3 Keys for Michigan Football in Big Ten title game vs Purdue
Win on the ground
Winning the rushing battle is always key. We saw that stat flashed a number of times last week that the team that wins the battle of rushing yards usually wins the Michigan-Ohio State game.
But if you think about it, that’s probably true of most games. If you run the ball well and stop the opponent from running well, you are going to win, at least most of the time.
Football, at the end of the day, isn’t really that complicated. That’s why Harbaugh’s commitment to the trenches and running the football is genius. When Michigan was losing to Ohio State, the Buckeyes were the tougher team.
Ryan Day’s win in the series was all about J.K. Dobbins and the fact Michigan couldn’t stop him. Justin Fields toasted Don Brown too, but if you go back to that game, you’ll see Ohio State controlling the line of scrimmage.
That has changed and the dominance in the running game on offense and defense is the biggest reason why the Wolverines have won 19 of 20 Big Ten games.
It’s also a trend that needs to carry over to this game. Purdue is ranked eighth in the Big Ten in rushing defense and ninth in the Big Ten in rushing offense. Michigan football is first in both.
If the Wolverines can run the ball, the offense should have a field day against a defense that has struggled to defend the pass (21 TD passes allowed, 10th in Big Ten in pass yards allowed) and also, the best way to keep O’Connell off balance is to pressure him and winning on the early downs is imperative to making that happen.