Michigan Football: Five questions for Wolverines in The Game

The matchup we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived: The Game.

Coming into the season, national pundits didn’t think that Michigan football could get to Ohio State week unscathed, as nearly all the major publications and national writers had Michigan as a 10-win team at the very best.

Michigan football has since surpassed that win total, with the win last week against Illinois in a closer-than-expected, nerve-wracking affair.

(I’d call this season much better than expected, no matter the final score on the board at the end of The Game).

The Wolverines didn’t play their best football last week, as they obviously were looking ahead to this week (and dealt with numerous players sidelined due to injury) but neither did Ohio State. Both barely scraped by.

All that matters though this week is that Michigan is 11-0 heading into Columbus, still controls its own destiny, and has a chance to pretty much lock up a CFP playoff berth.

It is going to take a massive effort from all 22 players on offense and defense, as a near-perfect game plan will need to be executed to escape Columbus with a win.

This is the last of the “Five Questions” series for the regular season. Here are five questions that Michigan football needs to answer to beat Ohio State.

Will Blake Corum be healthy enough to play?

I, like all Michigan fans, got very upset and feared the absolute worst when Blake Corum went down in the second quarter against Illinois with a knee injury.

Luckily, Jim Harbaugh said Blake Corum is “structurally good” which is really good news. If nothing else, Blake Corum didn’t suffer a serious injury, which could have knocked him out for the rest of the year and really ranked his draft stock.

Whether Blake Corum actually plays on Saturday remains to be seen, but that is the biggest question mark for Michigan and the Wolverines probably won’t win if Blake Corum doesn’t play.

If I had to guess, I’d say Blake Corum does play on Saturday. He’s been itching to play in this game for months, and unless he’s so injured that he can’t move well, I expect him to play on Saturday.

The number of carries he gets will be something to monitor, but I fully expect Corum to play on Saturday.

Also, getting Donovan Edwards back would be a big help as well.

Edwards was dressed to play against Illinois, but didn’t, probably for precautionary reasons, and if Blake Corum can’t play, or is limited in carries, Donovan will be really important to take the load off.

Also, what Donovan does in the passing game cannot be understated. He might be the best wide receiver on the team (as a running back) at getting open and catching the football, something Michigan sorely missed against Illinois.

Hopefully, Blake is healthy enough to play on Saturday.