After watching last year's College Football Playoff loss from the sidelines, Blake Corum returned to Michigan to win a national championship. That goal is well within reach.
The Wolverines are 5-0 with the fourth best point differential in the nation. Their offense has playmakers at every position and an elite unit up front, and their defense has been even better. Michigan hasn't won a game by less than three scores. It hasn't allowed more than seven points. Even considering the competition, the Wolverines have been dominant.
They might be even better than last year's team that went 13-1 before losing to TCU in the national semifinal, and that team was better than the prior year's team that went 12-2 before losing in the same game to Georgia -- who are now the two-time defending champs. Over the last three seasons, Michigan is 30-3.
"This team is great," Corum said Tuesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show. "I don’t know where it compares to those other teams, but it’s up there. It might be the best. We’ll see."
One thing seems clear for No. 2 Michigan, which might not face a legitimate test until it visits Penn State in November: It has the pieces to do something special. J.J. McCarthy is playing like an NFL-bound quarterback, fifth in the nation in passing efficiency and dangerous with his legs. Corum headlines the most talented backfield duo in the country, and Donovan Edwards has yet to get going. Roman Wilson is a game-breaking receiver and tight end Colston Loveland gets better by the week. In Corum and Wilson, the Wolverines have two of the nation's leaders in touchdowns.
Michigan looks equally talented on defense, having surrendered the fewest points, the fewest first downs and the fourth fewest yards in the country. The Wolverines have racked up 31 tackles for loss so far, led by defensive linemen Kris Jenkins and Derrick Moore and linebackers Junior Colson and Michael Barrett, to name a few. The secondary has playmakers of its own.
Michigan is the only team in the country with a top-five offense and a top-five defense, per Pro Football Focus. No other team is even in the top-10 in both.
"We have a lot of work to do," said Corum. "It’s going to take a lot to win that national championship, but we have it. Everything we need to win the national championship, we have. We just have to stay where our feet are, don’t get big-headed.
"When we’re up 14 with seven minutes left in the first quarter, you just gotta keep their foot on the neck and keep going and never get complacent. And always look for those downfalls, see where you can get better so you can get better. That’s the key, man."
Michigan's offense has been more balanced this season, as Jim Harbaugh promised. The Wolverines have been close to an even run-pass split before their games have gotten out of hand. Their proven ability to pound it has opened up the pass, which in time should re-open the run. Michigan just piled up 249 yards on the ground against Nebraska, who entered the game with one of the best rushing defenses in the country.
"Our identity is still smash-mouth football, moving people when they don’t want to be moved," said Corum. "But we have a great balance right now in terms of running and passing. I think that’s what we needed, and I think it’s helped. A lot of teams still bite on that un, which opens up everything else, and it's a beautiful thing to see. Everyone's getting involved.
"And now teams are going to have to plan for, 'We don’t know how to play 'em, because they’re not just a run team. They’re passing the heck out the ball.' (The defense) might have to back up, which is going to be better for us and the O-line, so it betters everyone. We’re a complete, balanced team. We can air it our or we can run it."
Corum, by his own standards, has started slowly. But he's yet to really play a full game, and he's not that far off last season's pace when he was a Heisman frontrunner before he tore his MCL in November. He has 74 carries for 425 yards and nine touchdowns, tops in the nation. He had 93 carries for 611 yards and 10 touchdowns through five games last season.
"The potential for me, the way I look at it, sky’s the limit, man," said Corum, who had knee surgery in the offseason. "I feel like I’m back, but in my head I can always get better, so I just try to out-do myself every day. I watched film last weekend, I already know where I’m going to get better.
"And then for this rushing attack, we haven’t played a full game yet. But we’ve gotten better each week and that’s what you love to see from a team. When a team feels like it can’t (get better), they’re usually not going to be successful. But we know we can, we see were we can, and we proved it last Saturday. Nebraska had the No. 1 rush defense and we ran the ball pretty well."
Everything is on the table for No. 2 Michigan, which is chasing its third Big Ten title in a row and its first national championship since 1997. With Corum leading the way, the Wolverines have to like where they're headed.
Other highlights from Corum's interview on 97.1 The Ticket:
On J.J. McCarthy's growth: "He’s really that field general and you can just tell how confident he is. He’s confident in the pocket, he’s stepping up, he’s taking hits while he’s passing the ball, he doesn’t feel like he has to run all the time. When he does roll out the pocket, he’s making big plays. He’s just calm, cool and collected. Not saying he wasn’t last year, but I’ve just seen the growth of him just being that general that a quarterback needs to be and running the offense. He doesn’t panic. When things don’t go right, he’s not over there stressing. It’s like, onto the next. That’s where I’ve seen his growth. ... He does everything the right way, he studies a lot of film, you can just see the confidence shooting out of his pores."
On Donovan Edwards' slow start: "What I tell Don is, ‘Hey man, stick to the plan and don’t listen to the naysayers on Twitter or what they have to say. That’s their opinion and their opinion doesn’t matter. Just be where your feet are, watch film like I do, see where you can get better. See, ‘Dang, should I have made that cut? That’s what I’m going to work on this week.’ And I think he did a heck of a job Saturday. He ran with authority. Like I said, just stick to the plan. His time’s coming, he knows. That game, that breakout game where he rushes for 150 to 200 yards and a couple touchdowns is coming. It’s in his near future. That’s why I preach to him: 'Hey, we’re winning, nothing’s better than winning.'"
On running backs being devalued in the NFL: "I’m a go-with-the flow type of guy and I control what I can. So if a team does draft me in the first round, they’re going to get one of the hardest workers out there, someone that’s going to give it their all. But whatever round I go, I'm blessed. I don't view myself as just a football player. When it comes to money, I’m a businessman. I have other things I'm doing right now, outside of football, that are hopefully going to set me up for life. But whatever team does pick me, whether it be first, second, third, undrafted, they’re going to get the hardest worker ever, a good teammate and a dude with good character. Obviously it sucks (that the position is being devalued). It sucks at the end of the day, but hey, I can’t control that."
On his charitable efforts with his NIL money: "Doing a back-to-school drive. This year we’re shooting for 600 turkeys (to be handed out for Thanksgiving) and a big, big Christmas giveaway last year. Going to do a toy drive, it’s going to be a huge Christmas giveaway. Trying to do it up for the kids, because that’s what it’s all about, this next generation coming up. That’s my purpose, man, is just giving back. So I’m going to continue to do it."