Running Backs Coach Mike Hart Praises Haskins And Corum; Talks About Managing The Duo

With the Wolverines' thunder and lightning running back combo having emerged early in the season, both senior Hassan Haskins and sophomore Blake Corum have impressed their position coach

Watching Michigan running backs so far during this campaign, there are two images that come forward on repeat — senior Hassan Haskins running through defenders and sophomore Blake Corum running past defenders.

The duo upon which many are bestowing the classic “thunder and lightning” moniker have very different running styles, but each has impressed running backs coach Mike Hart in their own way.

“You see Hassan, he breaks tackles, he does a great job in short-yardage situations,” Hart said. “We didn’t get the one on the goal line last week, but that wasn’t on him. From that standpoint, he’s doing a great job with short yardage. And with Blake, it’s the big plays. Big plays are huge, and especially when you’re able to pop a few of those runs off it makes it way easier to score touchdowns.”

Each of the pair is built differently, with Haskins being listed five inches taller and twenty pounds heavier than Corum, and Hart’s comments perfectly encapsulate their differences. With Haskins playing the power back role and Corum playing the role of the speedster, Michigan has experienced a lot of success moving the ball on the ground.

Having two backs of Haskins and Corum’s caliber makes that success unsurprising, but what seems more unique is the individual success that each of the pair has had.

Through two games, Corum’s 283 yards and four touchdowns slightly outpace Haskins 225 yards and two touchdowns, but Haskins 112.5 yards per game would be impressive if he were the sole back, much less one element of a two-man system.

The pair each have individual numbers that bely the presence of another workhorse in the backfield, and, while that would not be possible without their dominance on the field, some credit must go to Hart’s talent management.

“There’s certain plays for certain guys going into the week, and they practice that throughout the week,” Hart said. “And then it’s just a feel thing. I played Madden a lot growing up and once a back has a certain amount of carries, they automatically sub them. So, when we run the ball on a twelve-play drive, Hassan’s gotta come out for a little bit. You’ll see it that sometimes Blake starts a series, sometimes Hassan does, Donovan will start a series every now and then. It’s just going with the flow and how you’re feeling, more or less. Just go with your gut. I don’t use analytics for substitutions.”

Analytics aside, Hart takes the decision-making process in determining playing time very seriously.

“You want them to want to be out there, but [making those decisions] is why we coach,” Hart said. “We put them out there in the best situations possible. [...] I just think that as a coach, it’s on me to manage the room. I think that’s the biggest thing when you have a talented room is managing them because everybody is talented and everybody wants to be out there. Right now, they’re all happy, they’re all having success. But when everyone’s not getting that many carries, that’s when you’ve gotta really juggle them and manage them.”

With his embarrassment of riches between Haskins, Corum, and freshman Donovan Edwards, Hart has a unique managerial challenge on his hands. Thus far, though, it seems as if things have gone off without a hitch.

And, as such, he’s feeling good about his group and how they can progress moving forward.

“You see the big plays, you see all those things, but you gotta get down to the details and the intricacies of certain plays and what they’re supposed to do and mistakes made,” Hart said. “They definitely can improve, but they’re doing a great job of what we’re asking them right now.”