Michigan football's Blake Corum named Big Ten RB of the Year; MSU offensive players honored
Michigan football's Blake Corum was named the Big Ten Running Back of the Year as the conference unveiled its offensive end-of-season honorees on Wednesday.
Corum, considered to be on a short list of Heisman Trophy candidates, was third in the Big Ten in rushing yards (1,463; eighth in the nation) and average (121.9) and second in touchdowns (18). The 5-foot-8 junior is also a finalist for the Doak Walker Award for the nation's best running back.
The Wolverines RB was named to the All-Big Ten first team by both the coaches and the media, along with offensive lineman Zak Zinter. Fellow linemen Olu Oluwatimi and Trevor Keegan were named to the coaches' first team. The U-M offense is fifth in the country at 244.5 rushing yards per game and is tied for 17th in the country with 13 sacks allowed this season.
BIG TEN TITLE GAME:How Ohio State prep has helped 'confident' Michigan football vs. Purdue
Oluwatimi, Keegan and quarterback J.J. McCarthy were named to the media's second team while offensive tackle Ryan Hayes and wide receiver Ronnie Bell were third-team selections. In his first year as starting quarterback, McCarthy threw for 2,215 yards, 17 touchdowns and only two interceptions. His favorite target was Bell, also on the coaches' third team, who has 51 receptions for 687 yards and two TDs through 12 games.
Tight end Luke Schoonmaker made the coaches' third team and the fifth starting offensive lineman, Karsen Barnhart, was among the honorable mention. Both were on honorable mention for the media.
Michigan State football was not without accolades for offense. Wide receiver Jayden Reed, who was on the third team for special teams, was named to the second team for offense by the coaches and honorable mention by the media. The senior had 55 catches for 636 yards and five touchdowns.
ANDREW HAMMOND:What does a win (or a loss) do to Michigan's College Football Playoff hopes
But the leader in those three categories for MSU was Keon Coleman. The sophomore had 58 grabs for 798 yards and seven TDs and was named to the third team by the media and honorable mention by the coaches.
Offensive linemen J.D. Duplain and Nick Samac were named to both groups' honorable mention.
The Big Ten honored defensive and special team players Tuesday, along with naming U-M's Jim Harbaugh as the conference's coach of the year.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football's Blake Corum: Big Ten Running Back of the Year
