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Michigan has one of the best running games in the country, and head coach Greg Schiano credits not just the Wolverines talent at running back but also a very talented running backs coach in Mike Hart. It is high praise from Schiano to single out an assistant in such a manner.
Michigan leads the nation with 350.3 rushing yards per game as their ground attack has been paced this season by the impressive Blake Corum. The sophomore, who had 26 carries and 77 rushing yards last season, already has 407 rushing yards on 48 carries and seven rushing touchdowns so far this season. It is a significant step forward in both workload and production for Corum; his play is a major reason why Michigan is 3-0 and ranked No. 19 in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
Rutgers credits Hart, in his first season as running backs coach in Ann Arbor, with maximizing results so far for the Wolverines.
“They’re really good running backs, it’s not just Blake, it’s all of them. They have a really good running back, you can see it. And the guy who coaches them, coach Hart – I’ve followed him, I’ve tracked him from when he was a player. I remember we were all at this – I don’t know what it was – Ray [Rice] was being honored down in Orlando – and I remember [Hart] was there as a player,” Schiano told reporters during his weekly press conference.
“So, I’ve tracked his career and at different times, thought about reaching out to see if we could bring him here. I think he’s an excellent coach; that room is doing a great job. Certainly talented players but I think it is more than that.”
Mike Hart says he runs the ball a lot in Madden and it makes him annoying to play against pic.twitter.com/AQZfMhqn7O
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) September 15, 2021
Hart played four years at Michigan beginning in 2004, ending his time as the program’s all-time leading rusher. After his time with the Wolverines, he played three seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts.
He spent the last four seasons at Indiana as their running backs coach where he helped turn Stevie Scott into one of the best ball carriers in the Big Ten. Scott is a former Rutgers commit who switched his pledge to Indiana during his senior season.