The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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136 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW TOP 3 INDIVIDUALS 1. RB Blake Corum — Michigan's heart and soul was Corum, who appeared in 12 games with 12 starts at running back in 2022 and rushed for 1,463 yards (No. 8 single-season in program history) on 247 attempts with 18 touchdowns (tied for third in program history). Corum compiled a laundry list of honors for his play, including unanimous first-team All-America status, Doak Walker Award finalist, the Chicago Tribune Silver Football, Big Ten Running Back of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, Michi- gan's Most Valuable Player and much more. He would have been a Heisman Trophy finalist had he not injured his knee against Illinois, and some would argue he should have been in New York for the ceremony anyway. Corum could have entered the 2023 NFL Draft but elected to return to Michigan for this season to focus on his recovery and go into the draft process healthy in the next cycle, citing unfinished business in Ann Arbor. 2. C Olu Oluwatimi — The Wolverines were able to win the Joe Moore Award for a second consecutive season due in large part to the elite play they got from their transfer center, who spent time at Air Force and Virginia before making his way to Ann Arbor. Oluwatimi started all 14 games at center for Michigan last season, becoming the first winner of the Outland Trophy (top lineman) in program history and the third man to win the Rimington Trophy (top center). The consensus All-American also won the Big Ten's Sportsmanship Award and was a first- team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches. Oluwatimi entered the 2023 NFL Draft as one of the safest picks on the board with a high floor that has pro starting potential. The Seattle Seahawks selected him with the No. 154 overall pick in the fifth round. 3. EDGE Mike Morris — One of U-M's biggest questions entering the 2023 season revolved around who would replace Aidan Hutchinson as the engine of the team's defensive line. Morris stepped up and answered the call, appearing in 12 games with 11 starts, making 23 tackles (11 for loss) and a team-high 7.5 sacks while adding 4 quarterback hurries, 3 passes defended, 1 forced fumble and a blocked kick. Morris' performance earned him second-team All-America nods from the FWAA and AFCA, and he was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection. He also won Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year honors and was a Chuck Bednarik Award semifinalist. Morris dealt with a leg injury that slowed him down in the latter stages of the season, but he gave the defensive line a lift when he was out there, healthy or not. The Seattle Seahawks picked Morris with selection No. 151 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, reuniting him with his 2022 teammate in Oluwatimi. 1. 45-23 win at Ohio State — It would be hard to argue for any other victory. "The Game" is the one with the biggest stakes on the line, especially in the four-team College Football Playoff era. Michigan broke the Buckeyes in a 42-27 win in Ann Arbor in 2021, but there was no way that would be sustainable, right? Wrong. While OSU's mission statement of stopping the run and limiting Michigan's big-play offense was successful early on, it felt like the longer the Wolverines kept it close, the more likely their rival would crumble again. That wound up being the case, with U-M scor - ing 5 touchdowns of 45 yards or more after going down 10-3 early on, and then outscoring the Buckeyes 42-13 from there. The Wolverines were almost perfectly balanced on of - fense, with 278 passing yards and 252 yards via the run game (530 total) and the defense got off the field on third downs (holding OSU to a 5-for-16 conversion rate) and forced the Buckeyes to kick field goals instead of scoring touchdowns. The victory in Columbus was Michigan's first since 2000 and the first time U-M had won back-to-back games in the rivalry since 1999-2000. 2. 41-17 win vs. Penn State — At the time of this game, Penn State brought the nation's No. 5 run defense to a showdown game at the Big House. The prevailing theory — at least from Fox analyst Urban Meyer — was that the Nittany Lions would be able to shut down the Michigan run game. Fast forward a few hours later, and the Wolverines had dismantled Penn State, 41- 17, thanks to 418 yards accumulated in the run game en route to 563 yards of total offense. Michigan's offensive line was in peak form and helped Donovan Edwards rack up 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 16 carries, while Blake Corum had 166 yards and 2 touchdowns of his own on 28 attempts. J.J. McCarthy was 17-of-24 for 145 yards passing and an interception while adding 57 yards on 7 rushing attempts. 3. 27-14 win at Iowa — Michigan followed up a scare against Maryland in the Big Ten opener with a fairly dominant showing at Iowa in Kinnick Stadium, histori - cally one of the toughest places to play in the confer- ence and a house of horrors for U-M in recent years. Five of the previous six top-5 teams that played in Iowa City went down at the hands of the Hawkeyes, but the Wolverines were prepared for the 2021 Big Ten champi - onship rematch. Michigan scored on four of its first five possessions, then held off a late Iowa rally for a 27-14 victory. Corum ran for 133 yards and a touchdown, while McCarthy threw for 155 yards and a score in his first-career road start. The Wolverines were unfazed by the Iowa atmo - sphere and pink locker room, waving their own pink tow- els on the sideline and setting the tone with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to start the game. TOP 3 GAMES 2022 Michigan Results Date Opponent Result Sept. 3 COLORADO STATE W, 51-7 Sept. 10 HAWAI'I W, 56-10 Sept. 17 CONNECTICUT W, 59-0 Sept. 24 MARYLAND W, 34-27 Oct. 1 at Iowa W, 27-14 Oct. 8 at Indiana W, 31-10 Oct. 15 PENN STATE W, 41-17 Oct. 29 MICHIGAN STATE W, 29-7 Nov. 5 at Rutgers W, 52-17 Nov. 12 NEBRASKA W, 34-3 Nov. 19 ILLINOIS W, 19-17 Nov. 26 at Ohio State W, 45-23 Dec. 3 vs. Purdue W, 43-22 Dec. 31 vs. TCU L, 51-45 Grad transfer Olu Oluwatimi made the most of his one season at Michigan. He was a consensus first-team All-American and won the Rimington Trophy as the nation's best center and the Outland Trophy for the country's best interior lineman on either side of the ball. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL