Michigan midseason honors: Blake Corum Heisman odds, four Wolverines on All-America lists, Joe Moore Award watch list
Michigan Wolverines football junior running back Blake Corum‘s Heisman Trophy candidacy is only heating up. He’s second in the country with 901 rushing yards and leads the nation with 13 rushing touchdowns. He’s been U-M’s MVP through seven weeks and continues to draw national praise for his high-level play.
According to VegasInsider, Corum has the fourth-best odds to take home the Heisman Trophy in December (+1200). He’s behind Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud (-110), Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (+500) and USC quarterback Caleb Williams (+700). He’s currently edging out Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (+1800), UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and others.
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It’s no surprise that the players Corum is contending with are signal-callers. It’s been a quarterback award, for the most part, with only a few exceptions. The last running back to take home the hardware was Alabama’s Derrick Henry in 2015. That season through seven games, Henry had the exact same amount of rushing yards as Corum does (901) with one fewer touchdown (12).
Corum addressed the Heisman chatter while speaking with host Jon Jansen on the Inside Michigan Football radio show Monday night.
“It’s nice,” Corum said. “It really is nice. It really is. I’m blessed to have people throwing that out there. Like I tell everyone, the awards at the end of the season, I have a good amount of games left, I have a lot to prove and I have a lot to show people what I can do. So, sounds good, but we’ll see at the end of the year.”
Blake Corum one of four Michigan players on midseason All-America lists
This week, several publications — The Athletic, PFF, CBS Sports, The Sporting News and the Associated Press — released their midseason All-America teams, and four different Michigan players made appearances.
Corum made the first team on each, which comes as no surprise. He was joined on the first team of The Athletic‘s list by graduate center Olusegun Oluwatimi and senior defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
“Oluwatimi was a Rimington Trophy finalist at Virginia and has seamlessly fit right into the center of an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award last year,” The Athletic wrote. “Michigan ranks fifth in yards before contact on running back runs, and Oluwatimi hasn’t given up a sack, per TruMedia.”
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Smith has taken on countless double teams but still made plays. He’s third on the Wolverines with 27 tackles, including 2.5 behind the line of scrimmage and a half-sack. He’s added 11 pressures, per PFF.
“The 6-foot-3, 337-pound Smith has become a force in the middle of the line, taking up blockers to allow others to make plays,” The Athletic wrote. “He’s the anchor of a Michigan defense that ranks seventh in yards per rush and sixth in rushing yards per game.”
Michigan senior EDGE Mike Morris landed on The Athletic‘s second team and PFF’s third team. Morris has racked up 15 tackles, including 8 for loss, and a team-leading 5 sacks with 4 quarterback hurries, 1 pass breakup, 1 forced fumble and a blocked field goal. His 27 pressures rank 10th nationally among edge rushers and tie for first in the Big Ten. His 12.6 pressure rate slots eighth nationally and second in the conference among the same group.
Michigan offensive line on Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll
Michigan won the Joe Moore Award for possessing the nation’s toughest and best offensive line, and the Maize and Blue are looking to become the first-ever back-to-back winner. They’re on their way to having a chance, finding themselves on the award’s midseason honor roll along with 21 other teams.
Michigan’s men up front have paved the way for a rushing attack that averages 244 rushing yards per game, which slots ninth nationally and first in the Big Ten. The Wolverines have allowed only 1.3 sacks per game (tied 28th) and kept sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy clean on 79.4 percent of his drop-backs. The Maize and Blue have had only 31 negative plays on 479 offensive snaps.
Oluwatimi and Michigan graduate left tackle Ryan Hayes have been named to the Rotary Lombardi Award midseason watch list. The honor will be handed out at the end of the season to the best lineman in the country. Last season, Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson took home the hardware.
