Donovan Edwards happy with Michigan's play despite stacked boxes in opener
The Michigan Wolverines have set a tone as a program that wants to control the line of scrimmage and gash opponents in the run game, but what happens when every team knows it is coming?
That line of thought is the genesis of this offseason’s “Beat Georgia” drill, a physical period of practice designed to build muscle memory in terms of imposing your will. But teams know that senior Blake Corum and junior Donovan Edwards are capable of breaking games wide open.
In a team like East Carolina’s case, it decided to load the box and make Michigan throw to beat them. Junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy obliged, throwing for 280 yards and three touchdowns. The Wolverines ran for 122 yards and averaged 3.9 yards per carry on Saturday afternoon, and Corum (10 carries, 73 yards, TD) and Edwards (12 rushes, 37 yards) had to take a backseat for a day.
And they were mostly fine with that.
“ECU had a really great game plan for stopping the run,” Edwards said on Tuesday night. “8, 9, 10 people in the box. They were stopping a run, but it was great being in the Big House again. All the fantastic fans cheering us on. I’m very happy with how we played overall as a team, they stopped the run and that opened up the passing game. J.J. had a great game. Roman [Wilson] had a fantastic game.
“I’m very happy with how we played. The defense would have had a shutout had ECU not kicked the field goal in the end. But I feel like ECU is going to have a very successful year. They’re going to do very well in the conference because of the program that they have and how the defense plays.”
Both East Carolina and TCU are examples of recent opponents that have given extra attention to taking U-M’s run game away. In order to level up as a contender, Michigan knows it has to be able to do everything. And Edwards chooses to see it as a learning opportunity as opposed to a struggle.
“It’s difficult because honestly, you don’t really see that too much in the Big Ten because every team is dynamic,” Edwards said. “They could run and pass the ball, but TCU played the same way. There were about eight, nine people in the box every single time, but I’m kind of happy that that happened because as a ball carrier and as a skill player, it’s like, ‘How can I adjust from that?’
“When something’s not working or something’s not there for me, what can I do better for myself? Instead of there being small holes that I can hit or big holes that I can hit, what can I do personally? What can we do better, you know?
“And that’s why I’m very grateful for the game, to see what can we do like when there’s nothing that we can do. But at the same time, just protect the ball, get as much as you can get and live with the next play.”
For a player like Edwards, his impact can come in a variety of ways. He and Corum were on the field at the same time for a handful of snaps, and he also caught four passes for 33 yards in the game. Michigan’s offensive development as a team that can do it all is critical.
“We’re going to do what we need to do,” Edwards said. “And if they stop the run, we’re going to rely on the pass. If they’re putting eight people back, we’ll run the ball. But their game plan was to stop No. 2 and No. 7. So they pretty much did and we both didn’t crack a hundred.
“But we rely on everything. We’re that dynamic of a team where we’re relying on the run, the pass, J.J. running, quarterbacks running, receivers getting space to catch the balls or making contested catches. That’s what we’re relying on.”
What’s next for U-M?
The Wolverines are back in action next week against UNLV at Michigan Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
