Everything Mike Hart told the media pre-Indiana
On what Donovan Edwards' return means for the offense
I mean, he’s a special player, we all know that. He’s special. So he changes what we can do on offense sometimes when he’s in there. I think the biggest play of the game last week, was when he recovered that fumble. I just think that’s the kind of kid he is. I think that the way he reacted, the way he did that, I mean, it’s something that—he’s just a ballplayer and we were backed up, and then the fumble happened, like it was the biggest play of the game, recovering that. So love having him back. He does a great job. He works hard. He’s just a great kid.
On whether it's ideal to give Blake Corum around 30 carries a game
I told him he’s not gonna break my records. But, I tell the kids, they know, we’ll do what we have to (in order to) win. So, do I want to do 30? No, I want to get Donovan more carries, C.J. more carries. But we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to get the win. So just feel like sometimes it’s best.
On whether Corum could handle increased carries with his weight gain
Maybe, maybe not? I don’t know. You know, I think that 205, 210, 212—what’s the difference? But I know he can carry about 30 times a game.
On what he told C.J. Stokes after the fumble against Maryland
I think that, just as I said about the running backs earlier, I just said I love them as a group. I think that it’s not easy, right? I’d love to put them back in the game. Donovan fumbled last year, early in the season. He went right back in because they were playing a different team. I just think that the way they supported him, the way they helped him like he’s not doing anything wrong. He fumbled the ball, it happens. But I just told him, I said, ‘Hey, keep your head up.’ Because I just think that it’s a tough situation. Love the kid, love what he’s doing. Love the way he works. He shows up every day. Works really hard. But the biggest thing to me was the way the other running backs went to him. I didn’t have to do it and that’s what I was happy about, pretty much.
On the lack of carries for Tavierre Dunlap
I think Tavi does a great job. He’s a kid that’s growing, getting better. I actually told Tavi yesterday, I said, ‘Dude, you’re way better than you were last year.’ I mean that in a positive way. Like, he’s growing and would love the game on the field, too. It’s just you can’t get everybody on the field. So he’s not doing anything wrong. It’s not that I don’t believe in him. I just think that we’re going to do what we can do to win, and they know that.
On whether Corum is a young Mike Hart
Good question. I need to think about that. I just think—I love Blake, and I think that—and this doesn’t really your question but—I want to think about somebody like I have two daughters. One of them’s a beast and the other is really nice. So basically, one of them acts like me, and the other one of them acts like their mom. Blake Corum could marry my daughters any day. When I think about it, I say like, you want your daughters to marry who you are. That’s Blake Corum, in my opinion. I love the kid. We do have a special relationship. But like I don’t want anyone touching my daughters, talking to my daughters. But Blake Corum, he can do what he wants. My four-year-old says, "When ‘Bwake’ coming to the house?" So that’s all, the kid is special. He acts like me, he is me. He just eats better than I did.
On how he mentors off the field
I think I told you, last time I was up here, I think I told you guys like, it’s why I love doing it. You know, 18 to 22-year-old kids, I mean, young men, whatever you want to call them. That’s why I do what I do. He’s special. Blake’s special. Donovan’s special. C.J.’s special, Tavi’s special. I mean, we have a really good room. That’s why I love doing what I do. If you look at Tavi, he hasn’t played much, but he’s so positive and he does a great job. Just proud of them all, to be honest with you.
On whether he feels the need to check up on them constantly
I treat them like I treat my son. When I feel something, when I know something, they get a text, all of them. It’s just, I treat them like Cameron, that’s my son. It’s the only boy I got and so like, that’s how I treat them. So sometimes they get yelled at. Sometimes they get reprimanded, sometimes—it’s all love. But it just depends on what the situation is.
On Donovan Edwards' ability as a receiver
I think Donovan could start as a slot receiver anywhere in the country. He’s special coming out of the backfield and he can run the ball, too. So he’s special. Blake can do the same thing he does, but Donovan does it better. So we just, we play as I said, we’re gonna do what we’re doing.
On Corum's pass protection
I think he’s been great since I’ve been here. It’s just the want to. You know, he wants to block everybody, hit everybody, cut everybody, does everything he has to do. Yeah, it was good—that was a good block.
On the emotions of returning to Bloomington
I was there for four years and I love Tom Allen and I respect that program a lot. He helped me. He changed me. So I just have the utmost respect for them. At the highest level. A lot of those kids I recruited, help recruit in there. They’re good. They play hard and it’s not gonna be easy. They always play us hard and I was there for a couple of them. So there’s obviously high emotions this week for me going back there. It’s just being around everybody, from the AD Scott Dolson to the DFO Mike Doig, it’s a lot of emotion. So, I’m excited. Some of my best friends are on that staff. It’s never easy, but you got to win. That’s all I care about.
On the inside and outside running game
I just think it depends on the game plan. I think that Iowa was a three-yard game, get downhill. I thought the other game that they could bounce stuff. So they listen, and they do a great job. But I just think the traits are just based on who we’re playing. And you look at Iowa’s defense, they didn’t give up many plus-10-yard runs all year. I mean, for the last three years, four years, five years—really since 2004, when I was playing. Same defense, same people. You gotta get three yards when you can. Some other teams, you can do some other stuff.
On whether there's an advantage to being a smaller running back
I just think that whether you’re big, whether you’re small, if you’re good, you’re good. And he’s good. He should be a guy that’s gonna be talked about for the Doak Walker, for the Heisman. We move as Blake moves. He’s a special player. I just love that kid.
On the Michigan Stadium tunnel dedication to Lloyd Carr
I love Lloyd and when that happened, I’m excited for him. For what he did for me, for what he’s done for a million guys. I think it was well warranted. He’s a special, special guy, and special guy for me. Love him to death. So I’ll be happy to run through that tunnel, to answer your question.
On coaches being fired from their alma mater
Interesting, interesting question right there. I mean, I never want to see anybody get fired at all, in life. So it’s gonna be hard. Like I said, I think as a coach in this profession, everyone has a family and you never want to see anybody fail. You always want to win. But I don’t want to see people fail if that makes sense. I think that it would never be easy. You know? Like, I always tell you guys, I can get fired tomorrow. I got a wife and three kids. The other guys who got fired have the same thing, they have wives, they have kids. I never want anybody to fail. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to do the job.
On the identity of the offense
I just think we do what we have to do to win. Run the ball, pass the ball—doesn’t matter, win the game. What’s the identity? I mean, everyone knows to run the ball. It’s what we do here, with what we’ve always done. But we’re really good at passing the ball, too. Got some really, really good receivers who create issues out there. So I think that we mix it up, we switch it up, and just win, whatever it takes.
On Corum not guaranteeing victories
I think I’ve been through things that we talk about and I just try to educate them as much—like it’s not just Blake, it’s all of them. I’m just trying to do it the best way I can, how to handle things, how to do things. I was a little wild back when I was young. You say some crazy things. Glad Blake doesn’t do that.
On the offensive line
Awesome. I told them the other day, I said Trente Jones is doing a phenomenal job. Schoonie could block anybody in the country. Even if you look at Gio last week, in the game at left guard when Keegan was out, they’re just doing a phenomenal job and just proud of them. Obviously, Coach Moore has a lot to do with that. But they’re doing a phenomenal job and just happy about the way that they’re doing it.