I was a little nervous. Something was gnawing at my brain going into this game, and that was whether Michigan would look sloppy against the Boilermakers in the midst of Sign-gate. I was never nervous about the outcome of the game, but just about whether it would be a tight contest. Maybe something like a 14-10 contest at halftime. Or 17-13 in the third quarter before pulling away. The distraction of Sign-gate combined with the rustiness of coming off a bye week concerned me. So I was glad to see Michigan jump out to a 17-0 lead almost immediately. But the second quarter was boring for Michigan. Michigan was outgained by Purdue, as well as outscored 6-3, sending it to halftime at 20-6.
Defensive Tackle U. Michigan is putting together a nice crew of defensive tackles, and the least heralded one is the guy making plays most consistently, it seems. Sophomore Mason Graham made 5 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks against UNLV, eating up the interior offensive line repeatedly. The Rebels ended the game with 61 rushing yards on 31 attempts, which includes sacks, but still . . . the middle was stuffed up all day. Kris Jenkins made 5 tackles and 0.5 sacks and Kenneth Grant made 4 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup. The title of this section is a little facetious, but the defensive tackle play has been terrific.
I feel really good about my predictions for 2023 and I’m nearly certain they’ll all be correct.
LEADING RUSHER Junior running back Blake Corum had 1,463 yards on the ground in 2022. Unless his surgically repaired knee doesn’t hold up, he’s a good bet to lead the team in rushing again, even with the presence of star running back Donovan Edwards. Edwards should get a lot of rushing attempts and might even top 1,000 yards himself (he had 991 last year), but Corum should still be the #1 guy. Prediction: Blake Corum, 1400 yards
Hit the jump for the rest of the prognostications.
Name: Braiden McGregor Height: 6’6″ Weight: 267 lbs. High school: Port Huron (MI) Northern Position: Defensive end Class: Redshirt junior Jersey number: #17 Last year: I ranked McGregor #41 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He made 16 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and 2 pass breakups. TTB Rating: 87
McGregor has had a rough go of it for the past few years. He tore up his knee as a senior in high school, sat out the 2020 season, and then just didn’t look like himself in 2021. He looked physically underdeveloped in the lower body and just didn’t have the speed or athleticism that he showed earlier in high school.
But in 2022 he seemed to get some of his mojo back. While he didn’t put up astounding numbers as a backup, he did make some nice plays and rack up 2.5 sacks. He also batted down 2 balls against Ohio State. It’s tough to call that kind of performance a true breakout, but it was a mini-breakout season for the Port Huron native.
The 2023 season should be another step forward for McGregor. He has a good chance to start at defensive end, the position Mike Morris and Aidan Hutchinson played before him. Both of those guys had standout seasons, and McGregor is somewhere between the two of them as an athlete – more athletic than Morris, less athletic than Hutchinson, and probably a little less powerful than both. He’s actually very close to Hutchinson’s size (McGregor is listed at the same height and just two pounds heavier than Hutchinson was as a senior), and my comparison when he came out of high school was Hutchinson.
I don’t think McGregor has the same motor as Hutchinson – nor the array of moves – so I would be extremely surprised if he becomes the same sensation. But I do expect a breakout year for him. I would not be surprised if he approaches double digit sacks and looks like a first team all-conference player.
Name: Braiden McGregor Height: 6’5″ Weight: 265 lbs. High school: Port Huron (MI) Northern Position: Defensive end Class: Redshirt sophomore Jersey number: #17 Last year: I ranked McGregor #45 and said he would be a backup outside linebacker (LINK). He made 5 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. TTB Rating: 87
This is McGregor’s third straight year ranked in the 40s, and so far I don’t think I’ve been right. While I gave him a TTB Rating of 87 coming out of high school, I took some heat from a family member last fall when I said on Twitter that McGregor just didn’t look right and that I wasn’t sure he would ever get up to speed. McGregor had a nasty knee injury as a senior in high school, and his explosiveness just hasn’t been there. Last year he looked pretty average as a backup for Aidan Hutchinson while making just 5 tackles and a lone TFL against Northwestern.
The hope, of course, is that he ends up returning to form. After having to redshirt in 2020 and then being a third-stringer in 2021, this could be a time for a breakout now that Hutchinson is off to the NFL. I don’t think it will be full breakout time because Mike Morris is expected to be the starter, so we’ll see how many snaps McGregor can get while also contending with the likes of Julius Welschof, Taylor Upshaw, and others for snaps.
