The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 57 W i t h B l a k e Co r u m a n d Donovan Ed- wards donning the maize and blue together this fall, Michigan football should have the best running back room in the country. However, the Wolverines will need to utilize them differently than last sea- son in order to optimize their output. Corum was arguably the nation's best running back last year, posting 1,463 yards, 5.92 yards per carry and 18 rushing touchdowns. He also was one of the nation's most consistent rush- ers. He scored in every game in which he participated—excluding his attempt to play in The Game — and he exceeded 100 yards rushing in every contest in which he had at least 15 carries. As a result, he catapulted himself into contention for the Heisman Trophy until a late-season in- jury ended his campaign. Edwards demonstrated in his sopho- more season why he was a five-star prospect coming out of West Bloomfield (Mich.) High. As Corum's backup, he nearly eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards with 991 on 7.08 yards per carry, added 200 receiving yards and notched 9 total scores — 7 TDs on the ground and 2 more as a receiver. He shined when the lights were the brightest with 693 yards rushing (8.06 yards per carry) and 5 touchdowns in four contests either against ranked teams or in the Big Ten Championship Game. Together, Corum and Edwards com- bined for 2,454 yards rushing, which was the fourth-most by a pair of FBS team- mates last season and the most among any pair of teammates returning this year. However, for Michigan to deploy the best running back tandem most effec- tively, the Wolverines need to be more tactical and creative in how they use their personnel. Last season, Corum was Michigan's bell cow. He averaged a whopping 27.6 carries per game in U-M's first seven Big Ten contests before he was hurt against Illinois. During that same span, Edwards averaged only 9.2 rushes per contest, although he was dinged up throughout that stretch, too. Michigan rode Corum until he was injured, and it was really only after Corum went down that Edwards had the opportunity to showcase how electric he is with the foot- ball in his hand — even when in a cast. This season, Michigan needs to split the load more evenly between Corum and Edwards. It should be closer to a 60/40 breakdown where, if the Wolverines plan to hand the ball to their top two running backs about 35 times per game, Corum should get it about 20 times and Edwards about 15. Sure, this could torpedo Co- rum's chances of contending for a Heis- man Trophy this season because he won't have enough carries to post video game numbers and usurp a quarterback. But more importantly, it should help preserve his health and keep him fresher for the end of the year when Michigan has Penn State, Ohio State and the postseason. But it is not enough to just split the load between Corum and Edwards. They are two of Michigan's best players on the depth chart that happen to play the same position. Although Michigan needs to find ways to keep them healthy as dis- cussed above, the potency of U-M's of- fense will be hindered if one of them is always on the sideline. It is already scary for oppos- ing defenses when one of Corum or Edwards is in the backfield. Now imag- ine both in the backfield. The Wolverines rarely had Corum and Edwards on the field at the same time last year. According to Sports Info Solutions, Michigan had only 16 to- tal snaps — 12 runs and four drop-backs — with two running backs on the field in 2022. Incredibly, nine of these 16 snaps were in the victory forma- tion when Michigan was kneeling out the end of the half or game. So, Michigan had only three designed runs with two running backs on the field. That number needs to increase. No, it does not need to become the focal point of Michigan's offense. Clearly, the Wolverines were very effective moving the football last season. How they utilize their tight ends and various packages to disrupt defensive run fits and schemes makes them very formidable to defend. However, Michigan should try to have at least five plays a game where both Corum and Edwards are on the field to- gether. It should put a tremendous stress on defenses when they have to try to ac- count for both of them pre-snap, which should open up wider lanes for them and space for others in the play-action pass and RPO game. This also does not have to be in two-running-back formations be- cause Edwards is an excellent pass catcher who can threaten defenses out wide. If the Wolverines more evenly split Co- rum's and Edwards' workload and get cre- ative with using them on the field at the same time, they will elevate their offense to the next level, maximizing the chances U-M will have the nation's best and most productive running back duo again. ❏ INSIDE THE NUMBERS ❱ DREW HALLETT Unleashing Double Trouble In 2023 Staff writer Drew Hallett has covered Michigan athletics since 2013. Contact him at drew.c.hallett@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @DrewCHallett. Donovan Edwards (left) and Blake Corum (right) combined for 2,454 yards rushing, which was the fourth-best mark by any pair of FBS teammates in 2022 and the most yards among any returning duo this season. PHOTOS BY DOMINICK SOKOTOFF