Michigan has areas it must improve, but a star to lead the way

By Bryan Fischer
FOX Sports College Football Writer

There’s something to be said for winning your clunkers in college football. In the case of No. 4 Michigan, it said a little more than the team would have wanted.

The Wolverines edged Maryland on Saturday afternoon by an all-too-deceiving final score of 34-27. It was a performance that belied the number next to the home team’s name at the Big House in Ann Arbor and did plenty to underscore that the reigning Big Ten champions are a work in progress this early in the season.

Still, winning ugly will beat the alternative every day of the week in a sport that is overly and overtly punishing for every little slip-up.

Make no mistake, Michigan staggered in its first major test of the season, even if it wasn’t a full-on stumble to open league play. The Wolverines trailed for the first time all year and were unable to get a passing game going down the field. Drives fizzled. The defense allowed three consecutive scores to open the game and was chasing Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa all day when not giving up chunk play after chunk play.

We were all wondering what would happen after a tissue-soft non-conference slate had the Wolverines in the College Football Playoff hunt. Now we have a better idea about where they stand in relation to the elite sides down in Georgia and Alabama.

The good news for Jim Harbaugh & Co. is that they’re 4-0 and moving on to their first road test of the year against Iowa next week.

The better news for the maize and blue is that the school’s support staff may have themselves a budding Heisman Trophy campaign to run, too.

That is courtesy of junior Blake Corum, who not only saved the team with an incredible performance but also looks like a tailback who is a problem for the rest of the Big Ten moving forward. In a day and age where it seems as if everybody in the backfield specializes in something, his ability to bounce it outside and take it to the house as easily as he can run between the tackles for tough yards will be appreciated far beyond the Michigan offensive staff.

Corum’s 243 yards on the ground were the most by a player in a Wolverines uniform since 2010, and the first time a player rushed for over two bills since 2017. Not too shabby for a kid who went to high school just up the road from the Terps.

"This guy was a stud today," Harbaugh told Jenny Taft on FOX after the game. "He’s the consummate worker, team guy all the way."

Indeed, a team-saver on Saturday with both of his stellar touchdown runs, the first of which came on fourth down after he smartly bounced it outside and out-ran the Terps' defense. He later flashed the speed again on a 47-yard scamper along the sideline that iced the win with 2:24 left.

Corum’s emergence as a threat on every touch is beneficial in more ways than just racking up yards. Mostly, it allows for continued patience with quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The sophomore signal-caller seemed off for most of the game, finishing 18-for-26 for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Despite those decent numbers, he continued to sail balls long, missed on several third-down conversion attempts over the middle and was largely contained inside the pocket and unable to show off his dual-threat skills. 

That’s not to say there were no silver linings from the outing. A 49-yard strike to wideout Ronnie Bell with just over eight minutes to go prompted a big fist pump from Harbaugh and set up Corum’s game-winner three plays later. 

Still, McCarthy and the Wolverines know they’ll have to be better as the competition level ramps up moving forward.

And that’s no slight to the visitors, who continue to show progress in Mike Locksley’s long rebuild in College Park. Maryland was 0-28 against ranked Big Ten teams since joining the conference, allowing 44.3 points per game with a cumulative -39 turnover margin coming into Saturday. 

Against Michigan, the Terps showed they were, if not quite equals, at least extremely competitive. That’s a tangible development for a program hoping to make more noise than simply going to a bowl game in 2022. 

The Wolverines are in a much different position, with far higher aspirations. After making the playoff last year and winning the Big Ten, a new standard has been set around town and the maize and blue are intent on proving to the rest of the college football world that last season was no fluke.

Sneaking past Maryland won’t help prove that case in the short term, but there’s still something to be said for adding to the win column and keeping the right side unblemished.

Win enough of those clunkers, get better because of them, and you should be sitting right where you need to come December.

Additional takeaways from a wild slate in college football: 

Bo Knows in wild Oregon comeback

There was a point in No. 15 Oregon's 44-41 win over Washington State where you were left wondering how the Cougars were unranked. The home side had a 12-point lead as time wound down under five minutes, and the win probability percentages were hovering in the 95th percentile. Head coach Jake Dickert already had a few signature victories on his résumé, but appeared to be on the verge of another …

Then Bo Nix'd it all.

The always embattled quarterback for the Ducks went full superhuman down the stretch against Wazzu to pull out an improbable win and keep his team in the running for much more than regional glory. Bouncing back from an early pick-six, he finished the afternoon with a career-high 428 yards and three touchdowns. Ten different receivers wound up catching a pass (so did Nix, for 18 yards) and the success in the passing game opened things up underneath for Oregon to rush for nearly six yards per carry.

It was a gutting loss for those on the Palouse, but also more of a statement of toughness for new coach Dan Lanning and his veteran quarterback. Nix made the move West hoping for a fresh start, and he has made the most of it outside of that no-show against old rival Georgia to open the year. Oregon is now 3-1 and ranked in the top 15 with back-to-back wins over two solid teams.

The signal-caller has been the difference-maker through it all, flipping a switch after a bad play or two and somehow figuring it all out even as the pressure keeps building. It makes you wonder just what the ceiling is for a squad that has plenty of talent around their QB and should be 5-1 before hosting UCLA in late October. Win that one and a closing kick against No. 18 Washington and No. 13 Utah (both at Autzen) might be a defining stretch in the Pac-12 race come November. 

Nix is far from perfect — no game of his is ever boring as a result — but he also has that extra bit of moxie that Oregon has lacked the past two years when it matters most. Bo knows something about that and proved it again against Washington State.

It's time to rank Kansas

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to rank Kansas. 

In football.

The Jayhawks moved to 4-0 for the first time since 2009 by beating Duke 35-27 and unleashed a cathartic field storming in Lawrence. The win signaled that Kansas has shed its reputation as everybody's favorite homecoming opponent now that Lance Leipold is in charge. Scoff if you want, but this team is for real. 

Much of the credit goes to quarterback Jalon Daniels, who could start appearing on Heisman lists moving forward. He threw for 324 yards and four touchdowns against a previously stout Blue Devils defense, leading the team in rushing with 83 yards and another score for good measure. Remarkably, it was just the second time since Mark Mangino left town in 2009 that KU had passed for at least four touchdowns in a game.

It's far from a one-man show either at Kansas. Running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. was averaging more than six yards per carry coming into the day and had the highlight to exemplify just how dangerous this offense is by bouncing off of six tackles to take a short pass 73 yards to the end zone.

Pushover no more, it's pretty clear by now that this group is truly a tough out on the schedule for the rest of the Big 12 moving forward. Perhaps even a ranked one when Iowa State rolls into town, too.

Tennessee takes a step toward challenging Georgia

"How much fun is this?" Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said post-game after beating Florida by a not-at-all-that-close score of 38-33.

The short answer: very. 

There are a handful of programs interwoven into the fabric of college football that, for the sport to truly hit the high notes, need to at least be halfway decent. The Vols are one such program based on their history and — after several decades in the wilderness — might be on their way back to national relevance after beating the Gators at a rocking Neyland Stadium. 

How good? That is yet to be determined, especially after allowing two late touchdowns to nearly blow the entire thing. But these Vols are undeniably fun. Football is about entertainment after all and the checker-boarded orange and white bring that in spades every single week. They throw it long, dial it up in key situations and always seem to raise an eyebrow or two in the second half. 

Much of this success comes down to quarterback Hendon Hooker, who was nearly flawless against UF with 349 yards and two touchdowns while leading the team in rushing (112 yards, one score). He still hasn't thrown an interception and is one cool customer back in the pocket. Just as impressive, he's quickly gotten on the same page as USC transfer wideout Bru McCoy — who isn't even the team's best receiver. 

The best (only?) hope of knocking off No. 1 Georgia's jaunt to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. It is firmly Tennessee after exiting Week 4. 

Clemson survives amid more questions about the Tigers

Dabo Swinney is a stubborn head coach. Given a little truth serum or caught in the right mood, he might admit as much on the record.

That stubbornness in running the program at Clemson may actually have paid off on Saturday when it comes to the much-maligned Tigers' offense, however. Despite calls from fans and critics alike to pull starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei in favor of five-star freshman Cade Klubnik, the veteran signal-caller delivered in a big way against Wake Forest during a 51-45 double overtime shootout that won't soon be forgotten by either side. 

On top of rushing for 52 yards, Uiagalelei threw for 371 yards and five touchdowns, breathing some life into a passing game that really hasn't clicked in nearly two years. Most encouraging for the Tigers were the repeated shots down the field, eschewing the typical screen game and high-percentage slants for a much more attacking mindset.

Of course, the Demon Deacons' defense had something to do with that — and they may have actually been the better of the two units in Winston-Salem after repeated miscues by the Clemson secondary. 

Sam Hartman likewise took advantage of all the soft coverage, going an efficient 20-for-29 for 337 yards and school-record six touchdowns. It was an incredible performance that came up just short after his own side couldn't quite come up with a stop late.

"We'll get this defense fixed," Swinney said after the game. "This offense, all the big plays, they never flinched. That's what it's all about, I'm really proud of them. They grew up a little bit tonight."

As encouraging as the breakout performance was on that side of the ball, Swinney had better hope the defensive effort was simply the case of Hartman being otherworldly yet again. The slow mesh continued to confuse Clemson defenders on pretty much every snap and had their back seven often misaligned. In the trenches, the strength of the team, they only really got going in the final few drives, stepping up big time with a sack near midfield that contributed to the game going to overtime.

Either way, the outing underscored once again how phony that No. 5 ranking is for the Tigers. At no point has the team looked like a real College Football Playoff contender, and concerns on both sides of the ball have only increased as the team has taken on injuries as the season has progressed. At this point, it's not winning that is keeping Clemson near the top of the polls but an unearned reputation from yesteryear and a series of smoke and mirrors against overmatched opposition.

The bright side for Swinney is that it might not even matter that much. The Tigers host an uneven N.C. State team next and a win could all but lock up a division title almost a month before Halloween. Contending beyond the ACC though? A lot more will need to get fixed around Death Valley before that will be the case.

The $15 million fumble?

FOX Sports Insider Bruce Feldman reported on Big Noon Kickoff that Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin could be fired if his team were to lose to Missouri at Jordan-Hare on Saturday.

Harsin may still have a job come Sunday and, if so, he can thank his lucky stars that's the case after Auburn narrowly beat Missouri 17-14 in overtime. Narrowly might not even do the result justice either in a game that lived up to the phrase, "snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat."

Following a quick start in which Auburn ran it with ease, new starting quarterback Robby Ashford and the rest of the offense shifted fully into neutral the rest of the afternoon. The home team managed just two sustained drives until overtime, going three-and-out just as often as they found a way to move past the sticks. Labeling it bad simply doesn't do it justice, as Auburn and Missouri traded 12 consecutive punts at one point. 

That string of stink was broken up only when Harsin declined a go-ahead field-goal attempt late in a tie game. Auburn was promptly stuffed, and Mizzou drove 62 yards in nine plays to set up what should have been the final nail in the opposing coach's coffin. Yet Harrison Mevis hooked the 26-yarder and instead sent the game into overtime. 

After Anders Carlson responded with a 39-yarder in the first go-around in overtime, a Missouri touchdown would have won the game. That almost happened too, had it not been for Nathaniel Peat reaching out for the goal line and fumbling. Auburn recovered in the end zone and escaped with a win.

Harsin could escape with his job title intact for another weekend as result. Given his buyout is in the neighborhood of $15 million, that was one lucrative (or expensive, depending on how you look at it) way to win a football game. 

Only in college football. 

Read more:

- Top plays from Week 4: Michigan edges Maryland, Clemson wins thriller

- CFP, Heisman and other predictions from FOX Sports staff 

- Can anyone challenge Michigan, Ohio State in Big Ten?

- Pac-12 is back in the spotlight, for all the right reasons

Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.