NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Blake Corum was met at the line of scrimmage, but, one yard away from the end zone, the Rams running back kept his legs churning.
He would not be denied his first career touchdown in the second game of his second season.
“I wanted it pretty bad,” Corum admitted, “but really, the situations we were in the game, I was trying to do everything I could to get some momentum going.”
Corum’s touchdown was the final touch on the Rams’ 33-19 win over the Tennessee Titans. But his running earlier in the game helped get the Rams’ offense going after a stagnant second quarter and at the beginning of the third.
In the first half, Rams running backs managed just 22 yards on eight carries. Starter Kyren Williams managed 11 more on three carries on the opening drive of the third quarter, but the ball just wasn’t moving on the ground.
“We weren’t really getting through on the second level,” head coach Sean McVay said. “Some of their linebackers were fast over the top, and we were getting picked off and not really being able to get through.”
But a 15-yard Corum run got the Rams to the Titans’ 8 on the next drive. Corum hit the turf with such force that he literally bounced back into the air, but he seemed unbothered, pounding his chest with a roar. One play later, Davis Allen reached out to the pylon for the go-ahead touchdown.
Corum kept the momentum going in the fourth quarter, feeling the benefits of the offensive line’s war of attrition against the Titans’ front. After a couple of stagnant drives with Williams as the lead back, Corum came in with 15- and nine-yard carries, then reached the end zone for the first time as a pro.
“Everyone’s journey is different and I’m so thankful that this is the journey that I’m on, learning from a great running back like Kyren, having Coach [Ron Gould] teach me so much from last year and then going into Year 2,” Corum said. “But it felt great to get into the end zone today, and hopefully there’s many more to come.”
Corum ended up playing 30.5% of the snaps on Sunday, with Williams at 69.5%. McVay said this was more in alignment with his vision for how the Rams will deploy their backfield this season.
“I was really pleased with Blake,” McVay said. “He’s explosive, he’s a good football player. I have a lot of trust in him. We’ll continue to see that moving forward.”
Witherspoon breaks clavicle
Rams starting cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon left Sunday’s game with a broken clavicle, McVay said, putting his status for the rest of the season in doubt.
“I feel terrible for Ahkello,” McVay said. “It’s a big loss.”
The Rams did get some help from veteran corner Darious Williams. After not playing at all last week, Williams came into the first quarter after Witherspoon’s injury cold and batted away a third-down pass to get the Titans off the field.
“I thought it was awesome for D-Will to be ready,” McVay said. “We said that we’ve got four starting corners, I feel that way.”
