Michigan Football: 3 takeaways from a businesslike win over Purdue

For the first time since 2004 Michigan football is back-to-back Big Ten champions and 13-0 for the first time ever with so much more to play for.

Michigan’s defense set the tone from the outset as they made the Boilermakers go three and out on their initial series. The offense took the field and J.J. McCarthy threw a dangerous pass into double coverage that rising freshman Colston Loveland somehow came down with for six. Purdue didn’t back down and snatched the lead into the second quarter at 10-7.

Michigan football took Purdue’s best shot and rebounded with a 13-play drive to retake the lead at 14-10. McCarthy found one of his favorite targets in Luke Schoonmaker to hold the edge at the break. Purdue had to be feeling pretty good about themselves by being down just one to the number two team in the nation.

Michigan football came out of the locker room like gangbusters as Edwards broke loose from 60 yards on the first play from scrimmage in the third. Kalel Mullings topped it off from one yard out to cap the drive. The next series resulted in an Edwards score as Michigan went up two scores and proved the narrative to be true about Michigan being a dominant second-half club.

All Purdue could do was kick field goals. Mitchell Fineran drilled five of them, while Michigan put it in the endzone to pull away.

McCarthy hit his third touchdown pass and Mullings found paydirt one more time to close the scoring and give Michigan a 43-22 win and another Big Ten championship banner to raise.

Here are three takeaways from the Big Ten championship triumph.