RUSH OFFENSE vs. PURDUE RUSH DEFENSE Michigan is #45 in rushing (174.3 yards/game) after entering last season’s Big Ten Championship game against the Boilermakers at #5 in running the ball. The Wolverines are #40 in yards per carry at 4.73. Blake Corum (111 carries, 605 yards, 11 TD) leads the way, and backup Donovan Edwards (66 carries, 211 yards, 1 TD) is following behind. Kalel Mullings (23 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD) has missed time due to injury, but reports indicate he should be back this week. Purdue is #83 in rushing defense (153.8 yards allowed/game) and #70 in yards per carry allowed (4.07). They’re tied with Michigan at tackles for loss per game (6.75), led by senior OLB Kydran Jenkins (6’1″, 260 lbs.) with 11.5 tackles for loss and sophomore OLB Nic Scourton (6’4″, 280) with 10.0. Freshman S Dillon Thieneman (6’0″, 205) leads the team and is #3 in the conference in tackles with 74, followed by sophomore S Sanoussi Kane (6’0″, 215) with 58. Purdue head coach Ryan Walters earned the head job after being a standout defensive coordinator at Illinois, but it might take a couple years to get the right guys in place and get them reacting instead of thinking. Advantage: Michigan
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FORMER PLAYERS
TE Erick All (Iowa): All tore his ACL in week seven. He led the Hawkeyes in all receiving categories, catches (21), yards (299), and touchdowns (3) by a wide margin at the time of his injury.
WR Andrel Anthony (Oklahoma): Anthony is out for the season. He caught 27 passes for 429 yards and 1 touchdown this season before the injury.
QB Alan Bowman (Oklahoma State): Bowman completed 17/34 passes for 286 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in a 45-13 win over Cincinnati.
Kewan Lacy – RB – Lancaster (TX) Lancaster: Lacy (3-star, #30 RB, #351 overall) decommitted from Nebraska. Alabama, Florida, and Ole Miss are all in the mix, and the current crystal ball leader is Ole Miss. Michigan seems pretty set at running back with Micah Ka’apana and Jordan Marshall.
Drelon Miller – WR – Silsbee (TX) Silsbee: Miller (4-star, #14 WR, #66 overall) decommitted from Texas A&M after having been committed to the Aggies since June. He had 59 catches for 1,401 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior in 2022. His two official visits went to Miami and USC.
Joseph Stone – WR – Fairburn (GA) Langston Hughes: Stone (4-star, #46 WR, #300 overall) decommitted from LSU after pledging to the Tigers in July, just a couple weeks after being offered. It’s a little surprising that a talented receiver would leave LSU since they have two of the best receivers in the country in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas.