'No more touchdowns for Blake': Mike Hart discusses Blake Corum creeping up on him in Michigan record book

Michigan Wolverines football senior running back Blake Corum is ascending in the record book. With 9 rushing touchdowns this season, he’s up to 40 for his career, which ranks fifth in Michigan history. That’s 1 shy of his position coach and run game coordinator, Mike Hart, who stands fourth with 41.

Since the beginning of the 2022 season, Corum has rushed for at least 1 touchdown in every game in which he played more than a handful of snaps, so it’s likely that the 5-8, 213-pounder will be either tied with Hart or pass him when Saturday’s game at Minnesota is over with.

“No more touchdowns for Blake,” Hart joked Wednesday. “It’ll be [senior running back] Kalel [Mullings scoring].”

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Hart added, on a serious note, that he’s “excited” for Corum, who hasn’t yet brought up the record book to his position coach.

“He’s probably thinking it. He’ll probably say it today. But he’s close. He’s 1 away. He better get it this week. He better get past it this week, to be honest with you.”

Hart is Michigan’s all-time leader in rushing yards with 5,040. Corum has had a stellar career but is more than 2,000 yards short with 2,917.

“As long as he doesn’t catch my yardage record, I’m OK,” Hart joked again. “Actually, I hope he does catch it — that’s a lot of yards. But it doesn’t bother me at all. It’s something he’s worked for, and hopefully we’ll get him as high as we can on that record chart before he’s out of here.”

Corum suffered a knee injury last November, missing the rest of the season. He was frustrated with some of his runs early on this season as he was getting back into the swing of things but has produced at a higher level lately. Hart pointed to Michigan’s 31-7 win over Rutgers Sept. 23 as when he was back to normal. Corum rushed 21 times for 97 yards and 2 scores in that victory.

“I would say Rutgers game he was back to being Blake,” the Michigan assistant said. “It’s just opportunity — he had more carries that game. But the confidence of getting everything back after being gone, not getting hit in fall camp. It’s a long season, so as long as these guys continue to get better every week — which they’re doing — they’ll be ready to roll when it’s time to really go, when we need them. I’m just proud of them all.”

Donovan Edwards’ slow start and Kalel Mullings breakout

Michigan junior running back Donovan Edwards has averaged just 3.3 yards per carry with no touchdowns through five games, totaling 157 yards on 47 attempts. He described it this week as a “slow start,” but he’s remained positive throughout.

“Donovan is a great young man,” Hart said. “He’s excited for all the other guys’ success. Obviously, it’s not the start he wanted, but he’s a guy that’s just getting better and better every week. Watching him improve coming off those injuries last year, he’s getting back to where he needs to be. And just really happy for him with his attitude. Obviously, you have to keep a positive attitude, and he’s doing that. It’s fun to see. He’s just a great team player.”

The Michigan assistant added that it’s harder to break out of a slump or get into a groove with a lower amount of carries. Given that Corum is the featured back in the Wolverines’ offense, he won’t get as many as Hart did when he played, for example.

“I was ‘the guy.’ I carried the ball 40 times a game, so I had a lot of opportunities,” Hart explained. “When you’re limited in opportunities, you only have so many chances to make plays. The thing is just being consistent, and the consistency of getting 4 and 5 yards, and that’s what he’s doing, that’s what he did last week, and those big plays will happen.

“That’s something we talk about. As I always tell him, the big plays will come. That’s something I always do tell him. You gotta run down hill. He gets it, he understands it. But it’s hard. If you’re only gonna get 13 carries, you want to get a big play.”

Mullings, meanwhile, has been one of Michigan’s hot hands over the last two games, racking up 81 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries during that stretch. All 5 of his rushes against Nebraska last week went for first downs, including 1 20-yard touchdown. Hart said earlier this season that Mullings, a converted linebacker, is like a freshman or sophomore from a running back standpoint. Now, he’s starting to realize more of his potential.

“I think Kalel’s special,” the Michigan running backs coach said. “I think he’s a special back. He’s big, he’s fast, he’s explosive, he’s got good vision, he’s got good hands, he can pass pro. He can do it all. He’s just been growing week by week, and you guys see it on the field — he’s fun to watch, and he runs hard.”