The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482097
NOVEMBER 2022 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Secondary Has Surprised And Excelled, At Times By Chris Balas The offense was supposed to carry this Michigan team in the early going, and there were question marks about the defense — particularly, the pass rush and the defensive backfield — heading into the season. Instead, the pass rushers have stepped up and the corner group has been one of the team's rocks at the midway point. Senior D.J. Turner was supposed to be the lockdown guy, and he's been good … but somewhat inconsistent. Instead, grad stu- dent Gemon Green has been the best cor- ner, to date, and senior and former receiver Mike Sainristil has been outstanding in the "Dax Hill role" at nickel. He's still learning and had a couple rough moments at Iowa, but he's the reason five-star freshman Will Johnson has had to wait his turn. Junior Makari Paige and sophomore Rod Moore have been really good at safety, with an assist from junior R.J. Moten. Credit secondary coach/co-defensive coordinator Steve Clinkscale and first-year safeties coach Jay Harbaugh for having these guys ready to play from the get-go. The big- gest test comes Nov. 26 in Columbus, but they've been good. Corum And Co. Are Top Position Group By Clayton Sayfie Michigan's bread and butter has been to run the foot- ball. The Wolverines were averaging 39.7 rush attempts per game, the fourth-most in the Big Ten, through Week 6. And that's because the running backs have delivered on an of- fense that registered 212.3 rushing yards per outing. Junior Blake Corum has been the team's top player overall and a Heisman Trophy contender, ranking seventh nation- ally with 122.5 rushing yards per game and second with 11 rushing scores. Corum was leading the nation's running backs with 46 first-down runs and slotted second with 14 rushes of 15-plus yards. The fact that he ran an average of 28 times per week in the first three Big Ten games tells you everything you need to know about how important he is for this offense. Add in sophomore Donovan Edwards, a weapon in both the run and the pass game, and the group has a dynamic duo. Edwards missed two games with injury but still ran for 134 yards and 2 scores and caught 7 passes for 68 yards and a big touchdown at Iowa through the first half of the season. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WHICH U-M FOOTBALL POSITION GROUP HAS BEEN THE TEAM'S BEST THROUGH SIX GAMES? Cornerback Gemon Green (left) and running back Blake Corum have both excelled this season. PHOTOS BY LON HORWEDEL 1969 MICHIGAN vs OHIO STATE GAME Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan ON DVD!! One of the greatest upsets in the history of college football – The defending National Champion and undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes vs the 7-2 Michigan Wolverines under a new head coach! This was one of OSU coach Woody Hayes' finest teams. Ohio State had won 22 games in a row and had not lost a game at Ann Arbor in ten years! Some sportswriters were calling the Buckeyes the greatest college team of all time and had installed Ohio State as 17-point favorites –— at Michigan Stadium! But, by the end of the day, a sky-high Michigan team led by first year head coach Bo Schembechler, had totally outplayed Ohio State in front of an all-time NCAA record crowd of 103,588, had tied for the Big Ten Title and was heading to the Rose Bowl! The original network tapes have been digitally restored by Rare Sportsfilms for outstanding color and picture sharpness and now this historic classic is available for the first time on DVD! Bill Flemming and Lee Grosscup call the action! This entire TV broadcast, plus the pre-game show, includes all the original commercials and also features pre-game and halftime performances by both the Ohio State and University of Michigan Marching Bands! Pre-game interviews feature Jack Tatum of Ohio State and Jim Mandich of Michigan, as well as Buckeye coach Woody Hayes! Players in action you will see throughout the game include quarterback Don Moorhead, Billy Taylor, Marty Huff, Thom Darden, Dan Dierdorf, Glenn Doughty, Garvie Craw and Barry Pierson of Michigan. For Ohio State you'll see quarterback Rex Kern, Jim Otis, Mike Sensibaugh, Leo Hayden, Jan White, Jim Stillwagon, Larry Zelina, Stan White and many others! This game marked the beginning of the famous "Woody vs Bo Ten-Year War", and is one of the most significant games in the history of Michigan-Ohio State football! Running Time: 3 Hours, 20 Minutes $29.95 FREE SHIPPING! "RARE SPORTSFILMS W" 1126 Tennyson Lane, Naperville, IL 60540 1-630-527-8890