The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523593
THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 135 TOP THREE INDIVIDUALS 1. SENIOR RB BLAKE CORUM The Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year leaves U-M not only as a three-time Big Ten champion and with a national title under his belt, but also as one of the most prolific offensive players in school history. Corum ended the year with 1,245 rushing yards, making him the first Wolverine with back-to-back 1,000- yard rushing seasons since quarterback Denard Robinson in 2010 (1,702), 2011, (1,176) and 2012 (1,266). The last Michigan running back to accomplish the feat was Mike Hart in 2006 (1,563) and 2007 (1,361). Corum ended his U-M career with 3,737 rushing yards, good for seventh all-time. His 28 total touch- downs and 27 rushing scores for the season, and 58 career rushing touchdowns, are all top marks in school history. 2. GRADUATE DB MIKE SAINRISTIL The first-team All-America selection by Sporting News was a two-time captain and the heart and soul of the Michigan defense. He led all defensive backs on the team with 44 tackles, including 4 behind the line of scrimmage and 1 sack, and posted 6 interceptions, the most by a U-M defender since cornerback Blake Countess posted 6 in 2013. The first-team All-Big Ten honoree returned 2 of them for touchdowns, and his 232 single-season interception return yards are the most in program history. 3. JUNIOR QB J.J. MCCARTHY McCarthy, the Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, finished the campaign with 2,991 passing yards, which was good for fourth most in a single season all-time at U-M and 9 yards shy of becoming the team's fourth 3,000-yard passer in a season behind John Navarre (3,331 in 2003), Shea Patterson (3,061 in 2019) and Jake Rudock (3,017 in 2015). He finished his career 27-1 as a starter in Ann Arbor, good for a winning percentage of 96.4, the best mark by any passer with a minimum of 20 starts since 1971 when Toledo's Chuck Ealey left school with a 35-0 record as a starter. Oklahoma's Jimmy Harris (25-0) is the only other FBS quarterback in history with at least 20 starts and no losses. suffering a knee injury against Illinois the previous season and failing in an attempt to play in the Ohio State game, he spent the postseason recovering from knee surgery instead of helping his teammates push for a national championship, which went awry in a heartbreaking loss to TCU. When Corum returned and others followed, every- thing was in place to have the greatest season in the modern history of U-M football. 2. SHERRONE MOORE STEPS UP The Wolverines' title efforts were altered by Jim Harbaugh's suspensions, leaving the team without one of the best head coaches at any level of the sport for six games of their season. The team knew that Harbaugh would be shelved for the first three games of the regular season, but the fallout from the sign-stealing investigation brought minute-by- minute plot twists. The biggest occurred when the Big Ten handed down a three-game suspension for Harbaugh, citing violations of the league's sportsmanship policy. The punishment was enacted while the team was al- ready on its way to Penn State for its biggest game of the year to date. An unsuccessful battle was waged in court to prevent it from happening right up until kickoff in Happy Valley. Harbaugh missed the stretch run versus Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State. Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Sherrone Moore stepped up and guided the team through an uncertain time with three straight wins and completed an undefeated regular season. His steady hand is perhaps the biggest reason he was named U-M's next coach within 48 hours of Harbaugh's return to the NFL. 3. DEFENSE LEADS THE WAY U-M rode an elite defense, coordinated by Jesse Minter, to its national title. The team ran the table in dominant fashion, outscoring its opponents by an average of 25.5 points. U-M led the nation in points (10.4) and yards (247) allowed per game, and points given up per drive (0.96). The 10.4 points allowed on average was the lowest by a Big Ten defense since Michigan's last national title in 1997, and only the Georgia Bulldogs in 2021 (10.2) gave up fewer points per contest in the past decade of college football. No opponent took a snap inside of U-M's 10-yard line until Nov. 11 at Penn State. The numbers showed a defense that ranked sec- ond nationally against the pass and sixth against the run, and forced 27 turnovers on the year, the fourth- most in college football. The College Football Playoff wins over Alabama and Washington saw U-M play its best ball when it mattered the most. The Wolverines racked up 6 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in the overtime Rose Bowl win over the Crimson Tide and followed it up by allowing only a single touchdown and 13 total points in 15 drives against the Huskies, who ranked second in the country in passing offense with an average of 343.7 yards per game and entered the contest scoring 37.6 points an outing. Mike Sainristil led all U-M defensive backs with 44 tackles during the 2023 championship season, adding 4 tackles for loss and 1 sack. He also finished with a team-high 6 interceptions, including a pair of pick sixes. PHOTO BY DOMINICK SOKOTOFF