After a rivalry win over Michigan State, the 6-2 Michigan football team has to get three more wins before what would be a massive game against Ohio State.
If the Wolverines can reach that final game 9-2, fans should be pleased with this season. The schedule was a bear, especially with six road games.
This Purdue game is the final reprieve, if you can call it that, before consecutive road games against Northwestern and Maryland, before hosting Ohio State.
The Boilermakers, in the first year under head coach Barry Odom, have just one win over an FBS team (Ball State). They also beat Southern Illinois 34-17. Purdue was close last week, losing 27-24 to Rutgers. They also dropped a game 27-20 to Minnesota.
The other four losses were by an average of 19.25 points. Michigan is a 21-point favorite and here are five questions ahead of Saturday night's game.
Will Michigan be full strength?
The answer seems to be no. Justice Haynes is dealing with another issue this week. Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore said, "We'll see" when asked about Haynes status for Saturday.
Jordan Marshall showed he's up to the task the past two weeks. Still, it would be nice to have the Big Ten's leading rusher. Rod Moore is also up in the air after missing the past two weeks.
Moore has been a difference maker when healthy. There's no need to rush him back for this game, especially with Brandyn Hillman back, but the more reps before the Ohio State game the better.
Will Bryce Underwood bounce back?
There's been a big difference between Bryce Underwood at home and Bryce Underwood on the road. At the Big House, Underwood is completing 69.4 percent of his passes. He's got five touchdowns, one interception, and is averaging 246.5 passing yards per game.
On the road, Underwood has thrown 24 fewer passes (in the same amount of games), but is completing 50.6 percent of his throws. He's got two touchdown passes, one interception, and is averaging 135 passing yards per game.
It's been a dramatic difference. That's not surprising for a true freshman. The Michigan football coaches have also been much more conservative on the road.
Purdue allows 245 passing yards per game. The Boilermakers have just two interceptions this season although their pass rush is worrisome with 19 sacks. The play-calling has been more aggressive at home. Underwood has also been more comfortable at home.
If Haynes doesn't play, Underwood will need to do more than he did against Michigan State. Will he answer with another productive home game?
We shall see.
Can Michigan football stop the run?
Michigan's run defense is solid. The Wolverines are allowing 95 rushing yards per game. They are also allowing just three yards per rushing attempt.
So the run defense isn't a major concern. However, it hasn't been good enough. It definitely hasn't met the standard of Michigan football over the past four seasons.
USC rushed for 224 yards. The Trojans third-string running back had over 100 yards against Michigan. Michigan State, even though it finished with less than 300 total yards, rushed for 111 yards last week, which included a 49-yard run.
Three different teams have rushed for over 100 yards against the Wolverines this season. Purdue averages 141 yards per game, with an average of 4.4 per attempt. Devin Mockobee is still the top back but is averaging 4.2 yards per attempt on 125 carries. Containing him will be important.
If the Boilermakers are forced to be one-dimensional, it should be a long day. But if Purdue runs the ball, that's one way for the game to be closer than expected.
Can Michigan not play with its food?
The Wolverines have poor record against the spread this season (3-5). That's a reflection of a young team, one that has had problems playing four quarters of football. At least four quarters well.
Michigan should have led by much more at half last week against Michigan State. Mental mistakes and poor execution cost the Wolverines points. It's been a familiar story. Michigan has only covered against Washington, Nebraska, and Central Michigan.
The Wolverines have been sloppy in road games. Then, they allowed teams like Wisconsin and Michigan State to hang around. If Michigan State had kicked a field goal in the fourth quarter, it would have been down eight with the ball inside Michigan's 30 with a few minutes left.
That game was closer than the final score indicated. There could be a similar outcome here, especially if Underwood isn't sharp. My guess is that Underwood, at home, responds in a big way.
Beating the spread will require not squandering scoring chances, which is another big question facing this team, and a reason it has struggled to put teams away earlier.
Will red-zone issues continue?
Michigan football had three possessions inside the 40 against Washington that came up empty. This past week, after a turnover, they were held to a field goal.
It just feels like a lot of points are being left on the field. The Michigan State game was the second time this season the Wolverines have scored over 30 points away from home. Yet, an average of 21.75 points, on the road isn't anything to write home about.
Whether it's getting more creative or just executing better, Michigan has to get it figured out. It was an issue against Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Washington. Against Ohio State, you can't get into the red zone and kick field goals. You need touchdowns, so it's time to adopt that mindset. Michigan football needs more urgency.
The Wolverines would have blown out Washington if it had converted some of those chances into points. This is a good time to start changing that. Jordan Marshall in short yardage is a win. Even if Haynes is healthy, Marshall is a guy who doesn't go down, sort of like Blake Corum.
Running Underwood more can help, too. It led to a touchdown run last week. The coaches might want to save it for Ohio State, but it adds another dimension to the offense.