The Athletic Article on Blake
The Athletic (paywalled) put out a short piece highlighting why Corum’s five best runs should put him in the middle of Heisman discussions.
love the quote from Harbaugh “Blake can get so close to a defender, a would-be tackler — within inches — and make a slight move where somebody close doesn’t even touch him,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Some backs will make the cut a yard away or 2 yards away. Blake Corum gets to the point where he can smell their breath.”
https://theathletic.com/3700109/2022/10/17/michigan-blake-corum-heisman/?source=user_shared_article
October 17th, 2022 at 1:31 PM ^
if the defender is from MSU their breath smells like dead frogs. Just sayin'
On a more serious note - seems obvious to me that he'd be in the discussion for the trophy. He is elite and the stats help make the case. Lots of season left to play but at this point of course he should be in the conversation.
October 17th, 2022 at 1:48 PM ^
You can smell the defender's breath from Saginaw.
Hope he gets the invite to NY... at a minimum.
October 17th, 2022 at 2:23 PM ^
Only way he can win is if in Columbus he has a big game and Stroud doesn't. That just may vault him into the top spot...but its very hard to win as a RB.
October 17th, 2022 at 4:21 PM ^
And he'd need to lead UM to a win in CBus...but that parts a given :)
October 17th, 2022 at 1:36 PM ^
The Heisman voters will never be accused of going out on a limb that's for sure. For most of the 70's & 80's it seemed like only the best RBs were in consideration for the award and now that institutional bias has shifted to the QB position. And if you're an elite defensive player you're probably not even considered at all.
Unless of course you're a generational talent at cornerback, occasionally line up on offense, return punts for TDs and lead your team to an undefeated national championship. If you're that guy fuck them biases.
October 17th, 2022 at 1:42 PM ^
Seriously, I wonder how many non-Michigan fans remember the QB or RBs of the 1997 team...or any offensive player sans Woodson cameos, for that matter. This isn't to say they were untalented, especially the offensive line, but Woodson was absolutely the face of that team.
October 17th, 2022 at 1:43 PM ^
I agree, to a certain extent, but it’s not just bias towards the QB position increasing over time. The QB position has certainly evolved over time to the point where it is an oversized factor for most teams in college football today. Michigan just happens to still be one of those teams that truly tries to maintain a balance of run and pass, maybe still slightly skewed to the run. The majority of the other big time teams rely so much more on their QB’s, even if they have elite RB’s (Alabama, OSU, even Clemson again now, etc).
October 17th, 2022 at 1:59 PM ^
It seems like what you need to get past the QB bias is a lot of buzz. Don't forget, Hutchinson was runner up last year, Peppers finished I think fifth in 2016, Honey Badger was a finalist, etc. But they all had buzz. Peppers and Honey Badger from big plays on special teams and some dabbling on offense (sound familiar?), Hutchinson from just some unbelievably dominant performances in big games, not to mention some highlight reel plays of his own like running over that OSU lineman.
For whatever reason, Corum isn't getting that buzz. And I have no idea why. He has the stats, and some truly jaw-dropping plays. There's still time to get in the mix, of course; Hutchinson didn't seriously enter the conversation until very late in the season. But it's baffling that Corum isn't getting more buzz given what he does week after week...
October 17th, 2022 at 1:45 PM ^
In the spirit of negbang Monday, I'm not even gonna care about Corum Heisman talk. It's a QB award, RB or WR can only win if there are no good QBs. To many good QBs this year for a RB to be given serious consideration.
October 17th, 2022 at 1:47 PM ^
Wait, I’m supposed to be the cranky one…
October 17th, 2022 at 1:48 PM ^
I'd be ok with Stroud getting an invite to New York again and leaving empty-handed--again--because he couldn't beat Michigan.
October 17th, 2022 at 1:56 PM ^
QB and team award. For a RB or WR to win there has to be no outstanding QBs and their team has to be firmly in the NC hunt.
Shoot, for a QB on a non-NC team there has to be no other outstanding QBs and they have to be outrageously good (Lamar Jackson). It really is set aside for the QB of the best team and has been for a while now.
Although, Hutch either wins it or the vote is much closer if Auburn closed out Bama. That game is like the fulcrum for a few scenarios, all of them boning Michigan in some way.
October 17th, 2022 at 1:50 PM ^
Would be great to see him go to nyc when Walker didn't.
October 17th, 2022 at 1:54 PM ^
5 touchdowns in Columbus outta do it.
October 17th, 2022 at 2:55 PM ^
Seriously, if M beats OSU and Corum gets 100+ yds and 1+ TD in that game, I have to think he at least gets in an invite, even if he doesn't win it.
October 17th, 2022 at 1:56 PM ^
i watched the two big runs this weekend over and over. It was pretty amazing seeing how neither runner was touched on their way to the endzone. Then my son asked me who I thought was faster. Corum is quicker, but Edwards appears faster. He was pulling away on the back end of the play. Corum tends to get caught. Plus, Edwards seems to be a bit more of a locomotive... a lot of moving parts to his running. Big dude with speed and strength.
October 17th, 2022 at 2:57 PM ^
Listening to Brian diagnose those big run plays, much of it has to do with linebackers respecting JJ, so they don't crash down as they might otherwise.
Adds to my respect for Haskins, who plowed through defenses last year despite not having the benefit of a QB run threat generally.
October 17th, 2022 at 2:00 PM ^
It's run #5 for me. Surrounded by 4 Indiana players behind the line of scrimmage, one cut and gone.
October 17th, 2022 at 2:59 PM ^
Honestly, that run was more mind-blowing for me than last weekend's big runs. He literally runs through/around most of the Indiana defense on that play.
October 17th, 2022 at 5:17 PM ^
Yeah, highlight of highlights. Truly unfortunate Corum was bullshat out of a touchdown on that run.
October 17th, 2022 at 2:04 PM ^
I love Blake, but if gets an invite to NY he better bring his O-line with him.
October 17th, 2022 at 2:13 PM ^
The Corum I saw against PSU was destin to break a long run, it was just about putting in the attempts. What really impressed me Saturday was his consistently keeping Michigan on schedule with 4-6 yard runs between the tackles and into the teeth of PSU's front seven. He found gaps where there were none, his jump cuts are other-worldly, and he never went down on first contact and occasionally moved piles. It was a fantastic performance by Blake.
October 17th, 2022 at 2:17 PM ^
i also love that hendon hooker is slowly taking over as the heisman frontrunner. just need a meh game from stroud and might really get legs. Hopefully one of those meh games occurs at the end of the schedule, under a pile of Michigan D Lineman.
October 17th, 2022 at 2:21 PM ^
I normally don't insert myself in the hype discussions, as some of you know, but at this point, I don't see any reason why Corum should not be in the Heisman discussion. Granted, there are five games yet, but so far, I would think he is in that discussion.
October 17th, 2022 at 2:28 PM ^
Book it.
The plane ride and hotel in NYC. Book it. Two yrs in a row for a Michigan Man.
October 17th, 2022 at 4:12 PM ^
I am uncertain if this subject should be raised, and I certainly have no inside info, but given that Blake will be 22 next month, are we looking at his last year in a Michigan uniform? As it stands and with all his carries and probable physical practices, I feel that heading to the NFL would be a reasonable choice for him. Unfortunately, that would leave our running back room thin next year.
Not trying to be a downer, just doing some Monday wondering.
October 17th, 2022 at 5:20 PM ^
Haskins could have stayed and possibly attempted to be a Heisman winner. Similarly, would love but cannot imagine Blake the Great staying beyond this year.
October 17th, 2022 at 7:18 PM ^
I feel good about Edwards being the main guy next year. We'll be asking a lot from him but I think he's up to the challenge and we have 2-3 running backs who could step up and do a great job with 10 carries a game as the no.2 guy.