After enduring back-to-back losses in the College Football Playoff semifinals, the Michigan Wolverines have a burning desire to avoid complacency and comfort this season. And leading the charge is their star player, Blake Corum.
In an exclusive conversation with On3, Corum shed light on how Michigan remains focused and driven week after week.
“You know, we just don’t get big heads, man,” Corum told On3. “When you start to get a big head, that’s when you think you’re the stuff, that’s when you start to lose, you don’t work as hard, you’re full, you’re not hungry. And that’s not us. We feel like we haven’t really accomplished anything, you know, because honestly, we haven’t."
“We won the Big Ten twice but, you know, at the end of the day, you know, are you gonna be remembered for the Big Ten or do you remember who won the national championship?”
This Michigan team has a clear objective: to conquer each week's challenges and make it to the championship.
“We’re hungry, hungrier than ever and honestly, this is what we do, you know, saying we’re never satisfied,” Corum said. “We’re always trying to get better. I’m just trying to find how we can get better, watch a lot of film and just always critiquing ourselves.
“You could have a good game, but basically, we’re gonna find all the bad in that game and fix it. So, you know, that’s how you know we stay hungry and humble at the same time.”
While the memories of past playoff disappointments linger, Corum and his teammates refuse to dwell on them.
”It was definitely in the back of our mind throughout the summer, but it’s a new season now so we don’t look back at those losses,” Corum said. “You know, we feel like we’ve already learned from them. Obviously they will stay in the back of your mind but we don’t necessarily talk about it."
“We knew what we had to fix after both of those games, especially with the latest one to TCU, so you know we focused on that this summer. But since it’s a new season, it’s a new us, new players came in. So that’s what we’re focusing on right now. Taking it one day at a time, one game at a time. And, you know, just give it our all and see how the season plays out.”
The hunger for a national title fuels the Michigan Wolverines, and with Blake Corum leading the way in what is likely to be his last season with Michigan, they are bound to have a successful ride.
