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Michigan football: Blake Corum’s impact at U-M goes far beyond the field

Over the past three years, Michigan football fans have fallen in love with running back Blake Corum. His presence is vital to Michigan’s success, both on and off of the football field.

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© Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK | Oct 1, 2022; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Blake Corum (2) in action against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Since Blake Corum’s first snap with Michigan football in October 2020, the Wolverines’ standout running back has become a fan favorite due to his work on and off the football field. As Corum eyes his senior season in the Maize and Blue this fall, we would like to appreciate how vital Corum’s presence is to Michigan’s program.

Blake Corum is the building block of Michigan’s success

Throughout the 2022 Michigan football season, one thing became clear early and remained true: Blake Corum is the cornerstone of the Wolverines’ success. We have all heard the stories of his incredible work ethic by now; the coaches locking him out of the weight room so that he didn’t hurt himself has become an iconic story around Ann Arbor.

But Corum is more than a work-ethic-myth; he is arguably the second most important man in the building, behind only Jim Harbaugh himself.

Blake Corum’s presence is said to drive others — he is so dedicated to improving himself that everyone around him cannot help but follow. In a world of NIL, the NFL Draft, the transfer portal, and more, Corum seemingly helped Michigan retain most of its star players heading into 2023. Blake Corum announced his return to Ann Arbor before Jim Harbaugh announced that he would be Michigan’s head coach this fall.

Corum has been a massive part of the Wolverines’ culture change from 2020 to 2021, a much-needed change that took Michigan football from 2-4 Corum’s freshman year to 12-2 and 13-1 in the two seasons that followed. There is a legitimate case to be made — perhaps one that no one will argue — that without Corum, Michigan does not win back-to-back Big Ten Championships in 2021 and 2022.

Corum is just as influential on the field

While we cannot say enough about Blake Corum’s leadership with Michigan football, there is much to be said about his on-field results. Last season — despite only seeing action in 10.5 of the Wolverines’ 14 games before going down with a knee injury — Blake Corum still managed to stay in Heisman contention as a running back.

Additionally, Corum was named a 1st team All-American, a 1st team All-Big Ten selection, and won the Big Ten’s Silver Football Award, which is given annually to the best player in the conference.

Throughout the Wolverines’ 2022 campaign, Blake Corum carried the ball 247 times for 1,463 yards (5.9 average) and 18 touchdowns. On top of that, Corum caught 11 passes for 80 yards and one touchdown during Michigan’s historic 13-1 Big Ten Championship season.

Blake Corum will be an essential piece of Michigan’s 2023 team

As we turn the page from Michigan’s incredible 2022 season to the 2023 season, Michigan football has high expectations. Despite winning 25 of their last 28 games — including two Big Ten titles and wins over Ohio State — Michigan expects even more out of its 2023 squad.

While Michigan’s 2021 and 2022 seasons were both incredible, the Wolverines fell short in both College Football Playoff games and are yet to win a National Championship (or appear in the title game, for that matter).

With its stars returning (such as rising senior Blake Corum), the Wolverines will pursue a third-straight conference championship with even more ambitious goals this fall.

Blake Corum enters the 2023 Michigan football season with the 11th-best odds to win the Heisman (33/1), and is the highest-ranked non-quarterback in the current Heisman odds.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebookand Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at Cj@BluebyNinety.com or DM him on Twitter, @CJsWrld_.

FOOTBALL

Latest buzz on impressive Michigan football freshman wide receivers

Here is the latest buzz from Schembechler Hall regarding a few rising stars — these Michigan football freshman wideouts are impressive!

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Michigan football, wide receivers, Ron Bellamy, Big Ten
© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Wolverines’ wide receiver corps is led by Roman Wilson — the NCAA’s leader in touchdown catches (6) — and Cornelius Johnson. That said, below these two talented veterans are a number of impressive Michigan football freshman wideouts, who recently earned some high praise from wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy ahead of this weekend’s Big Ten conference opener against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-0).

Michigan football freshman wide receivers continue to impress

Unlike the previous two seasons, the Michigan football offense is really starting to air the ball out often this fall. Aside from an unimpressive game against Bowling Green, junior quarterback JJ McCarthy has been dominant this year, which is a trend he hopes to keep up during this week’s matchup against Rutgers.

Ron Bellamy gives the latest ahead of this week’s Big Ten opener

Among this year’s wide receiver corps are a number of Michigan football freshman standouts, who have been turning heads throughout fall camp and even into the first few games of the season. Yesterday, Ron Bellamy — Michigan’s WR coach — gave the latest on these rising star Wolverines.

“They’re doing well,” Ron Bellamy said of the Michigan football freshman wide receivers. “They’re doing well — you can’t treat them like freshmen. I tell them all the time, ‘Whoever we play, they’re not going to look across and say, ‘Oh, this is an 18-year-old freshman here; take it easy on him.’ No, they are going to be attacking like they would any other player.’ That has to be the mindset, and we don’t treat them like freshmen. Those guys are diligent about their craft. That’s the thing I like about them. And that’s why they’re getting opportunities. Those guys are constantly wanting to learn and making sure that they’re dialed in and detailed in everything that we do.”

Keep an eye out for these freshmen when Michigan football takes the field

Ideally, Michigan football won’t need to rely on these freshman wideouts just yet; however, if you start to see names like Semaj Morgan, Fredrick Moore, and others getting some notable in-game reps, don’t be too surprised. From the sound of things, it seems that the Wolverines are confident in many of these rising stars, and are looking to continue developing them into the next generation of elite offensive skill players to wear the Maize and Blue.



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Top analyst has an interesting message for Michigan football fans

Top analyst Joel Klatt has some interesting thoughts about Michigan football heading into the Wolverines’ Big Ten opener this weekend.

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Michigan football fans, Joel Klatt, Big Ten conference, Penn State, Ohio State
Sep 9, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Roman Wilson (1) celebrates his touchdown against the UNLV Rebels with teammates during the first half at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

Last weekend, the Maize and Blue won their third-straight game of the 2023 season, downing the Bowling Green State Falcons by 25 points at home. While JJ McCarthy and the offense struggled, the Wolverines are still undefeated heading into Big Ten conference play this weekend. Still, with Penn State and Ohio State playing great football right now, top college football analyst Joel Klatt has an interesting message for Michigan football fans — he thinks that folks in Ann Arbor should be “antsy” right now.

Joel Klatt has an interesting take for Michigan football fans

Sure, last weekend’s victory over Bowling Green wasn’t pretty; however, Ohio State and Penn State have both seen their fair share of struggles so far this year. In fact, even outside of the Big Ten conference, schools like Texas, Alabama, and even Georgia have not been looking like their usual selves lately. Still, Joel Klatt says that there should be some tension among the Michigan football fanbase due to recent lackluster play during the non-conference slate.

“With what’s going on in the Big Ten East, namely Penn State and Ohio State? I would feel antsy if I were you, Michigan fans,” Joel Klatt explained on his show, ‘The Joel Klatt Show.’ “The one thing that will derail your season faster than anything else is if JJ McCarthy starts to turn the ball over. That’s why I would be antsy.”

“I know you’re going to run the football fine, I really do. I’m pretty confident that the defense is going to play really well. The one unknown is how efficient can JJ (McCarthy) play? Now, he was really good a year ago until late. Obviously, the TCU game (last year’s College Football Playoff semi-final), it got a little bit loose, and guess what? They (Michigan football) lost.”

Thoughts on what Klatt said about the Wolverines heading into Big Ten conference play

Now, I am going to disagree with Joel Klatt a bit here in a few aspects. First off, Michigan football has not proven that it can run the football consistently yet, and the offensive line is yet to mesh. This idea that the rushing attack will be elite this year because it was last year is simply not true — it’s a hard thing to admit, but fans are yet to see the same bruising Wolverines that they did over the past two seasons. Not that it won’t develop, but so far, Michigan is not nearly as dominant on the ground as it was in 2021 and 2022.

Additionally, Klatt said that JJ McCarthy was good in 2022 until late in the season, which is really not that accurate. JJ McCarthy was not seen as a great quarterback until the Ohio State game hit — not to say that fans didn’t see the talent, but he struggled to really get things going consistently until the final three games of the year, including the Wolverines’ CFP loss.

Right now, Michigan football fans should not be too concerned, if you ask me. That said, as the weeks go by and the Penn State and Ohio State matchups get closer, we need to see more from the Wolverines. The fact of the matter is that, with Michigan’s schedule this year, the Maize and Blue can have many shortcomings and still begin the year 9-0 — it’s the final three games that will truly define the 2023 team, so long as they can avoid upset beforehand.


Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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Michigan football coach explains what makes Rutgers’ offense dangerous

Michigan football coach Jesse Minter explains what makes Rutgers’ offense so dangerous.

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Michigan football, Jesse Minter, Rutgers, Greg Schiano
Nov 5, 2022; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Michigan Wolverines linebacker Michael Barrett (23) returns an interception during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are coming to town this weekend to face off against the 2nd-ranked Wolverines for both teams’ Big Ten opener. Both Rutgers and Michigan are 3-0 right now with two of the top defenses in the nation, and on Saturday, Greg Schiano and Jim Harbaugh will clash in a Big Ten matchup for the fourth time. It’s worth noting that, while the Wolverines are undefeated against Rutgers during Harbaugh’s tenure, Schiano has always given the Maize and Blue a close game. Yesterday, second-year Michigan football coach Jesse Minter (DC) explained why the Scarlet Knights’ offense is dangerous.

Michigan football cannot afford to overlook the Rutgers Scarlet Knights

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are heading into Big Ten play with their heads held high, boasting a 3-0 record on the season thus far. Perhaps Rutgers’ most impressive victory in quite some time was last weekend’s blowout win over Virginia Tech, which is yet another momentum builder for Greg Schiano heading into Week 4, which will be Jim Harbaugh’s first game in the Big House in over 300 days.

Michigan football coach Jesse Minter explains why Greg Schiano & Co. are so dangerous

According to Jesse Minter, Rutgers has an offense that is physical and methodical, making them a solid Big Ten test for the Wolverines’ top-ranked defense, which recently climbed to No. 1 in the nation after a 31-6 win over Bowling Green.

“Their physicality,” Jesse Minter said yesterday, talking about Rutgers’ offense. “They play a style of football to try to control the clock, gain yards running the football, pretty safe throws in the passing game. A quarterback that adds an element in the rushing attack as well. They’re built how coach Schiano teaches and just as how I would portray probably a longtime super successful defensive coordinator, how his team would be built is how they play right now. And they play a complementary football similar to us.

“I would say where their defense is playing well, their special teams is always really good,” Minter continued. “And then they play complementary football. So even though maybe they don’t score 50, but they’re controlling the clock, they’re getting touchdowns, they’re getting the lead, they’re keeping the lead, they’re able to play pretty conservative and not put themselves in harm’s way. And that formula over the first three games, they’ve been really successful with.”

Michigan football enters this weekend’s game as a 24-point favorite over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Last year, despite being down by a field goal at halftime, the Wolverines put Rutgers to bed on the road, 52-17.



Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

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