Observations on the win over Purdue, 43-22
Purdue had an incredible 6 red zone trips, but only came away with 19 points; Michigan gained 4 red zones for 29 points. The Wolverines scored 8 points of 2 Boilermaker turnovers, and Purdue only got 3 points off one Michigan miscue. The Wolverines outscored Purdue, 29-9, in the second half holding the Boilermakers to just 3 field goals, and one touchdown in 12 possessions.
Offense gained 386 yards with 225 on the ground; they had 17 first downs, and were 8 of 14 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. They scored 6 touchdowns in 11 possessions. Donovan Edwards ran 25 times for 185 yards and a TD plus had a 4 yard reception. Kalel Mullings bullied the Boilermakers with 8 carries for 26 yards and 2 TDs; he was fabulous for short yardage situations. J.J. McCarthy was 11 of 17 for 161 yards and 3 TDs with an interception. Ronnie Bell had 5 receptions for 67 yards and a TD. Luke Schoonmaker caught 3 passes for 56 yards and a TD plus a 2 point conversion. Colston Loveland caught a 25 yard TD pass. Purdue did a good job not only stopping our running attack, but they've also put pressure on McCarthy; luckily, he has scrambled away from the pressure to avoid sacks. Purdue only had one quarterback hit on McCarthy, and only one tackle for loss. Offense was forced into three "3 and outs."
Defense had their "hands full" with a difficult Boilermaker offense; still, they only gave up one touchdown on the evening, and that was in the first quarter. They gave up 456 yards with 366 in the air with 27 first downs; Purdue had a 7 minute time of possession advantage resulting in 29 more offensive plays, and was 10 of 19 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. Aidan O'Connell hit 32 of 47, but was intercepted twice, sacked 4 times, and had no passing TDs. Charlie Jones caught 13 passes for 162 yards, but zero TDs along with 2 carries for 3 yards. Devin Mockobee had 17 carries for 71 yards and 6 catches for 31 yards. T.J. Sheffield had a 5 yard carry, and caught 4 passes for 54 yards. Mershawn Rice had 4 receptions for 46 yards. Junior Colson led the defense with 15 tackles; Rod Moore had 14 tackles including 9 solos. Will Johnson was a drive stopper with 2 interceptions in the second half. Michael Barrett had 10 tackles including a sack. Makari Paige had 7 tackles. D.J. Turner had 4 tackles and two pass break ups despite leaving the game with cramps. Jaylen Harrell logged two sacks.
Special Teams edge to the Boilermakers due to the execution of a fake punt, and 5 field goals by Mitchel Fineran; Purdue failed on an onside kick. Jake Moody had 7 kickoffs with 5 touchbacks. Brad Robbins punted four times with one downed inside the 20, and Purdue only twice.
Bring on TCU, Ohio State or Alabama for New Year's Eve Playoffs! Go Blue!
