Big Ten Daily (Jan. 8): Blake Corum Sends Message to Michigan Haters
If you're still hating on Michigan heading into Monday night's National Championship Game, senior running back Blake Corum has a message for you. He says anyone still critical of the Wolverines is "wasting their breath."
Corum joined Robert Griffin III's RGIII and The Ones podcast a few days before No. 1 Michigan (14-0) plays No. 2 Washington (14-0) for the national title. The running back says Michigan has met every challenge necessary to prove it's the best team in the country.
“What are you going to say now,” said Corum. “You go back and say with everything — the sign-stealing, whatever you want to call it — boom. After that happened, people got fired. We played Penn State, we played Ohio State, we played Iowa, We played Alabama. What else do y’all want?”
Ever since the sign-stealing scandal surfaced during the season, Michigan has been viewed has one of the most hated teams in college football. But that criticism hasn't slowed the Wolverines down at all.
Michigan owns a 14-0 record and defeated No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl Game. Despite all the negativity surrounding the program, the Wolverines have an opportunity to show they're the best team in the sport.
“We’ve proven a point. We’re a good team,” Corum said. “With all the stuff that’s going on, we’re a good team. So we went through a lot of adversity this year, but to everyone who said we shouldn’t be in the natty, or they shouldn’t have been allowed to be in the College Football Playoff. What are you going to say now? You’re just wasting your breath at this point.”
To Corum's point, Michigan has met every challenge thrown its way this season. Remaining undefeated and reaching the National Championship Game is no easy task.
But because of the sign-stealing scandal, there will always be people who doubt the legitimacy of Michigan's success in 2023.
Boo Buie Gets First Double-Double
Take a bow, Boo Buie. The Northwestern senior guard posted the first double-double of his career on Sunday, and it paid off in a big way for the Wildcats.
Northwestern defeated Michigan State 88-74, improving to 2-1 in Big Ten play and 11-3 overall. Buie was phenomenal, scoring 19 points and dishing out 10 assists in the victory.
"I mean, what do you say about Boo? 19 points, 10 assists, no turnovers in a high-level game against a veteran backcourt that's pressuring. Guys are holding him, grabbing him, pushing him the whole night," Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. "He just fights through it and he keeps his composure and he plays hard and he plays right. I thought he was fantastic."
Considering how much success Buie has had in Evanston, it is a tad surprising that he hadn't recorded a double-double earlier in his career. But it made Saturday's win over the Spartans even more special.
Buie didn't sink Michigan State himself. All five of Northwestern's starters hit double digits in the win. Ty Berry led the way with 22 points and Brooks Barnhizer added 16. Ryan Langborg scored 12 and Luke Hunger finished the game with 10.
Dana Holgorsen to Nebraska?
Nebraska could be adding a veteran coach to its staff ahead of the 2024 season. Per 247Sports' Matt Zenitz, the Huskers are in conversations with former Houston and West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen.
It's not clear what role Holgorsen would fill on Nebraska's staff.
Holgorsen has been a head coach since the 2011 season, starting at West Virginia. He was the leader of the Mountaineers through 2018, then took the job at Houston.
After a 4-8 campaign in 2023, Houston opted to part ways with Holgorsen after five seasons. The Cougars posted records above .500 just twice in that span.
Overall, Holgorsen owns a 92-69 record as a coach. He has led his teams to 10 bowl games and has finished ranked in the Associated Press top-25 four times.
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- BIG TEN NETWORK CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE: The Big Ten Network will have special, on-site coverage of Michigan's National Championship Game appearance this weekend. The network released its full schedule earlier this week. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA BEATS OHIO STATE: The Hoosiers might've been outrebounded, but they halted an ugly trend in Saturday's victory over the Buckeyes. CLICK HERE