56 days until Michigan football: Breaking down the rushing production that returns
There are 56 days until the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines football team takes the field in the Aug. 31 opener against Fresno State. Each day until then, we’ll discuss current Michigan events, the upcoming season and/or take a look at a significant number that correlates with how many days remain until kickoff, whether it be a player’s jersey number, a year, a date, a score, etc.
Michigan rushed 563 times last season, accumulating 2,536 yards and 40 touchdowns.
The bulk of the production has departed, though, with running back Blake Corum heading to the NFL Draft, being drafted in the third round and landing with the Los Angeles Rams.
In 2023, Corum rushed 258 times for 1,245 yards and 27 touchdowns. That means he was responsible for 45.8 percent of the team’s, 49 percent of the rushing yards and 67.5 percent of the rushing touchdowns. Over the last two seasons, he accounted for 43.4 percent of the rush attempts, 46 percent of the rushing yards and 55.6 percent of the rushing touchdowns.
There’s plenty to replace, but Michigan has returning rushers who have proven capable in different roles throughout the years. Senior Donovan Edwards and graduate Kalel Mullings are expected to lead the charge.
Edwards took over as Michigan’s main running back for three games in 2022, and fared well, especially against Ohio State (216 yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries) and Purdue (185 yards and 1 touchdown on 25 carries). He also ripped off a 50-yard run on the first play from scrimmage and totaled 119 rushing yards in a loss to TCU in the College Football Playoff.
Edwards has 1,662 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground throughout his three-year career — much more production than many returning backs across the country. He accumulated 991 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2022, averaging 7.1 yards per attempt, before putting up 497 yards and 5 scores in 2023 (4.2 yards per carry).
Mullings, meanwhile, will provide support and could even run away with the starting running back job if he proves more productive. He’s been efficient with a small sample size, rushing 50 times over the last two seasons after switching over from linebacker and compiling 253 yards and 4 touchdowns.
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There’s no telling how good the Edwards-Mullings duo will be and how the dynamic will unfold, either. There have been plenty of times over the years where fans expect a rotation to go a certain way and it ends up another, with injury obviously playing a potential factor.
Even though Michigan lost Corum, it could well be a high-level rushing outfit this season. Edwards has put on weight this offseason, worked on some of the struggles he had last season and is more of a leader (one of the top on the team). Mullings, meanwhile, has a lot more to show, including with his speed, his teammates and coaches have said. Junior quarterback Alex Orji, too, is a dynamic runner, and he’s in the mix for the starting job. There are a lot of possibilities if he’s a big factor in the run game.
Michigan will roll out five new starters on the offensive line, providing for some uncertainty, but it’s been strong up front in recent seasons, and there’s confidence the group can pave the way for Edwards, Mullings and the rest of the ball-carriers.
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