Michigan football: Mike Hart dishes on possibilities for his running backs against PSU

Michigan running backs coach Mike Hart hardly got settled at the podium for his Wednesday afternoon press conference before the question everybody was waiting to ask, was asked.

Will second-year freshman Blake Corum, who left last week’s game with an injury, be available for the Wolverines’ marquee game at Penn State this Saturday?

“BAM! Is that going to be the first question?” a smiling Hart fired back. “Is that important?

“What did Penn State say regarding [defensive end Jesse] Luketa, and [safety Jonathan] Sutherland? I’m serious. Is 40 playing for them?

“OK. I hope to see [Corum and freshman running back Donovan Edwards, who missed the last two games with injury] play on Saturday.

Corum was moving around after going into the injury tent early on in the Wolverines’ win over Indiana, before emerging from the locker room in street clothes with a walking boot on in the second half. The speedster has racked up 778 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the season, also contributing 20 receptions for 137 yards and a score.

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If Corum, Edwards or both does happen to miss Saturday’s contest, it won’t be because they’re holding themselves out. The two competitors hope to play if they’re cleared by the medical staff.

“I tell guys when they get here — once the season starts, the first day of training camp, you’re never going to be 100 percent again,” Hart said. “You get dinged, you get bruised.

“I think it’s just a matter of, can the injury get worse? And that’s up to the doctors — that’s not up to me. I don’t think it’s a toughness issue with any of our guys. It’s just, is it safe, medically, to play or not to play? That’s what it comes down to.”

Redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins, the team’s starting running back, carried the load last week, notching 27 carries and accumulating a career-high 168 yards with one touchdown. Following the game, Haskins said he’d take as many carries as he can get, a mentality that Hart appreciates.

“Hassan’s not 100 percent healthy,” the coach said. “No one is after you play running back in the Big Ten for eight games. So they just go. They’re banged up; we’re banged up. That’s the point in the year, right?”

Michigan has rotated Corum and Haskins for the entire season. Haskins has averaged 18.3 rushes per game, while Corum’s mark is at 14.4. That, of course, changes as the situation does, and Haskins knows what has to be done to win games.

“The goal is always going to be 20 and 20,” Hart said of the split. “Obviously, things change depending on who’s available, who’s not available.

“I think the biggest thing is keeping [Haskins] healthy. No one’s ever going to complain about getting more carries. But he knows the situation — whatever we need to do in the game to win, we’re going to do in the game to win.

“If he’s got to carry the ball 50 times — how many carries didm [former Michigan running back] Chris Perry get [against Michigan State in 2003]? 51. I hope he doesn’t have to do that, but … whatever it takes to win. He’s prepared.”

While Corum and Edwards could very well play for Michigan this weekend, Hart and Co. are preparing for the possibility that others will need to step up. Some names head coach Jim Harbaugh mentioned as players who will receive more reps this week were freshman [Tavi Dunlap] and walk-ons Leon Franklin, Danny Hughes and Isaiah Gash.

Hart was asked specifically about Dunlap and Franklin and their readiness.

“They’ve been practicing up all year, back and forth between scout team,” Hart revealed. “Those are things I said at the beginning of the year — everybody’s going to need to be ready to play. They’ll be ready to play if they have to. I’m confident in them and what they can do.

“Obviously, we have Hassan, who’s a special player. We’ll see how it works out this week. We’ll have a game plan to play everybody.”

Hart noted that his position group isn’t unlike the others on the team in that there are capable players who can emerge if needed.

“There have been guys who have stepped up all year, coming into games,” he said. “I remember [redshirt freshman offensive lineman] Karsen [Barnhart] at Nebraska. He hadn’t played guard all year, and he went in there and performed at guard, [after] practicing tackle all week.

“Those guys understand and they know — when guys are mature — you can’t be in the back, fooling around. You have to get every mental rep.”

Michigan and Penn State kick things off at noon ET in Happy Valley Saturday. The Nittany Lions present a stout defense but one that has been vulnerable against the run, yielding 137.2 yards per game on the ground.

Nevertheless, Hart said, Penn State will be a big challenge for Michigan.

“They’re a pretty looking team. They can play,” he said. “It’s a good defense. Definitely one of the most talented defenses we’ve played all year, without question. They create a lot of issues; they blitz a lot. They blitz every blitz in the game. They’re powerful inside, they take advantage of a lot of one-on-one blocking.”