Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner gave perhaps the ultimate compliment when asked about Michigan running back Blake Corum leading into Monday’s Rose Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game.

“Blake Corum’s a dog, I can’t even lie,” Turner said Friday. “I watched a lot of him last year. He’s a very good running back, very tough running back. He doesn’t give up easy. He has no quit from what I’ve seen. He’s gonna tote the rock for sure.”

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The 5-foot-8, 200-pound Corum suffered a major knee injury at the end of the 2022 season, causing him to miss the College Football Playoff. He came back this year and posted his second straight 1,000-yard season and Top 10 finish in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Corum did not appear quite as explosive in 2023 as he was prior to the injury, however. He had just two 100-yard games, though he did score 24 touchdowns.

“If you know football, you know injuries affect people,” Turner said. “But you know the potential they always have at the end of the day. I feel like that stands out a lot. Everybody knows he can run the ball. He’s a very good running back, very elusive, quick. He might hit this gap, might hit the other one, and next thing you know — it’s 20 yards.”

Michigan also has a veteran offensive line, although one currently playing without star guard Zak Zinter. The All-American was carted off the field with a knee injury during the Wolverines’ 30-24 victory over Ohio State on Nov. 25.

Michigan’s offensive line starting lineup includes four graduate students and one senior. Center Drake Nugent and tackle LaDarius Henderson were first-team All-Big Ten selections this season, while guard Trevor Keegan and tackle Karsen Barnhart were second-team picks.

“You really don’t know until the game, until you get ready to take that first hit,” Alabama defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe said. “But watching them on film, it looks like they come off the ball really well. In the past, they’ve won the Joe Moore Award, which is given to the best O-lines. So it’s a great opportunity to go up against a great O-line like that.

“One of their guys, (Zinter), got hurt, but they were still able to go on and win the Big Ten championship. So we know it’s going to take 60 minutes if we’re going to be able to impose our will on them.”

Kickoff for the Rose Bowl is set for 4 p.m. Central on Monday, with television coverage on ESPN.