U-M on ‘happy ride’ after 1st 10-0 start since ’06

Published

3 years ago

November 13, 2022

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8:34 PM ET

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — With Michigan‘s 34-3 win over Nebraska on Saturday, the Wolverines have started the season 10-0 for just the third time since 1975.

The last time Michigan was undefeated through its first 10 games was 2006 under Lloyd Carr, and before that was 1997, when the team won the national championship along with the Huskers.

It’s a long way from where the Wolverines were after the 2020 season, after they went 2-4 and there were questions of whether or not Jim Harbaugh would continue coaching at Michigan.

“Just going 1-0, that’s what we’re trying to do each week. Really proud, I’m really proud of the team. I mean, the players are the ones that deserve the most credit,” Harbaugh said after the game. “I mean, they’ve worked so darn hard and it’s such a real tight-knit group, it’s fun. It’s a joyful, happy ride that we’re on.

“It’s a mission but it’s a happy mission. Not one that has any anxiety or any anger or any kind of fear to it. It’s a happy ride.”

Harbaugh guided the Wolverines to a 11-1 record in 2021, losing to Michigan State, and a Big Ten championship win over Iowa. Michigan was able to avenge that loss to the Spartans this season and is now on a collision course with rival Ohio State. It could be the first time the teams are both undefeated for The Game since 2006, when Ohio State was ranked No. 1 and Michigan No. 2.

The Wolverines have to play Illinois first, and Ohio State will play Maryland before the Nov. 26 matchup in Columbus, and Michigan isn’t looking past the Illini just yet.

For the Wolverines, there are still questions on offense surrounding the pass game, but a big part of the team’s success has been on the ground with running back Blake Corum. The junior back had 162 yards and a touchdown against the Huskers and is just the third Big Ten player over the past 15 seasons to run for at least one touchdown in each of his team’s first 10 games.

Corum has had seven straight games with 100 or more rush yards and a touchdown, which is the longest streak by a Michigan player over the past 25 years. He had 28 attempts in the game against Nebraska, and despite the heavy workload, Corum says he’s more than capable of continuing through the last two games.

“I could play a whole another season. No, but, you know, I’m good, I’m feeling great,” Corum said. “I feel that I just continue to get better. You know, I treat my body really good.”

Corum’s longest run on the day was just 12 yards, but he still managed to average 5.8 yards per carry and gave credit to the entire offense for the success on the ground. “They’re definitely packing the box, 100%. but I have the best offensive line in the country. They dominate up front, my tight ends dominate, receivers dominate, so when everyone’s dominating, it allows me to have success and find those matchups and just really run hard,” Corum said. “Like today, there was no long ones, but it was gritty. It was gritty for sure. You know, a lot of runs in the middle and a lot of success.”

That success has propelled Michigan to another win and a 10-0 season. It isn’t over yet, and the Wolverines aren’t celebrating, but it has given Harbaugh a chance to reflect on the time and effort his team has put in to turn the program around to get to this point.

“So much hard work has gone into the team being undefeated. So many guys have just done so much, worked so hard,” Harbaugh said. “Some guys have been banged up along the way. So, a lot of hard work has gone in and we want to keep it going. It was important for them to keep this undefeated streak, this win streak going.”

Sports

Rodriguez makes history with another 20-20 year

Published

5 hours ago

August 4, 2025

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Rodriguez makes history with another 20-20 year

ESPN News Services

Aug 3, 2025, 07:04 PM ET

SEATTLE — Julio Rodriguez homered to become the first player in major league history with 20 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases in each of his first four seasons, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Sunday.

Rodriguez hit a two-run shot in the third inning — his 100th career homer — and the slugging and speedy center fielder also added his 21st stolen base of the season after singling in the fifth inning.

“That’s a very big accomplishment,” Rodríguez told reporters, according to MLB.com. “I know my family’s very happy, and I’m sure they’re thinking of all the things I had to do to be able to get here. To be able to do it with this team and this organization is awesome. I’m just excited to see where things are going to go from here.”

Jorge Polanco added a solo shot in the second, and shortstop J.P. Crawford smacked a two-run blast in the fourth against Rangers starter Jacob deGrom (10-4), who became the fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 1,800 career strikeouts by games and innings Sunday.

The Rangers kept things close by pushing across three runs against Mariners starter Logan Evans (5-4), but tallied only one run against the Mariners bullpen before closer Andrés Muñoz locked down his 25th save of the season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sports

Marlins def. Yankees, earn 1st-ever sweep of N.Y.

Published

9 hours ago

August 4, 2025

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Marlins def. Yankees, earn 1st-ever sweep of N.Y.

ESPN News Services

Aug 3, 2025, 04:55 PM ET

MIAMI — Kyle Stowers hit a three-run homer and the Miami Marlins defeated the New York Yankees 7-3 on Sunday, completing their first-ever sweep of the Yankees in a series of three or more games.

The Marlins (55-55) reached .500 for the first time since April 15, when the team was 8-8. Since June 13, the Marlins are 30-14; that’s tied with the 2003 team for the most wins in a 44-game span in franchise history, according to ESPN Research.

The 2003 Marlins went on to beat the Yankees in the World Series in six games.

Marlins starter Edward Cabrera (5-5) pitched six innings of two-hit ball with seven strikeouts and one walk. His only blemish came against the first batter he faced. Trent Grisham drove Cabrera’s 98.1 mph four-seam fastball to right-center.

Miami rookie Jakob Marsee, who made his major league debut on Friday, was 2-for-4 and finished a single short of the cycle.

Stowers made it 6-1 when he connected on an 0-2 fastball from Brent Headrick, who entered in the fourth with two on after starter Luis Gil (0-1) was lifted 3⅓ innings into his season debut.

Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, struck out three and surrendered five runs and five hits while issuing four walks in his return from a high-grade lat strain. He threw 77 pitches.

Gil’s shaky debut comes at a rough point in the season for the Yankees, whose inconsistency has prompted a rash of criticism, the latest coming from former Yankees stars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez on Fox’s pregame show Saturday night.

“They make way too many mistakes,” Jeter said. “Way too many mistakes, and you can’t get away with making that number of mistakes against great teams.”

Added Rodriguez: “Where’s the accountability?”

Boone addressed those criticisms before Sunday’s game, saying it comes with the territory of being the Yankees, but he added after the loss that it’s “gut-check” time for his club.

New York’s weekend series at Miami included the Yankees blowing a six-run lead in a wild 13-12 loss on Friday, before a 2-0 loss on Saturday.

The Yankees had a seven-game lead in the AL East in late May. By July 2, the lead was gone and the Yankees have been looking up at Toronto in the division ever since. The red-hot Boston Red Sox, who were more than 10 games behind the Yankees about two months ago, have overtaken their rival for the second spot in the AL East and AL wild-card lead.

“It’s getting late,” Boone said. “And it’s certainly not too late for us. I am confident that we’re going to get it together. But that’s all it is right now is, you know, it’s empty until we start doing it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.