaping holes for passes. The final
play, a teardrop touchdown pass from sophomore
quarterback J.J. McCarthy to Bell, was enabled
by a play-action call and the gravitational pull
Corum demands.
“That got me really excited because during
practice this week we emphasized bending it
back,” Corum said. “So the safety came down
thinking he had a free shot on J.J., and when
I went to fake to the right, I bent it back to the
left and surprised ‘em and made him completely
stop. And (so) Ronnie was wide open. Oh, it was
beautiful.”
While Corum supported the offense, the
Wolverine defense held up its end of the bargain.
Constantly pressuring Nebraska’s quarterbacks
and stymying run after run, Michigan’s defenders
set their offensive counterparts up for success.
Both trends carried into the second half, where
Corum continued to power forward and the
defense appeared to share DNA with a brick wall.
And it was nothing but maize and blue for the
remainder of the game.
The
Wolverines
punched
in
two
more
touchdowns in the second half, including a
McCarthy scramble in which Corum “pancaked”
a defender, clearing the way. On the final
touchdown, Bell fumbled the ball toward the back
of the end zone where sophomore receiver Andrel
Anthony fell on it, making the score 31-3.
Monday, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh
compared Corum to future Hall-of-Famer Frank
Gore, who played four seasons under Harbaugh
with the 49ers. That comparison goes beyond
Corum’s physical prowess, also including his
innate ability to read defenses and make the right
decision.
“Two outstanding students of the game, know
the game and also have a tremendous feel for the
game,” Harbaugh said. “There’s no doubt that
Blake will be, in my opinion, right on that same
dance floor as Frank Gore in every way, as a
player.”
Saturday, Corum looked worthy of that
comparison once again, unlocking the offense
and being the bellcow he’s proven himself to be.
Even after being pulled in the fourth quarter to
preserve his health, Corum posted 162 yards and
one touchdown on 28 attempts — 33 more yards
on his own than the Wolverines had total through
the air
Heading into the game, the Cornhuskers knew
what the Wolverines wanted to do. Still, Corum
imposed his will. In doing so, he gave Michigan
an easy path to victory. Despite all the carries, and
the continuous burden on his shoulders, Corum
just wants to keep rolling.
“I can play a whole ‘nother season,” Corum
said. “I’m good. I’m feeling great. I feel that I just
continue to get better.”
Whether he keeps getting better or not, the
Wolverines will keep relying on his production.
And until a team can stop him, there’s no reason
not to.
NICHOLAS STOLL
Manging Sports Editor
CHILDREN OF THE CORUM
CHILDREN OF THE CORUM
An adult
nightmare.
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