Tag: Purdue

Michigan 41, Purdue 13

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.

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Preview: Michigan vs. Purdue

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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Michigan 43, Purdue 22

Hail to the Victors! It is truly incredible what this team, these coaches, and these players have accomplished over the past couple years. Michigan is 25-2 in that span. Back in the olden days, a 13-0 record would be good enough to be voted a national champion. Regardless of what happens in the College Football Playoff, this team is a national championship-caliber squad. Furthermore, Jim Harbaugh has cemented himself as one of the best coaches in modern football. If I had to name a top three, it would include Harbaugh, Urban Meyer (ugh), and Nick Saban (ugh again). Harbaugh has taken over struggling program after struggling program and made them elite, from Stanford to the San Francisco 49ers to Michigan. A lot of coaches are in the right place at the right time, including guys like Jimbo Fisher, Gene Chizik, Ed Orgeron, etc. to make once-in-a-lifetime runs and then fall off precipitously. There are very few who can consistently redirect a program wherever they go, and Harbaugh is one of them.

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All-Time Leaders: Top Performances Against Purdue

It was fun to walk down memory lane to remember the top games against Ohio State last week, so what the hell? Let’s do it for Purdue, too.

SINGLE GAME PASSING YARDAGE LEADERS

1. 271 yards – John Navarre (2002)
2. 270 yards – John O’Korn (2017)
3. 264 yards – Chad Henne (2007)
4. 259 yards – Chris Zurbrugg (1984)
5. 256 yards – Drew Henson (2000)

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Big Ten Championship Game Preview: Michigan vs. Purdue

RUSH OFFENSE vs. PURDUE RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #5 in rushing offense (244.5 yards/game) and #5 in yards per carry (5.62). Unfortunately, running back Blake Corum – a Heisman candidate – is out for this week and possibly for the rest of the season. That leaves the injured Donovan Edwards, who has a cast on his right hand, as the likely lead back. Can Michigan get heroics out of him for a second week in a row after 22 carries, 216 yards, and 2 touchdowns against Ohio State last week? Otherwise, it’s down to freshman C.J. Stokes and walk-on Isaiah Gash. The offensive line has been outstanding and is mostly back to full strength, with all five starters earning some form of all-conference accolades. Purdue is #38 in rushing defense (128.8 yards allowed/game) and #40 in yards allowed per carry (3.91). They had some good performances early in the year, but their run defense seems to have dropped off a little bit in recent weeks. The leading tackler is junior safety Sanoussi Kane (6’0″, 205) with 63 stops, but linebacker Jalen Graham (6’3″, 220) averages a team-leading 6 tackles per game in his eight contests. Graham and defensive end Kydran Jenkins (6’1″, 270) lead the team with 4 tackles behind the line each in the run game. Michigan has leaned on other teams with success in the past, but doing it without Corum is a relatively new and unknown challenge.
Advantage: Michigan

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