With their backs to the wall late in the fourth quarter, the Michigan Wolverines turned to running back Blake Corum to keep them from ending up in a situation that is all too familiar on New Year’s Day.
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The top-seeded Wolverines defeated fourth-seeded Alabama in the Rose Bowl to win their first National Championship when Corum ran for a 17-yard touchdown in overtime. During the first possession of the game’s lone overtime, Corum, who had already scored an early touchdown pass and had ran for 83 yards, required just two snaps to score, bouncing off tackles and whirling madly into the end zone.
After choosing to rush Corum just twice during the team’s first two possessions of the second half, the Wolverines appeared to be veering away from the run game in the third quarter. In the first half of the game, the Wolverines looked to Corum early and often, allowing one of their captains to touch the ball on ten possessions.
The offense didn’t start to click again until Sherrone Moore started feeding his veteran back on six fourth-quarter possessions. Moore’s choice would pay off in overtime when Corum ran for an explosive 25 yards and the game-winning score.
In the final minutes of the third quarter, after the Wolverines had trailed, all the tension and fear vanished in an instant, yet several spectators posed the following query:
How is Blake Corum doing?
Yes, the Wolverines’ strategy against Alabama worked off, but a number of incompletions and an Alex Orji sack left fans raising their hands mis confused disgust. Although it’s clear that Moore’s offensive approach included a few looks the Tide had never seen before, I’m not entirely sure Michigan’s game plan needs to be that unique when they play Washington on Monday.
A lot of people have also brought up the Wolverines’ 2021 victory over the Huskies, in which Corum gained 171 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. In that game, the Michigan attack, led by Hassan Haskins, gained 172 more running yards, for a total of 343 yards as a team. Very different teams in very different circumstances, yet an even better Corum is still recognizable.
