Michigan football hoping for a continuation of 2022 into 2023 — on most things
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Freight trains don’t stop so easily once they get going. The question entering 2023 is has Michigan football fashioned itself after a freight train?
It will be difficult to gauge because the schedule doesn’t get daunting until the final month of the regular season. But the Wolverines are looking at this new beginning as more of the same.
The maize and blue posted a program-best 13 wins last year, following a year when it tied a best of 12 wins. The plan for 2023 is for 15. In order to do that, the Wolverines will have to do what they did a year ago — go undefeated in the regular season and the Big Ten Championship game — but also fare better in the College Football Playoff, where it has been ousted in the semifinal each of the past two years.
2022 appeared to be an aberration in the postseason — not losing there, that’s become quite a regular happenstance for the team from Ann Arbor — but considering that Michigan was a heavy favorite against TCU, but went home from Phoenix instead of Los Angeles. Fifth-year wide receiver Cornelius Johnson says that the team wants to take the positives from late last season and continue them into this year.
“Just trying to build off last year — the confidence we had in games, and then building that into a new season,” Johnson said. “Obviously, it’s a new season, so, it’s a totally different team. But it’s still stuff that happened and still stuff that’s been put on tape. So you have to build off that tape into this year’s tape.”
In order for the team to evolve to a place where it can thrive in the postseason, it will need to add to its passing attack. That’s the plan this offseason, but we’ve heard plans before, only to see them discarded when some other shiny object is more appealing.
That shiny object for the Wolverines is their running back duo, Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, arguably the best in college football. Michigan leaned hard on both, but injuries stymied them, and the Horned Frogs stalled Edwards, forcing the passing game into action as the maize and blue played from behind.
It’s not just about quarterback J.J. McCarthy — he’ll need help from his receiving corps.
Johnson has taken it upon himself to lead the unit as much as he can. He was not voted a team captain this year but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a role model or a vocal proponent in the wide receiver room. Having elder statesman status as a fifth-year player who arrived in 2019, Johnson is doing everything he can to raise the room up.
“It’s a question about leadership because, for me personally, I will take some guys aside after practice, maybe get some extra catches on the jugs machine or go over some route concepts and try and lead guys in that way,” Johnson said. “And then also eventually just try and lead by example, too — leading myself. I feel like that’s something this year I can take to another level is just leading myself and end up leading each other in the whole receiver room.”
The march to the College Football Playoff begins in earnest on Saturday when Michigan football hosts East Carolina for the 2023 season opener. The game will kick off at noon EDT from The Big House and will be streamed live on Peacock.
