The Engine Behind Michigan Football is a Running Back that Runs Like a Wrestler

Corum is in the back row and center with the gold singlet

Blake Corum kind of runs like a wrestler. By that, I mean he leads with his face.

When Michigan beat Penn State 24-15 in November, Corum ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns. He left the field with blood dripping down his cheeks because of a cut between his eyes.

When Michigan beat Ohio State 30-24 two weeks later, Corum ran for 88 yards and two more touchdowns. He wasn’t stopped for a loss on any of his 22 carries that day, and 56 of his 88 yards — about 64% — came after contact.

And when Michigan beat mighty Alabama, Corum recorded 118 total yards, 83 rushing and 35 receiving, and two touchdowns in a 27-20 overtime win. He converted a big fourth down on the scoring drive that forced OT, then scored on the second play of OT to lift Michigan into the national championship game.

With the national championship on the line, Corum totaled 134 rushing yards on 21 carries and a pair of touchdowns. For his efforts, he was named the game’s Offensive MVP. 

Why, you might be asking, am I writing about Blake Corum, Michigan’s All-American running back, on a wrestling website?

Is it because Corum, in a past life, was a standout wrestler? That’s part of it. He won a Virginia youth state title in middle school. As a sophomore at Saint Vincent Pallotti, he took fourth at the Maryland state tournament at 182 pounds. But then he transferred to St. Frances Academy in Baltimore and became a blue-chip running back recruit.

Is it because I lost a bet to Kevin Claunch, the smart, witty, good-looking, award-winning podcaster who also contributes award-winning coverage to this award-winning website? I can neither confirm nor deny, but, hey, here we are.

Is it because I felt like I needed to make that connection to continue writing about Blake Corum and Michigan and football and wrestling? Absolutely.

Corum, much like our buddy Claunch (a Central Michigan diehard at heart, but we’re keeping things Maize and Blue here for the sake of the alleged bet), carries all the same traits and characteristics as our favorite wrestlers. He’s confident. He’s direct. He’s likable. He admits faults, relishes triumphs, and gives credit where and when it’s due.

Corum measures up at 5-foot-8 and 213 pounds, putting him on the small side for running backs, but he makes up for it by playing big. Roughly half of his total rushing yards this season (approximately 600 out of 1,245) have come after contact. He didn’t lose a single fumble this year. He led the nation with 27 rushing touchdowns this season.

In another life, he would’ve made a great 174- or 184-pounder. Imagine Corum, with his tree-trunk legs, wicked lower-body horsepower, insane grip strength, and his willingness to run through his opponents, tangling with the likes of, say, Mikey Labriola, or Dustin Plott, or Trent Hidlay, or Marcus Coleman.

Are we assuming Corum would’ve been an All-American-caliber wrestler? Yes, we are, especially if he would’ve wrestled at Michigan. Sean Bormet, Michigan’s head coach and Claunch’s slightly-thicker doppelgänger, has done great things with 174- and 184-pounders (and, really, the entire program).

Is that bold of us to say? Yes, it is. Too bold, perhaps, but we’re pretty confident in our assessment here. Even the MatScout would agree. Just watch the tape.

Of all of Corum’s athletic traits — strength, horsepower, his grip, his ability to attack face-first — perhaps his best is the fact that he just fights, for himself, his teammates, and for the millions that rep the Block M across the country and around the world. Never was that more apparent than in the Rose Bowl and the national championship game that followed in Houston. 

Against the surging Crimson Tide, Corum played huge. He averaged 5.6 yards per touch, and about half of his total rushing yards (41) came after contact. He was responsible for three of Michigan’s nine explosive plays, two by rush and another by air. On the go-ahead touchdown in overtime, he spun through three would-be tacklers.

Standing next to Corum afterward, he still carries himself like a wrestler, even if it’s been a while since he last hit the mat. He conducted his postgame interviews shirtless. In the middle, he took a three-minute phone call with his dad. He talked about not fearing Alabama, and how his team just needed to go do what they do to win.

A week ago, Corum led Michigan over Washington for the national title in Houston. Michigan hadn’t won a football national title since 1997 — and even then, they technically tied with Nebraska that season. You’d have to go back to 1948 for the last outright Michigan football title. 

Point is, it’s been a while, and who knows if Michigan will ever get to this point again. But Blake Corum led with his face and plowed over any Washington defender in his way — running like a wrestler — leaving those who rock the Block M, across the country and around the world, proud of their team and superstar.