Late in the first half of Michigan's 52-7 blowout victory over Indiana, Michigan was approaching the goal line, looking for its third touchdown of the game. The Wolverines had the ball at the Hoosier two-yard line with less than a minute left and a chance to take a two-touchdown lead before the break.
On the previous play, J.J. McCarthy reached deep into his bag of tricks and pulled out a right-handed flick pass to Donovan Edwards, who caught the ball and ran before he was tackled at the two-yard line.
On the ensuing play, Edwards carried the ball for one yard but was stopped just one yard short of his first touchdown of the season.
Blake Corum then trotted onto the field to replace Edwards, but the junior back waved the senior off — he wanted to finish what he had started.
In the midst of the confusion, Jim Harbaugh called his second timeout of the half, and he subbed in Corum for Edwards. The senior back lunged forward for a score on the next play, and Michigan took a two-touchdown lead.
"[Edwards] was rolling," Harbaugh said after the game. "He wanted to stay in, and I wanted Blake. Blake's a really good goal-line runner, short-yardage runner. I think Blake is the guy I wanted in that situation. I understand the competitive nature of The Don, and he helps us in so many ways. That was his competitive, fiery nature — he wanted to finish it off."
Edwards went into the locker room still without his first touchdown of the season through 13 halves of football, but in the 14th half of the season, he got it done.
He punched in a two-yard run early in the fourth quarter to give Michigan a 45-7 lead over Indiana.
Michigan players expressed their joy for Edwards and his first score of the season after the game.
"Defensively, it's like when you get your first sack, or your first [tackle for loss] or something," Jaylen Harrell said. "All it takes is one, and you get that confidence, so I'm happy he was able to get in there."
"I'm just really happy for him," Roman Wilson said. "Just seeing a guy who is always so eager to get in the end zone or get extra yards after the carry just finally paying off. Wish it would've came a little sooner, but I'm happy for him."
McCarthy added an analogy that coach Harbaugh tends to use as it relates to touchdowns.
"I was so happy because coach Harbaugh's got this analogy about an olive jar; you know, once the first olive comes out, then the rest of them just start flooding out like crazy, so it was only time just for that man to get in the end zone, and that's my brother for life, and it was just great to see the joy on his face after crossing that line."
Harbaugh then expanded on the analogy:
"When things are stuck, you haven't gotten something in a while. Sometimes I use that analogy with turnovers on defense. You're close; you just can't seem to get it. The olive jar analogy is the olives are packed in so tight; they got the big screw in top; it's wide, and you turn the olive jar over, nothing would come out because they're packed in so tight."
"If you can get just get one, one to get shake loose, then they all just started plopping out. That's what I said to Dono: 'Hey, now you're in.'"
For Edwards, the proverbial olive jar was about as packed full as it could possibly be. His two-yard score on Saturday was his first rushing touchdown since last year's Big Ten Championship Game against Purdue.
He's come close to the end zone a few times this season, but he finally found the blue paint in the south end zone of Michigan Stadium on Saturday.
Last season, Edwards' olive jar analogy came in the form of yards, not touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2022, he was held to fewer than 70 rushing yards in each of the first four games he played in.
But Edwards went over 100 yards in five of the last seven games as he made a name for himself among the Michigan fanbase.
With the first olive out of the jar now in 2023, Edwards has surpassed the mental roadblock, and he can hope for more productive days ahead.
"Once you get one, the other ones start to come."
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