Illinois Football: Reggie Corbin continues to impress in USFL

We are seven games into the USFL season, and a former Illinois football player continues his tear in the league.

The Michigan Panthers are at the bottom of the North Division of the USFL. They sit with a record of 1-6 after the seventh game this past Saturday night. This is a competitive Panthers team as well. Despite having six losses, five of those defeats were by just one score. Michigan has only been outscored this season,144-131.

A big reason the Panthers have been competitive is that former Illini running back Reggie Corbin has been a mainstay in the backfield. He wasn’t a first or second-string running back to start the season, but Corbin made the coaching staff open their eyes to his incredible talent.

In this past game in which Michigan fell to the New Orleans Breakers 31-27, Corbin finished with 13 carries for 108 yards, which comes out to 8.3 yards per carry. The rest of the team finished with 21 carries for 84 yards, which is 4.0 yards per carry.

The Michigan Panthers need to give former Illinois football star Reggie Corbin some help.

Corbin’s great game against the Breakers isn’t just a fluke. He has been sensational this entire season. He currently sits with 516 yards rushing this year, which leads the entire USFL. The crazy part is that Corbin has only played in six games and started just four contests. He has 33 fewer carries than the No. 2 rusher in the league.

I have really started to grow into a Panthers fan this season, partially because of Corbin carrying the rock. But when I watch the games, one thing stands out to me the most. Corbin needs some help.

I am not just talking about help in the form of players. He needs help coaching as well. Jeff Fisher, much like he was in the NFL, is way too predictable with his play calling. The fact Corbin has as many rushing yards as he does is a miracle.

The decisions on who gets the ball is confusing as well. Michigan’s backfield should not be running back by committee. Corbin is way too good to only get 13 carries in a game. If you watch the game, you will see there are some bad coaching decisions each night.

I don’t believe the Panthers have the talent around Corbin to win games right now either. Shea Patterson has been the quarterback for most of the season, but he struggled to throw the ball with a 59.6% completion percentage and four touchdowns and five interceptions. He was released late last week due to his poor performance.

Hopefully, Michigan can finish the season strong. I would love for Corbin to continue to shine this year. I am going to continue repeating it, I think Corbin will get a shot with an NFL team for the 2022 campaign.