offensive pass interference

11/19/2022 – Michigan 19, Illinois 17 – 11-0, 8-0 Big Ten

Blake Corum got a screen, and he got blocking. Colston Loveland wiped a guy. Olu Oluwatimi harassed the nearest safety until he could only desperately chase Corum down the sideline. He lined up for an ankle tackle that probably wasn't going to work. It didn't work. Corum… ran out of bounds.

What? How? What? In the stands I assumed that what I saw is not actually what I saw. In the press box the announcers were so baffled that they didn't even mention it. But in this Zapruder dawn a couple days later we can process the event: Blake Corum just daintily pranced out of bounds because of the vague idea that an Illinois safety might contact him, from behind, maybe.

div/0 fatal error

Correction: div/0, near fatal error.

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The thing is: Corum did this on his first carry, too.

JJ McCarthy is out there getting lit up because he thinks it's the Big Ten championship game and instead of using that Corum just heads out of bounds, with no impact from a defender at all. Here's a picture of McCarthy dying inside.

"ow" –McCarthy [Barron]

I have seen Blake Corum run the ball enough to know this is not a usual event, and I have seen Michigan games under Jim Harbaugh where the opponent is not given much respect. Earlier this year McCarthy was bailing to the sideline on QB keepers even when this made little sense. I know "save hits where you can" is a philosophy this program employs, but to apply it to Corum, who's coming off a 29-carry day against Nebraska? This was the grand bull-moose of all such disrespect events.

Sorry, Sparty. You're not even the most disrespected team in the league anymore.

You just have to wonder: Schoonmaker, Morris, and Jones all warmed up but did not play. (Jones did get in on a goal-line package.) Keegan and Edwards were in street clothes but had no lower body issues, as your author observed pre-game. AJ Henning was mysteriously absent. Corum re-entered for two plays in the second half and then sat out the rest of the game. Even deep into the second half Illinois was sitting on a lead and Michigan didn't unearth any of the guys who were close enough to health to warm up. Exactly how much focus was placed on the Ohio State game over the past week, month, and year, and how much of this game was a big ol' game of chicken with the Buckeyes?

Probably a lot, and judging by results around the country Michigan was far from alone. Ohio State was in a three-point game with Maryland with six minutes left; they got outgained for the third time in four weeks. Tennessee got ambushed by South Carolina. USC's defense went from mostly notional to an astral presence trying to affect anything in the real world. Even mighty Georgia slopped their way to a 16-6 win over Kentucky. The entirety of the college football world was just trying to scrape by on the penultimate weekend of the regular season.

I kind of hate this approach because it leads to things like this game and, more egregiously, last year's Rutgers outing. It feels like the finger of the football gods passing judgment on you when Corum gets bashed in the knee during the game where it seems like he's been instructed to avoid getting bashed in the knee whenever possible. It feels bad, man.

But we've been here long enough to know that whatever Michigan looks like in the games where they're just trying to get to The Game isn't what they look like against Ohio State. This team has had the luxury of a lot of opponents they could get away with powerfully disrespecting; hopefully they have used that time to prepare a veritable smorgasbord of pain for OSU.

Decks are clear. Armageddon is a go. Break them.

AWARDS

Known Friends and Trusted Agents Of The Week

[Bryan Fuller]

you're the man now, dog

#1 Uh, Well, Still Blake Corum. If you are personally responsible for 150 yards of offense in a half of play and generate a lot of that yourself you still end up here. Even if you probably should have been responsible for 200.

#2 Mason Graham. Graham didn't get starters snaps but was the dude making short-yardage stops repeatedly as Jenkins and Smith had some issues. Four total tackles vastly underestimates his performance.

#3 Jake Moody. Nice having the reigning Groza winner at your service in a game you win by kicking four field goals. Winner was straight down the pipe, and he converted one into the heavy, swirling wind.

Honorable mention: Ronnie Bell battled with Witherspoon all day and came up with a key punt return. Colston Loveland had three catches and should have had at least five.

KFaTAotW Standings.

(points: #1: 8, #2: 5, #3: 3, HMs one each. Ties result in somewhat arbitrary assignments.)

51: Blake Corum (#2 CSU, #2 Hawaii, HM UConn, #1 Maryland, #2 Iowa. HM Indiana, T2 PSU, #1 MSU, T1 Rutgers, #3 Nebraska, #1 Illinois)
23: The Offensive Line (#3 Iowa, #1 PSU, HM MSU, #3 Rutgers, #1 Nebraska)
21: JJ McCarthy (#1 Hawaii, #2 UConn, HM Maryland, HM Iowa, #3 Indiana, HM PSU, HM MSU. HM Rutgers)
18: Ronnie Bell (HM CSU, HM Hawaii, #1 UConn, #2 Indiana, HM PSU, HM Nebraska, HM Illinois)
17: Mike Morris (T3 Hawaii, HM Maryland, #1 Iowa, T1 Indiana, #3 PSU, HM Rutgers),
15:  Kris Jenkins (#3 UConn, T3 Hawaii, HM Iowa, T1 Indiana, #2 MSU, HM Rutgers, HM Nebraska)
14: Mazi Smith (#1 CSU, T3 Hawaii, HM Maryland, HM Iowa, HM MSU, HM Nebraska)
13: Mason Graham (HM Hawaii, HM Iowa, HM Indiana, #2 Nebraska, #2 Illinois)
9: Donovan Edwards (HM Hawaii, T2 PSU, T1 Rutgers)
7: Gemon Green (HM UConn, T2 Maryland, HM PSU), Jake Moody (HM PSU, #3 MSU, #3 Illinois).
5: DJ Turner (T2 Maryland), Junior Colson (#3 CSU, HM UConn, HM PSU), Luke Schoonmaker (T3 Maryland, HM Iowa, HM Indiana, HM MSU), Michael Barrett (#2 Rutgers).
4: Eyabi Okie (HM CSU, HM Iowa, T1 Indiana).
3: Derrick Moore (HM CSU, T1 Indiana), Jaylen Harrell (HM CSU, T1 Indiana), Rod Moore (HM CSU, HM Indiana, HM MSU)
2: Roman Wilson (HM CSU, HM Hawaii), Max Bredeson (T3 Maryland), Joel Honigford (T3 Maryland), Mike Sainristil (HM Maryland, HM Indiana)
1: Braiden McGregor (HM CSU), Makari Paige (HM Hawaii), Rayshaun Benny (HM Hawaii), Cornelius Johnson (HM Hawaii), , AJ Henning (HM UConn), Caden Kolesar (HM UConn), RJ Moten (HM Maryland), Will Johnson (HM Rutgers), CJ Stokes (HM Nebraska), Andrel Anthony (HM Nebraska), Colston Loveland (HM Illinois)

Who's Got It Better Than Us(?) Of The Week

Moody's field goal to win is right down the middle.

Honorable mention: Corum busts out on the first play from scrimmage; TD drive ensues from there. Bell's punt return sets Michigan up for a field goal. Graham stuffs a fourth and short.

?MARCUS HALL EPIC DOUBLE BIRD OF THE WEEK.

Corum takes a helmet to the knee, causing him to (maybe) fumble and more or less knocking him out for the duration. Insult to injury.

Honorable mention: Brown bursts for a 37-yard touchdown that puts Michigan in its first second-half deficit since Penn State. Inexpicable Corum exit in game column. Garbage holding call brings back a 40 yard improv play to Wilson. Andrel Anthony drops a touchdown.