ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It didn’t take long for Blake Corum to get the fans out of their seats on Saturday night. The former Heisman contender broke off a 53-yard run on the first offensive play from scrimmage. The play was well blocked, sure, but Corum’s skillset was on full display. He followed his blocks perfectly, weaving through traffic until he found a soft spot. From there it was simple. He hit a shimmy, a shake, and found himself free of the last remaining defender. He got tracked down eventually, but the message was clear: Corum is back.
Corum hasn’t exactly been quiet the first two weeks of the season, but Saturday he looked like he was rolling at a different speed. Against East Carolina and UNLV, Corum combined for 153 yards on 25 carries. Both were solid performances, but there was definitely a taste of unfinished business lingering in the air. Perhaps the lofty expectations could be chalked up to new season excitement, or simply fans wanting Corum’s Heisman campaign to start with fireworks. Either way, Saturday eased the questions. Blake rushed 12 times for 102 yards and looked like he was in midseason form doing it.
“I was able to come underneath, press the toes of the safety, make a move on, and take off for 53 yards or something like that.” Corum said of the scamper.
Will Corum be able to make another run at college football’s most illustrious award? The jury is still out. The amount of high-level QB play might make the task difficult, but Corum certainly has the skillset and stage to make a strong case for himself.
More importantly for Wolverine fans is the appearance that Corum hasn’t lost a step in recovering from his surgery. There were valid concerns that his change of direction and burst could face a drop-off after his knee procedure, but those concerns should be settled now.
Expect Corum’s workload to increase in conference play. The Wolverines play Rutgers next week, and the Scarlet Knights appear to have a strong rushing defense. They have allowed over 100 yards on the ground just once this season against Virginia Tech, but the Wolverines present a special challenge.