Michigan Football: Who Saw This Coming From Purdue?

We’re only three games into the season and everyone is already excited about the resurgence of Purdue. Could that be bad news for Michigan football?

Yikes! Purdue turns out to be one of the toughest opponents Michigan faces in the Big Ten. Way back in the lazy, hazy days of summer, playing the Boilermakers on the road wasn’t the game fans feared; it was more than tough enough to try to handle a reanimated Penn State squad looking for revenge, a Wisconsin team many people picked to sweep through its schedule, and, oh yeah, Ohio State.

Indiana’s a basketball state. The last time anyone talked about Purdue, Drew Brees had just been drafted by the San Diego Chargers. The Boilermakers only won three games last year..

Things have changed.

After trouncing Missouri 35-3, Sports Illustrated announced that: The Big Ten Doesn’t Have Purdue To Kick Around Anymore.

“After three-plus years treading water under former head coach Darrell Hazell while languishing near the bottom of the offensive charts, Purdue is winning, and scoring a lot of points in the process. On Saturday, the Boilermakers crushed SEC foe Missouri, 35–3, to move to 2–1 on the season. That followed a 44–21 victory over Mid-American Conference East Division favorite Ohio and a one-touchdown loss to Louisville in Indianapolis.”

Beating an SEC school is notable; slapping one down 35-3 is downright scary. And, maybe even scarier is hanging close with Louisville, a real deal contender with a real deal quarterback.

Scariest still, “… near the bottom of the offensive charts, Purdue is winning, and scoring a lot of points in the process.” Thus far, the Wolverines seem to be languishing near the bottom of the offensive charts and not scoring a lot of points.

What’s Purdue got that we ain’t got?

Quarterback David Blough was 22 for 28 through the air and scored a touchdown on the ground against Missouri. In total, Purdue racked up 447 yards of total offense compared to Missouri’s 203. Tario Fuller, a sophomore running back, was responsible for 90 of those yards, including a 36-yard run for a touchdown. Blough also connected with receiver Terry Wright for a 55-yard touchdown that was called back for offensive holding, one of Purdue’s few penalties that afternoon.

Purdue’s defense also showed up against Missouri, allowing only three points in MIzzou’s house. It’s a solid defense with a strong defensive line anchored by Gelen Robinson, who is sack hungry and quick, and linebacker Ja’Whan Bentley, whose eight tackles and impressive coverage of receivers effectively shut down Missouri’s passing game.

Jim Harbaugh was quick to recognize Purdue’s turnaround, calling newly appointed coach Jeff Brohm the obvious candidate for Big Ten Coach of the Year. Brohm’s animated the program and brought his offense-first attitude to Purdue from Western Kentucky, where the Hilltoppers gained considerable cred, averaging more than 45 points per game last season. (Many of those points came through the air, as Brohm’s quarterback there threw for more than 5,000 yards.)

Brohm has given the Michigan game some thought; he wants to see what Michigan can do if the Boilermakers shut down the running game.

“We’re probably more aggressive in stopping the run than other defenses in terms of our structure, but it’s worked good. We want to make teams beat us passing the ball. We would prefer Michigan to beat us passing the ball. We want to try to take away the run. It’ll be a little tougher because they’re very tough up front and they’ve got good players. We’ll have to try to still do that and make them throw the ball more than they would like.”

Next: Top 10 running backs in Michigan history

This should be a great opportunity for the Blue to unleash the talented receivers waiting to put points on the board. Go Blue!

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