Corum: 100% back or no(?)

I can’t remember if it was on the podcast or somewhere else that I heard it but apparently this year long running plays are down across all teams in college football. Apparently defensive coordinators have found a way to prevent the majority of the huge runs like Michigan had the last couple years. 

And I do wonder if the fact that we’re not running the ball that much that plays into it. Seems like Corum had plenty of games where the first half he would just pound away and get little chunks. Then in the second half when the opposing team’s defense was shot he would break a huge one. 
 

This year we are throwing it more efficiently and he’s not having to do that chipping away. And the fact that he’s not having to run the ball as much yet just cuts down on the chances of a huge run. But I’m just fine with what’s going on now, we have the perfect complimentary run-pass game going. 

Last year he averaged 5.9 ypc.  This year?  5.7.  Is that a significant difference? 

Consider that he's also getting a lot fewer carries late in games, since we're blowing out teams earlier this year.  Conventional wisdom holds that it's easier to run the ball later in the game, when the defense is tired.

I agree with your first 2 takes. But I think Corum looks good in the open field. His jukes are still there. I think Michigan's offense has been vanilla in the run game. Hopefully, they are setting up the back half of the schedule to unleash what they are holding back.

Yep. 31 reps at 225 don’t come easy.

I haven't heard this discussed but something I been thinking about. Could our struggles running the ball be from literally having 4 tackle style offensive linemen starting? Our 2 guards are taller than our tackles. I feel a shorter heavy DT could basically have a stalemate with our tackle sized guards which doesn't create holes for our ball carriers

A big diff for me is WR blocking that is necessary to spring the long runs. Wilson is not the blocker Bell is (was) and there have been many runs that Wilson’s target either tackled or impeded Corum’s breakaway. See WR blocking improve, see long runs happen more. 

I'm seriously concerned that he doesn't have any other sides.

has liquor in the front and poker in the rear

I recall him saying that he was a little worried that his knee was 100% and was running a bit tentatively, but then he decided that he should just run hard and not worry. That was maybe 3 weeks ago, He doesn't look as fast as before to me, but that's just my personal eye-test. 

I feel like The Don needs to literally just stand still for 2 seconds at the start of each play, see what's happening, and then go.  Feels like he rushes right into the back of his OL all the time, but when he actually stops and sets up a juke, he's still got that elite burst

supreme dad joke should have more upvotes

With JJ taking a big leap, our offense is much more balanced than last season, hence Corum's declining load.  

Last season, it was JJ's deep ball and now this?  Corum's fine, we're fine- RELAX.

Exactly. I think the best judgment of what this post is getting to will come after a game where we truly need Blake to be Blake, such as Penn State or Ohio State, or maybe a game where JJ doesn’t have it and we have to really lean on the rushing attack. 

He's a step slower

There's actually some data to back this up. Corum accelerated up to 21.1 mph in just 4 seconds vs ECU, however in 2022 he clocked in with a top speed of 22.1 mph (forget which game). So yes, a step slower.

While thread-starting OP could've done a better job of presenting the point, I agree with MeanJoe07's view of what's off.

Problem

For lack of a better word, Corum has lost some 'shimmy.' There are several times where he breaks free from the lines, staring down a linebacker or someone in the secondary, and instead of his patented 'juke in a phonebooth' stuff, he bulls into the dudes. This is still effective, though it probably gains fewer yards. I don't know how 'shimmy' is quantified. Shuttle maybe? But to my eyes/mind, there's a difference, at least in his approach (why this is not the same as 'ability' is discussed below). 

I also think his acceleration has taken a hit, and as a commenter mentioned below, it looks like his top-end speed isn't where it was at last year. In the past, Blake would all but dust most guys, and given the level of competition to date, that should've happened by now. 

Cause?

I don't know enough about knees/knee surgery to say if the procedures robbed him of the agility, but I would speculate that if it isn't physical, I could see it being mental. Tearing up that a knee would make a guy reconsider sharp cuts. 

Another potential issue is maybe a 'Mike Tyson' effect, where a typically explosive dude bulks up, and through this added weight, robs himself of some agility, acceleration, and top-end speed. I could see explosiveness contributing to a loss of agility (side-to-side 'explosion') and acceleration. Top-end speed could be a pure weight issue, which you seen in guys like DK Metcalf, who go to the Olympic trials, but have bulked up for football and can't match their college times. 

We may never get to the final 2 games, if we don't have him for Penn State.