ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan running backs coach Mike Hart was clearly not interested in sharing the status of injured backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards for the upcoming game at Penn State.
Corum, the team's second-leading rusher, averaging 86.1 yards a game with 10 touchdowns, left the Indiana game late in the first quarter last Saturday hopping off the field into the medical tent. He returned in the second half wearing a walking boot on his right leg. Freshman back Donovan Edwards, who has 22 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns, has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury.
The Wolverines (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten), ranked No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, are going on the road to face the Nittany Lions at raucous Beaver Stadium on Saturday. It is an important Big Ten East Division game if Michigan is to factor in the Big Ten championship race, and having a healthy running game is key, particularly since the Wolverines rank seventh nationally in rushing averaging 234.1 yards a game.
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Hart, appearing at a news conference on Wednesday, fielded the first question regarding the status of Corum and Edwards.
"Damn, was that gonna be the first question," Hart said, laughing. "Hey, is that important?"
He then replied with his own questions.
"What did Penn State say regarding (defensive end Jesse) Luketa and (safety Jonathan) Sutherland?," Hart said. "What did (Penn State coach James Franklin) say? Anybody know? No? I'm serious. Is 40 (Luketa) playing for them?"
Hart was then asked if he's not answering the question about Corum and Edwards.
"I hope to see them play on Saturday," Hart said.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday night on his radio show he would know more mid-week about the status of several players who were injured against Indiana, including Corum but also receivers Andrel Anthony and A.J. Henning left the game with undisclosed injuries, as did cornerback Gemon Green.
"Most of those guys you mentioned have a chance (to return at Penn State) and some a real good chance," Harbaugh said on the "Inside Michigan Football" radio show to host Jon Jansen. "I'd say real probable on most of the guys you mentioned."
With Corum and Edwards unavailable, Hassan Haskins carried the load for the Wolverines against Indiana with a career performance. He had 168 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown and also had one catch for 20 yards. Hassan is now the Wolverines' leading rusher, averaging 92.1 yards a game, ranking 27th nationally, and has 11 touchdowns.
If the running backs are shorthanded and without the experience of Corum and Edwards, Tavierre Dunlap and Leon Franklin could play larger roles. Dunlap has seven carries for 51 yards and Franklin has five for 16.
"They've been practicing all year back and forth between scout team," Hart said. "Those are things I said at the beginning of the year that everyone is going to need to be ready to play They'll be ready to play if they have to. I'm confident in them and what they can do. Obviously, we have Hassan, who's a special player, so we'll see how it works out this week. We'll have a game plan to play everybody."
Haskins said after the IU game he enjoyed the increased workload so clearly isn't opposed to more carries. He said his body felt fine after the game.
"I take however many carries they give me," Haskins said, smiling. "I ain't complaining."
Hart has said the goal is to give Haskins and Corum about 20 carries apiece.
"Obviously, things change depending on who's available, who's not available," Hart said. "I think the biggest thing is managing (Haskins), making sure he's healthy. No one's ever gonna complain about more carries.
"He knows the situation and whatever we need to do in the game to win we're gonna do in the game to win. If he's gotta carry the ball 50 times — how many carries did (former Michigan running back have) Chris Perry have? Fifty one (in 2003 against Michigan State) I hope he doesn't have to do that, but whatever it takes to win, and he's prepared."
Hart said each week he prepares for the possibility that one of the backs could get hurt, so he devises a plan.
"You're always one carry away from somebody getting hurt," Hart said. "You always have to have a plan. You just watch him and see if he's good to go or he's not good to go. Hassan is a grown man. He can carry the ball 30 times a game if he needs to, I have no concerns with that, but you also have other guys that can play and are capable of playing and you'd like to see what they can do, as well."
Back when Hart was a player at Michigan — he is the program's all-time leading rusher — he played with a high ankle sprain during the 2005 and 2007 seasons. Harbaugh had touched this week on players playing through being hurt as he discussed quarterback Cade McNamara playing through some unspecified issues. Hart said running backs are always dealing with physical issues especially late in the season during a grueling Big Ten schedule.
"I tell guys when they get here once the season starts, the first day of training camp, you're never going to be 100 percent again," he said. "You get dinged, you get bruised. It's a matter of, can the injury get worse, and that's up to the doctors, that's not up to me.
"I don't think there's a toughness issue with any of our guys. It's not like they don't want to play. Is it safe medically to play or not play, that's what it comes down to. Sometimes it's not the kid's choice. But Hassan has played banged up, he's not 100 percent healthy, no one is playing running back in the Big Ten for eight games. They just go. They're banged up, we're banged up, that's the point of the year."
