Michigan RB Donovan Edwards not looking to 'replicate' 2022 performance at Ohio State: 'I have to look forward to what’s going to be'

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Senior running back Donovan Edwards has long been a Michigan football “legend,” according to not just Wolverine fans but also former head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Edwards has shown up in numerous big tilts, including with 2 touchdowns in the national championship game to cap off the 2023 season. But he’s perhaps most known for his performance at Ohio Stadium in 2022, delivering twin 75- and 85-yard touchdown runs to seal a 45-23 victory, Michigan’s first in the venue since 2000.

Edwards was replacing star running back Blake Corum, a Heisman Trophy contender who had injured his knee the week before against Illinois, tried to give it a go in Columbus but wasn’t effective or healthy enough to stay in the game. Edwards totaled 216 rushing yards while wearing a cast and playing through pain himself.

Michigan is headed back to the Horseshoe this weekend, for yet another clash with the Buckeyes. Edwards is Michigan’s starting running back, having racked up 578 yards and 4 touchdowns on 124 carries this season, but he’s not trying to put together a repeat of the 2022 game. All the 6-1, 212-pounder wants to do is have the impact he needs to this time to help his team beat the Buckeyes for a fourth straight year.

“It’s not trying to replicate anything for me,” Edwards said Tuesday at Schembechler Hall. “It’s just doing what we have to do to win the football game. I’m not looking to … cause I found myself trying to be something I was in the past, and that past is over. So I have to look forward to what’s going to be.

“I’m not looking to replicate anything this coming game. Just looking to just do me, just have a great game as a football team and come out with a victory. That’s all our mindset is.”

Edwards has helped Michigan win 46 games in his nearly four seasons. He’s scored 23 total touchdowns, been named a team captain and accomplished a lot off the field. One game doesn’t define him, he said.

“That was kinda a blur for me, just cause I had a great game against Penn State within that year already, I had a great game against Rutgers,” Edwards said of what the 2022 game did for him. “It was just kinda a blur for me.

“But you guys talking about ‘legendary status’ and stuff like that — I never looked at it as that. So I don’t think that really defines or shapes my career.

“But ultimately, it’s just a great opportunity to go play in the Horseshoe once again this coming Saturday.”

Michigan is 6-5, and win over the Buckeyes would put an exclamation point on the season.

“It would be a tremendous honor to come out with a victory,” the West Bloomfield, Mich., native said of what a win could do for the program. “But for me personally, I never thought about anything like that. Just for the team aspect, it would be great.

“But we’re worried about just getting better every day and being consistent. That’s how this team has been built over the last four years since I’ve been here, and that’s how it’s always going to continue to be.”

Ohio State is nearly a three-touchdown favorite, but the Wolverines aren’t paying attention to the scribes and pundits, Edwards insisted.

“We don’t listen to outside noise whatsoever,” he said. “They counted us out since [former Michigan head] Coach [Jim] Harbaugh was here. And that’s something that this program has always been built on, being counted out. We don’t really listen to the outside noise, because we believe in ourselves, and that’s what matters the most.”

Donovan Edwards jokes he’s ‘a little jealous of Ashton Jeanty’

Edwards came into the 2024 season with high hopes, and while he’s been productive with 4.7 yards per carry, he hasn’t been near the top of the nation in rushing.

“It’s not the year that I wanted to have,” Edwards said of his individual play. “I really wanted to have an [Boise State running back] Ashton Jeanty year, for real, ya feel me? I’m a little jealous of Ashton Jeanty right now. But no, I’m happy for his success.

“And it’s not what I wanted it to be, just statistically. But ultimately, I’m proud of how I’ve been able to carry myself and the leader that I’ve become and having the respect of the people around me and being able to be healthy throughout this whole year, becuase that’s what matters to me a lot.

“I could say that I gave every game my all. Was it always pretty or perfect? No. Have I missed pass protections? Absolutely. But that’s part of the game, and I’m not perfect. I’m a human being.”