The Michigan offense continued to impress while racking up 67 points to go along with 686 yards of total offense last weekend against Illinois. Illinois was supposed to have a good defense but Michigan single-handedly sent them tumbling down the national rankings. One thing that is abundantly clear is that the only thing that can stop this offense is itself. I simply refuse to believe that there is a scheme or defense out there that has enough weapons on the defensive line and in the secondary to totally shut down this Michigan offense if they execute and take care of the ball.
Michigan enters the game averaging nearly 536 total yards of offense per game (1st in Big Ten) to go along with a shade under 39 points per game (2nd in Big Ten). The Wolverines get matched up with a Purdue defense that has given up 34, 44, and 49 points over their past three contests to the likes of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio State. Although it is not fair to expect what we saw last week, Michigan will clearly be matched up against a much worse defensive squad this week.
Over the past few weeks it has been amazing to watch the transformation of this offense. Rich Rodriguez and Calvin Magee clearly put the bye week to good use as we’ve seen a big difference in the variety of the offensive play calls the past two games. Michigan has used multiple variations on the zone-read option to give defenses fits the last two weeks. The passing game is also increasing in complexity and Michigan has started to look downfield more and more often.
Denard Robinson sits just 145 yards away from setting the record for most rushing yards in one season by a Division 1 quarterback. This is an absolutely amazing accomplishment and it would be great to see him break this record on one of his trademark long touchdown runs. If he doesn’t get it this weekend I could think of worse things than doing it in a big time matchup against a very good Wisconsin team. Denard will need to cut down the turnovers this weekend after throwing two interceptions against the Illini. Purdue is giving up 220 yards per game through the air and I would be surprised if Denard doesn’t easily throw for 200 yards as I expect Purdue to sell out against the run early in an attempt to slow the Michigan offense.
Roy Roundtree will be one of the main focal points of this game. Roundtree spurned the Boilermakers at the last minute in favor of becoming part of Rich Rodriguez’s first recruiting class at Michigan. This last-minute switch prompted Joe Tiller to label Rich Rod “some guy in a wizard hat selling snake oil”. It would be great to see Roundtree step up and put up another great game against the Boilers but if Purdue decides to shade a safety over Roy on the inside then I would be shocked if both Stonum and Hemingway don’t both have big games.
The running game should continue to roll this weekend as the Boilers have given up nearly 143 yards per game on the ground. Having Michael Shaw back in the mix is only going to help the Michigan running game in the last three games of the year. Hopkins is getting more and more comfortable with his role each week and Vincent Smith is getting closer and closer to his pre-ACL injury form each week.
One matchup to watch on the line is Ryan Kerrigan vs. Taylor Lewan. Lewan has taken some dumb penalties the past few weeks but overall he has shown tremendous potential. Kerrigan is a likely first round pick at the defensive end spot so it will be interesting to see how Lewan fares against him after having a very solid day against Adrian Clayborn.
The Michigan offense will keep it going this weekend and I would be shocked if they don’t put up 40 points against Purdue. I would like to see them play a turnover-free game, as a negative turnover differential on the road could make things more than dicey. I expect Denard to have a huge game again this weekend but I’m hopeful that with increased production from the running backs Rich Rodriguez will be able to save Robinson some wear and tear going into the last two games of the year.
Upshot
This is one of the few games since Rich Rodriguez took over that Michigan absolutely is favored to win as the road team. Michigan is a more talented and better overall team than Purdue. I think Michigan will play with a huge weight off their shoulders this weekend after becoming bowl eligible with their win against Illinois. The offense will light up the scoreboard and I’m extremely hopeful that we will see an improved effort from the defense this weekend as some of the younger players continue to get more comfortable with their role within the scheme.
Michigan must get out of the gate hot in this game and they can’t afford to let a beat up Purdue team drag themselves up off the mat. Michigan has a chance to get to 7-3 with a win this weekend and provide themselves with a huge jolt of momentum heading into their final two games of the season. Despite this game being on the road, Michigan should absolutely win this game by two touchdowns.
PREDICTION: MICHIGAN 45 – PURDUE 28
Admirable is the word to describe your confidence in the Michigan team. No descriptions of what you believe the U of M defense will be this weekend . . .
ReplyDeleteSee the previous post
ReplyDelete@Anonymous... defensive preview was in Part 1. That was one of the ugliest victories I've ever seen. And just when I thought our depth chart was shallow on defense, we lose Mike Martin and Mouton, the two best players left from a squad highly decimated by injuries, early departures, and poor recruiting. On the flipside, Purdue plays a QB from their practice squad and another with hand injury that prevents him from passing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a clusterf--k.
Just glad we came out on top.
I don't think this game tells us anything good or bad about the team's future, or the future of Rich Rod. It does, however, put another x in the win column, and God knows we need it.
Go Blue. Bucky Badger awaits....