tavierre dunlap

Previously: The Story. Quarterback.

RUNNING BACK: RUN IT BACK

[Bolded player rules: not necessarily returning starter, but someone we've seen enough of that I'm no longer talking about their recruiting profile (much, anyway). Extant contributor.]

RATING: 5

There is no greater "Everything's coming up Milhous!" moment in recent Michigan football history than Blake Corum busting his knee the week before the Ohio State game, still beating Ohio State as a one-handed Donovan Edwards becomes a national star, and then getting Blake Goddamn Corum back for his senior season largely because he didn't win the Heisman on account of the knee.

Remember the days when Michigan couldn't find a running back capable of running through a dizzy toddler? Now we are entering the third straight season where the #2 guy would start on all but ~5 football teams in the country. In fact, if you take Dane Brugler's word for it the number of teams not named "Michigan" on which Donovan Edwards would not start is one: Wisconsin. His NFL draft rankings have Corum 1, Braelon Allen 2, and Edwards 3. Maybe there's a sophomore out there on Alabama or something, but: nah. This is the best backfield in America, and it's not real close.

What say you now, Mike Hart haters? Probably "bur bur bur bur duhhhhh." Get wrecked. Like opposition run defenses.

IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED

Last year's preview was rapturous about BLAKE CORUM. Perhaps never in the history of his preview series has a player been so thoroughly hyped:

ATTENTION MEDIA: did you know that Fred Jackson rejoined the Michigan football program this offseason? He's an analyst or somesuch. He's in the building. He is there for you, the quote-gathering media, to sidle up next to. Once you've sidled real good you can say "hey" or "psst," preferably in a large group. And then you can do this.

Anyway. BLAKE CORUM is the light and the truth. … Corum should push for All-American honors but probably end up behind at least a couple of the Henderson/Robinson/Vaughn trio when it comes to big honors.

This take was, somehow, pessimistic.

[AFTER THE JUMP: mea culpa]

Michigan Football takes the field in front of an audience for the first time in calendar 2023 tomorrow, with a pair of teams drawn up from the roster competing in the annual spring game. Last year was a humorous affair, perhaps best remembered for Jim Harbaugh playing the role of referee... I have not seen any indication if that will happen again (Darrius Clemons whipping out the phone was another highlight). Regardless of whether we get any more borderline meme-able moments, there is plenty to learn despite this being coined by some as the most boring spring in recent Michigan Football memory. Just like last season, we've got seven storylines to watch for tomorrow: 

1.) IS AMORION WALKER GOD REINCARNATE?

Perhaps the only "hole" on the roster is at the 2nd outside corner spot after Michigan was unable to keep either Gemon Green or DJ Turner II away from the NFL and then couldn't land their top target in the transfer portal. If you buy the spring chatter, then those results are A-OK because Amorion Walker is the answer we've been looking for. The lanky wide receiver turned corner had interest from Alabama in the recruiting process as a DB, so there is some background, and the program has labeled him an athletic freak (T-Minus five months until Bruce Feldman gets word). Still, we, the viewing public, haven't seen him play much corner in his time at Michigan, a snap here or there last fall but that was it. The spring game will be his big introduction. 

Walker isn't the only corner worth watching, but he's the guy we've heard the most about. Will Johnson and Mike Sainristil have starting spots locked up and then there's a group of players who we went into the offseason wondering about. Walker has emerged as the player getting the hype but I will have my eyes out for Ja'Den McBurrows as well, in addition to Myles Pollard or any other of the young DBs. Michigan's roster is not exactly loaded at WR (more on that later), but there are several strong starters who we have a good reading on; any reps that Walker/McBurrows/Pollard take against Cornelius Johnson or Roman Wilson will be worth paying attention to. 

[Bryan Fuller]

2.) The depth RB rotation

Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards are not likely to play much, if at all (Corum is not available) tomorrow, meaning that we'll get a healthy dose of the reserve RBs and a read out on who could be getting the third and fourth string carries. CJ Stokes enters as the "incumbent", but his usage was greatly limited as a true freshman in 2022. Now with a full offseason to polish his game and get stronger, we'll get a good look at sophomore Stokes and whether he's in line for a larger role in 2023. He's been getting some positive buzz in the spring chatter and while his role will obviously be limited in the regular season with the quality of the two players ahed of him, Stokes has a lot to prove about not just this upcoming season, but his long term future on the RB depth chart with talented players younger than him in the program or on the way. 

The same could be said about Tavierre Dunlap, a back who is a year older than Stokes. After arriving in the 2021 recruiting class as a burlier complement to Edwards, Dunlap has seldom seen the field as a running back at Michigan. He carried the ball seven times over two games in '21 and then got nine carries in '22, appearing on special teams quite a bit more. There hasn't been a lot of momentum for him in his Michigan career and it probably wasn't a great sign that Kalel Mullings was the preferred mooseback when he wasn't needed for LB depth. If Dunlap wants a role in those sorts of situations this season, spring is a good place to start (the same could be said for Stokes too). 

The spring game also represents an opportunity to get a glimpse of freshmen early enrollees Cole Cabana and Benjamin Hall, depending on how much they play (there are rumors that Cabana is injured). Hall is likely in the same bucket as Dunlap in terms of competing for whatever few short yardage opportunities exist this season, though in all likelihood, he will be relegated to garbage time. Cabana could have an AJ Henning style gadget role as a true freshman as a receiver out of the backfield and his usage in the spring game is thus of interest, if Cabana plays (again, don't know if he will). 

[AFTER THE JUMP: More storylines!] 

FORMATION NOTES: Nebraska is primarily a 3-4, which meant the usual duo maulings looked a bit different; Michigan largely went off tackle instead of up the gut, with a few exceptions. Nebraska's usual approach:

You see an OLB flexed over the slot and then a standup DE/OLB sort (Garrett Nelson, who popped out as by far their best player). This is a seven man front from them in my charting, as I count the overhang guy but not the cornerback and the safety is at about ten yards. Borderline—S creeps down a little further and I'll put 7.5 in.

Later in the game Nebraska upped the beef, bringing in a full eight-man front:

This helped a bit, but only a bit.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Keegan and Schoonmaker were out. Hayes/El-Hadi/Oluwatimi/Zinter/Barnhart at OL, with Trente Jones getting the last drive. TE was a ton of Loveland and Honigford, somewhat less Bredeson, and a Hibner cameo. Edwards only got two carries after taking a big hit on his first one, which led to way more Corum than normal and then some not-quite garbage time for Stokes, Dunlap, and Gash.

[After THE JUMP: thump thump thump after the jump jump jump]