Latest news with #BlakeCorum
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rams QB Stetson Bennett pops off in first game of 2025, his best as a pro
Stetson Bennett kicked off 2025 with a great start. The former 2023 fourth-round pick out of Georgia led five scoring drives for the Rams, including two fourth-quarter touchdown passes. Bennett finished the game with 188 passing yards for two passing touchdowns on 16-of-24 attempts in the 31-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Bennett led the Rams on two touchdown drives to open the game (both of which ended in Blake Corum rushing scores) before the Rams added a field goal in the third quarter. He finally got the board himself with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Cody Schrader early in the fourth quarter before tossing a five-yarder to Brennan Presley in the subsequent drive. The beginning of Bennett's night was a good indication of how he'd fare on the field. In the first drive, he completed 5-of-7 passes for 75 yards, including a sensational fourth-down pass to receiver Xavier Smith to put the Rams in the red zone and set up Corum's first rushing score. He then led a 13-play, 64-yard drive on the second possession that ended with another Corum touchdown. Bennett completed 4-of-6 passes for 29 yards. Bennett didn't have a great start to the second half. He threw an interception to Cowboys defensive back Israel Mukuamu on a deep shot downfield. But, to Bennett's credit, the interception was more of an impressive play on the ball by Mukuamu than a bad throw by Bennett. The follow-up was encouraging, too. Bennett led a field goal drive immediately after throwing the pick followed by both of his touchdown pass drives. Overall, this was a great confidence-boosting game for Bennett. He looked to have complete control of Sean McVay's offense, hitting receivers at different levels of the field and scoring touchdowns. This is the type of player the Rams hoped they'd see at some point after drafting him. And it'll be good tape for McVay and the team to evaluate when deciding his future in 2026 and beyond. This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams preseason: Stetson Bennett pops off in first game of 2025
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rams vs. Cowboys preseason takeaways: Blake Corum ready for larger role
The Rams defeated the Dallas Cowboys 31-21 in their preseason opener on Saturday at SoFi Stadium. Here are some takeaways from the game: Blake Corum shows what he can do With Kyren Williams carrying the ball 316 times last season, Corum got only limited opportunity as a rookie. The former Michigan star could help shoulder more of the load if the Rams want to keep Williams — their newly minted $23-million investment — fresh for the long haul. While it was something of a surprise when coach Sean McVay said Corum would play in the preseason opener, Corum responded by rushing for 32 yards and two touchdowns in nine carries. Rookie Jarquez Hunter rushed for 41 yards in 11 carries, including an 11-yard gain on a third-and-five play in the third quarter. Schrader rushed for 59 yards in five carries, including one for a 25-yard gain, and caught a touchdown pass. Quarterback Stetson Bennett leads four touchdown drives Bennett went into the game after playing with extreme confidence during training camp and a joint practice with the Cowboys. It showed at times Saturday — he delivered a perfectly placed fourth-down pass to Xavier Smith along the left sideline in the first quarter, and also scrambled for a first down — and avoided momentum-changing miscues. Bennett completed 16 of 24 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, including a nine-yard pass to running back Cody Schrader and a five-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brennan Presley. Bennett's long pass attempt to rookie receiver Konata Mumpfield in the third quarter was picked off by safety Israel Mukuamu. Bennett, who rushed for 11 yards in three carries, will start next Saturday against the Chargers. Josaiah Stewart took a step toward joining the edge-rusher rotation Early in the second quarter, Stewart came off the left edge and sacked quarterback Joe Milton for an eight-yard loss. Starters Jared Verse and Byron Young, watching from the sideline, were no doubt elated. Stewart, a third-round draft pick from Michigan, adds another element to an ascending pass rush. Linebacker Chris 'Pooh' Paul showed leadership capability Paul, a fifth-round draft pick from Mississippi, started and called defensive signals. Paul made five tackles. Shaun Dolac, an undrafted free agent from Buffalo, also started at linebacker and made seven tackles. Cornerback Cam Lampkin made the catch of the day in the third quarter when he intercepted a long pass in the end zone. Read more: Kyren Williams agrees to a three-year contract extension with the Rams Kicker Joshua Karty and punter Ethan Evans look ready Karty, a second-year pro, kicked a 37-yard field goal and made four extra-point attempts. Evans punted twice, one kick traveling 81 yards. Matthew Stafford watches after completing morning workout Stafford, who has not practiced because of a back issue, went through his first passing workout at the Rams' Woodland Hills facility as scheduled, a Rams official said. McVay has said that Stafford would begin practicing with the team this week, though he will not participate in a joint practice with the Chargers. Stafford, 37, is preparing for his 17th NFL season. He is working through an aggravated disc issue, for which he received an epidural injection. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
USA Today
24-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Max Bredeson says Michigan's offense is hungry to overcome 2024 woes in 2025 season
There's a reason why many pundits have become detractors of Michigan football entering 2025, and that's due to the offensive side of the ball falling off a cliff after the 2023 national championship season. With the starting offensive line, quarterback, starting wide receivers, and running back Blake Corum all gone to the NFL, the offense struggled to get much of anything going last year. So, it stands to reason that many don't anticipate that it will be an easy fix, even with Chip Lindsey and Bryce Underwood coming aboard. Though a new offensive coordinator and star quarterback, respectively, should help the Wolverines become much more proficient on that side of the ball, fullback Max Bredeson sees other things that are going right for the offense. At Big Ten media days in Las Vegas, Bredeson says that the results of 2024 are helping drive the team so that last year's struggles don't happen again. "A lot of reasons," Bredeson said. "The running backs are unbelievable. But it's just, you go position to position, I think the biggest thing isn't just about guys, it's just about a hunger. It has more to do with how hard you're playing than it has to do with X's and O's. I think it's just because of what happened last year. You'll see a better outcome this time." It's an awfully familiar sentiment to 2021. At Big Ten media days that year, Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Ross both insisted that they could not let the 2-4 2020 campaign recur. Given that the Wolverines finished strong, primarily defensively, that's giving the maize and blue some confidence, even offensively. Because they're striving harder, knowing that they have to be better than 2024. With that in mind, the offense is eager to prove it can have a quick turnaround after a down season. "You don't wanna sit there and beat yourself up about what happened," Bredeson said. "But at the same time, if things go wrong, you're able to kind of remind yourself, hey, this happened, there is no room for just to let this one slide." There's a lot to wonder about, not just the quarterback. Given that there are unproven wide receivers and that offensive line was a weak point last year, we'll have to see if all of the above groups strive to become better, as Bredeson, beyond the scheme or game plans. Michigan is set to start fall camp on July 30 with eyes on the 2025 season opener against New Mexico on August 30.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Michigan WR Makes Feelings Clear About Bryce Underwood Before 2025 Season
Michigan WR Makes Feelings Clear About Bryce Underwood Before 2025 Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports. With the arrival of true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, the top-ranked prospect in the class of 2025, the Michigan Wolverines are looking to get back in the national championship conversation. After winning it all in 2023, the program's first national title in more than 25 years, "Big Blue" took a step back last season, finishing with an 8-5 record and seventh in the Big Ten standings. Advertisement Michigan struggled with the departures of quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running back Blake Corum. Last year, the Wolverines finished 131st in passing yards (129.1 yards per game) and 73rd in rushing yards (157.2). Underwood was a last-minute addition to Michigan's recruiting class as he decommitted from LSU before committing to the Big Ten powerhouse. Landing Underwood delivered a successful recruiting cycle for the Wolverines. Not only did they land the five-star quarterback prospect, but Michigan secured another five-star addition in offensive tackle Andrew Babalola. On3 slotted Michigan sixth in their 2025 recruiting rankings. Advertisement The Wolverines appear to be reinvigorated as evidenced by the outlook shared by wide receiver Channing Goodwin on Monday. 'Bryce has come in, done a great job early enrolling from high school,' Goodwin said via The Wolverine's Clayton Sayfie. 'He's blessed with all the physical traits, and he just keeps on progressing each and every day in practice going against our great defense. He's been great so far.' Underwood has yet to be named the starter officially by Michigan's coaching staff; however, he is seen as the favorite to earn that role. Bryce Underwood throws at spring practice.© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images When asked about his and the team's goals for the upcoming season, Goodwin seems to believe the sky is the limit. Advertisement 'Coming into this year, we want to just win,' Goodwin said. 'That's the main thing on our mind — go out there, win every game and just hold ourselves to that Michigan standard, for real. That's the biggest thing as a team. We just want to go out there and compete, win and achieve all of our goals.' Goodwin joined the program in 2024 and took a redshirt year. A former three-star recruit, he committed to Michigan over offers from NC State, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, North Carolina and many more schools. Michigan begins the season at home against the New Mexico Lobos on Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Related: Former Michigan QB Delivers Verdict on Sherrone Moore After Major Recruiting Win Related: Hours After Landing 5-Star EDGE, Sherrone Moore, Michigan Secure Another Recruiting Win This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys Urged To Trade for Another Running Back
Cowboys Urged To Trade for Another Running Back originally appeared on Athlon Sports. FRISCO — The Dallas Cowboys acted with little urgency to improve their backfield a year ago. Once Tony Pollard left in free agency the team installed an aged Ezekiel Elliott and an inexperienced Rico Dowdle. Advertisement The latter ended up producing solid numbers individually but the Cowboys rushing offense was far from a strength. That led to a complete overhaul in the offseason. Dallas signed Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams during free agency before drafting Phil Mafah and Jaydon Blue in April. One would think those moves gives them a wide enough selecting pool to construct their backfield and identify a solid No. 1. Just in case they are still searching for options, Daniel Arwas at has urged the Cowboys to explore a trade for another young running back. He identified Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum as the ideal target. "Although Williams and Sanders are both recognizable names; both made their respective All-Rookie teams, and Sanders was a Pro Bowler in 2022; the two combined for less than 800 yards in 2024. And that – in the case of Williams – was as the team's designated starter. Advertisement Running back is, unfortunately for the pair, a young man's game, and Corum certainly still has his youth." Blue and Mafah were not widely acclaimed prospects coming out of college so there's no guarantee they usurp the veterans at training camp. As Arwas notes, there are some questions for both Sanders and Williams to answer in showing they deserve top billing in the Cowboys' backfield. But does that all mean Dallas must add another player to the mix? Corum may be under utilized in Los Angeles, yet the Rams are one injury away from needing his services. At Kyren Williams' usage rate, that grim possibility cannot be entirely ruled out. It's a hard ask for the Rams to sacrifice their own backfield depth and the Cowboys simultaneously stir the competition with another competitor. If they cannot find a solid starter and use their backs effectively within this scheme, that's simply a failure on both the front office and coaching staff. Advertisement As of now, there's a belief that at least two of these players will be capable and dependable each week. The Cowboys should not be in a rush to add anymore pieces at least until they the full scope of what they have at training camp. Related: Cowboys' Jerry Jones Will Fire 'Schotty,' Claims Colin Cowherd in Surprise Prediction Related: Cowboys' 'Bazooka Joe' Milton 3 Steps Away From Winning Dak Backup Job This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
