Donovan Edwards breaks his touchdown slump against Indiana to pry a “olive” free.
Jim Harbaugh, the head coach at Michigan, apparently considers olive jars frequently. Donovan Edwards could as well, too.
The large screw-on top is yours. Nothing can come out since they are packed in so tightly if you unscrew it, turn the olive jar over, and the opening is big, according to Harbaugh. But if you can only shake one of them loose, they will all start to fall out. And that’s what I told (Edwards) as well.
It’s a relevant parallel because the junior running back who had previously been bitten by a snake managed to pry an olive free during the No. 2 Michigan football team’s rout of Indiana by a score of 52-7. Edwards scored his first touchdown of the year after a season marked by aborted attempts to down the plane.
He had previously smelled the end zone. This season, Edwards has been inches away from registering his first touchdown more than five times. This number does not include the occasions when he was available for passing. But his first of the year consistently proven to be too elusive to catch.
Edwards remained on the sidelines without receiving anything, whether it was because senior running back Blake Corum replaced him for those goal-line looks or because the Wolverines decided to kick a field goal. He claimed that the icebreaker would come soon enough and continued to present a positive exterior.
The Hoosiers faced a mountain of opportunities to make that happen. The final offensive drive of the second half, when the Hoosiers tackled Edwards just steps from the end zone with the clock winding down, best captured his problems.
After failing once more, Edwards had enough.
Edwards rejected Harbaugh’s attempt to insert senior running back Blake Corum. As a result, Harbaugh took a timeout to remove Edwards, and a play later Corum scored. Running backs coach Mike Hart gave Edwards, who was grumpy, a talking to on the sidelines.
“(Edwards) was in motion. I wanted Blake, and he wanted to stay inside,” stated Harbaugh. “… I am aware of “The Don’s” competitive attitude, and he supports us in so many ways. But he wanted to finish it off because that was in his competitive warrior nature.
At halftime, as he and his teammates made their way to the tunnel, Edwards dragged himself toward the rear, chatting with junior running back Tavierre Dunlap and receiving encouraging hugs from his teammates.
On that play, tempers may have flared, but the close calls persisted. Edwards lined up as a receiver in the third quarter, and his corner played effectively off of him. Edwards, who was wide open, watched as the ball instead flew to Semaj Morgan, a freshman wide receiver, who ran a screen pass through opposition on the other side of the field for a touchdown. But despite the dejected expression at the end of the first half, Edwards actually exuded excitement. Together, he and Morgan celebrated the victory by playing an air guitar solo and giving each other high fives.
In the final frame, Edwards made a breakthrough. He prepared to run the 2-yard goal line. His comrades dug a trench to release the curse while he plowed ahead. To ensure he crossed the plane, even graduating quarterback Jack Tuttle got in on the action by ramming behind him.
Edwards finally felt relief when the referee called a touchdown.
The subsequent moment effectively conveyed Edwards’ feelings about what scoring meant to him. In a show of joy, Corum removed his helmet. Hart smiled as he gushed adulation from the sidelines. J.J. McCarthy, a junior quarterback, joyfully skipped off the field to congratulate his teammate. Edwards then gave himself a little fist bump.
“He was happy. I had high hopes for him. Michael Barrett, a graduate linebacker, remarked, “I believe everyone was excited. Trying to get that olive out of the jar, you know. gradually begin to get more.
Edwards finally managed to remove the monkey from his back after previously getting so near but so close. Timing is important as well. If Corum and Edwards can both contribute at the high levels anticipated at the start of this season, Michigan’s offense will have even more playmaking potential. Adding another dangerman to a Wolverines team that has scored 45 points or more against its last three Big Ten opponents only gives them another weapon.
Edwards can use this to start over even though one goal won’t change the nature of his poor start. He finally scored a touchdown after so many missed opportunities, failures, and inquiries.
Edwards is therefore relieved of the need to consider olives. He simply needs to shake more freely.
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