Jim Harbaugh updates Blake Corum injury status
Michigan running back Blake Corum was on his way to another big game in U-M’s 19-17 win over Illinois when he went down with a knee injury late in the first half. He was literally the one player the Wolverines could least afford to lose, and it looked bad.
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Corum was down for a bit before walking gingerly up the tunnel. To add to the misery, he lost a fumble on the play after what appeared to be a knee-to-knee hit, ending a possible scoring drive. Michigan took a 7-3 lead into halftime as a result.
Early scuttlebutt from the postgame locker room was that he suffered a “bruise.” Head coach Jim Harbaugh wouldn’t confirm that, but he did say he was “structurally good, which is great news.”
He added they’d evaluate how Corum feels tomorrow before commenting further. Chances are, however, that he won’t say much with Ohio State up next.
Corum still finished with 108 yards on 18 carries, adding 39 in the passing game. He scampered 37 on a screen pass from deep in his own territory to give the Wolverines breathing room, as well.
The Wolverines’ running game struggled without him. Freshman CJ Stokes carried 11 times for 36 yards. Isaiah Gash, who came up with a huge fourth-down grab to keep the last drive alive, ran 3 times for 6 yards.
“I really thought C.J. Stokes was on the verge of breaking [some]… so proud of him,” Harbaugh said. “He picked up some critical first downs.”
But they had to adjust, Harbaugh added, given how Illinois was playing them defensively.
“It became apparent they were going to line up and all-out blitz us or cover smother one and dedicate themselves to stopping the run game,” he said.
Corum still tried to go in the second half, but he just couldn’t.
“He thought it wasn’t … it was bothering him,” Harbaugh said. “It wasn’t something he [could do] … so we said, ‘OK. We know you want to keep going, but communicate with us, how you feel … we’ve got C.J., Isaiah, Tavi. They’ll step up. Next man up.’ Blake was coaching those guys, motivating them on.
“That’s the kind of team it is. Nobody panicked.”
Harbaugh said anybody banged up would likely give it a go next week in Columbus.
Strong opinion — that likely includes Corum.
