Against hometown Maryland, Corum shows he's Michigan's star

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Lightning struck Michigan Stadium a few times on Saturday afternoon.

Blake Corum was a part of a tandem last season with Hassan Haskins, famously named "thunder and lightning."

With sophomore Donovan Edwards injured and Haskins in the NFL, Corum had his first opportunity to be a bell-cow back for the Wolverines in a Big Ten matchup against Maryland. And boy did he take it and run with it -- literally.

Both career highs, Corum handled 30 carries for 243 yards and two touchdowns. He was unequivocally the star of the show for Michigan in a narrow 34-27 win over Maryland, who gave the offense and defense their first taste of adversity yet in 2022.

"Maryland was a good team. Stout up front, good athletes, and played pretty well as a team. This is definitely a great challenge for us," Corum told the media after the game. "Obviously, we'll go back to the drawing board and see where we made a few mistakes and where we can get better and where we can grow. But the sky is the limit for this team, and I really believe we have something special here."

Without Corum, it's hard to find a way for the Wolverines to win the game.

On a decisive 4th & 1 with 1:36 left in the first half, as Michigan trailed for the first time this season, Corum shot out of a cannon for a 33-yard touchdown, putting his team up 17-13 at halftime.

"That was only supposed to go for one or two yards, but the coaches got it in quick, J.J. (McCarthy) snapped the ball quick, and we caught them off guard. Against a good Maryland team, like I said, Maryland's offense and defense are good. It wasn't like we were playing a scrub team. It definitely was a momentum change," Corum said. "I saw my o-line just crash down. First of all, Maryland wasn't set. They weren't ready. We snapped the ball, the o-line crashed down, there was a big 'ole hole, so I'm like, shh, let's go. Let's go. Good play, blocked well by the O-line and receivers."

Maryland was down a possession with just over six minutes left in the 4th quarter before Taulia Tagovailoa threw a pass downfield into Michigan territory to the right hash. Junior safety RJ Moten, who covered enough ground to build a small estate before making the play, intercepted it.

With the clock at 3:40 in the 4th quarter, Michigan led by a possession facing a 3rd & 4 at Maryland's 47-yard line.

Once again, it was Corum. On a game-breaking play where he only needed five yards to go beyond the marker, he elected to go 47 yards for a touchdown, sealing the game for the Wolverines.

"My pre-snap read, I knew they were bringing pressure from the field. They did it a lot throughout the game. If I would've kept it front side, it would've been over with. I saw there was no corner over there, and I trusted my guys to block," Corum explained. "It scared me for a second because I was like, 'shoot, if I do it, it might be a holding call,' but you know, I just did it, and it wasn't. So, yeah, pre-snap read."

A failure to convert meant Brad Robbins would have to punt for a fourth time, giving the Terrapins and their experienced starting quarterback, Tagovailoa, a second chance to drive the field and potentially tie the game nearing the buzzer.

Unfortunately for Maryland and every Big Ten defense, Blake Corum exists, and he's pretty darn good.

At a volume of 30 carries, Corum managed to average 8.1 yards per carry. That's unheard of efficiency in today's pass-heavy version of college football.

The junior tailback entered the day tied for the national leader in rushing touchdowns (7) after a five-touchdown day against Hawaii two weeks ago. Scoring two more and going for nearly 250 yards against the Terps only further vaults him up the list and makes him a dark horse contender for a potential Heisman campaign if his numbers continue to be this flashy.

With all the recent dialogue surrounding Michigan football solely focusing on the quarterback situation, Corum is the program's offensive star after all.

Though, he believes he is one of many on this team. Corum made it clear that his success goes beyond his own doing.

"If you really want to talk about how many yards I put up, the o-line killed it today. I say this every time, and I really mean it. I feel like we have the best o-line in the country," said Corum. "They make my job easy. They allow me to get to the second level of defenders real quick."

A Virginia native who played his high school ball in Baltimore, Corum's career day couldn't have happened against a more fitting opponent.

For the DMV native, Maryland's roster is filled with familiar faces of former teammates and friends who stayed home to play football at the next level.

The reunion served as extra motivation for the 5-foot-8, 210-pound junior, who put on 11 pounds of muscle this offseason.

"I can't let them outshine me. Coming from the DMV, I took that personally."

Corum laughed and continued.

"It was all fun and games. I enjoyed being out there with guys I played youth ball with and guys who went to my high school. We were talking throughout the plays," he said. "Jaishawn Barham, he's a freshman linebacker for Maryland; we smiled at each other before a play. It was great. I definitely took it personal."

Michigan now shifts its focus to the first road game of the season. The Wolverines travel to Iowa City next week for a Big Ten Championship rematch with the struggling 2-1 Hawkeyes.

Iowa is giving up less than 100 rushing yards per game, and despite their struggles offensively, Corum will have another more challenging test ahead.

If he continues to put together days as he did on Saturday, it'll be hard for college football's national beat to ignore his production.

Through four games, Corum's 478 yards aren't near the top of the leaderboard. Illinois' Chase Brown has a stronghold on the top spot with 604 yards in four games -- the Illini played Indiana in Week Zero.

Once Edwards returns from injury, which remains unclear, it's hard to believe head coach Jim Harbaugh will demand anything close to 30 carries from his feature back.

But if he does, Corum is ready.

"With my mindset, I feel like I was always able to carry the ball that many times. I prepare in the offseason for a reason."

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