The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523593
50 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW the 60-yard runs. I'm just at the point now where I want to be consistent in my abili- ties." With limited rushing opportunities came greater instances of pressing, he noted. "I realized early last year that I was forc- ing it," Edwards said. "I was forcing trying to make a big play. Look at the carries I was getting. Second game was nine, third game was six. With the opportunities I was going to get, I wanted to make the absolute most out of them. At that point, I'm forcing it. I'm forcing making the big plays. "There was a play against UNLV, where it was there, but I completely missed it, because I was trying to force the big play. Now, I'm perfectly fine with the 5-yard gains. Then you come back and get an 8-yard gain. You come back and get 4, then you get 40. I've found a consistent rhythm that makes running backs great or elite. I'm going to continue to master that and not force things, just let the game come to me." When it came time to scoring touch- downs, Corum became the designated TD producer. That leaves last year's No. 2 trying harder than Avis, at least when it comes to giving the effort to be entrusted to finish the job. In the meantime, it's all about "The Team, The Team, The Team." "Whatever the coaches think is best for the team, I'm very excited for it," Edwards said. "I honestly don't care who scores the touchdowns, as long as the team wins at the end of the day." Still, the desire to earn it burns fiercely. "Of course, I want to be relied on," he acknowledged. "I want the coaches to say, 'We're going to put the ball in Dono's hands, in No. 7's hands.' I want to be that guy. If somebody does better than me on the goal line, if they're better than me at it, then so be it. I'm just going to keep working hard at it. But I want the people to say, 'Give the ball to No. 7. He's going to get in there.' I want them to say that." People will be saying a lot about Michi- gan football 2023, for decades to come. It's tough to improve on 15-0, Big Ten cham- pions, national champions, and taking down Penn State, Ohio State, Alabama and Washington in the homestretch of the sea- son. But there will be a 2024 season, just like there was a 1998 campaign, now long ago. Edwards enjoyed every moment of the title run, while it lasted. "It was a great joy and a great ride to be a part of," he offered. "Now the thing for us is, can we do it again? The chip on our shoulder is, we want to be better than that. We want to shock people, because people are doubting us. When I came to college, I knew we were going to turn things around, and we were going to win Big Ten cham- pionships, and we were going to win a na- tional championship, because we were so dedicated to doing it. "Now, we're still dedicated to doing it. My experience here has always been about winning. There's no doubt, as long as our head is on straight, we're going to continue to do so." The senior back remains so dedicated, he began prepping for 2024 before 2023 ended. Edwards contacted Aaron Bills, director of football creative at Michigan, before the title game. His request: come up with a graphic design letting people know he'd be returning for the 2024 season. Asked if it's tough turning the page on 2023, Edwards didn't hesitate: "Absolutely not! "After the national championship game, I was very happy for the 24 hours," he said. "After that, it's time to go put in that work again. It's something Kobe Bryant always said. Whether you lose or you win, you're still going to have to go back to work the next day and try to get better again. That's my mindset as well. We won, so that's Edwards has scored some of his biggest touchdowns in the biggest games over the last couple seasons, including scoring runs of 75 and 85 yards in the 2022 victory at Ohio State. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL