The No. 21 Michigan Wolverines ended up with a 21-16 win over the Purdue Boilermakers. The game was too close for comfort for a team favored by 21 points, as the Michigan defense gave up 276 total yards and allowed Purdue’s quarterbacks to complete 77 percent of their passes. Michigan’s offense had 398 total yards, but only managed 21 points in this one.
Here are this week’s winners and losers from the game.
RB Jordan Marshall — Winner
Thank goodness for Jordan Marshall. He fought for every single one of his 185 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Despite leaving the field for a few plays late in the game, he came back in and was determined to carry his team to victory, as is evidenced by his final touchdown. The Wolverines were without Justice Haynes in this one, but that didn’t matter. Marshall is the complete package when it comes to a running back, and the team has a weapon that it took advantage of in this one.
QB Bryce Underwood — Loser
At this point in the season, you’d like to see Bryce Underwood hitting more of his passes. He went 13-of-22 for 145 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and one fumble. The criticisms of his game will likely continue after this one. You’ve got to give him a little slack considering he’s still very young, but at this point in the season, you really need to see him completing more than 59 percent of his passes in a game. That’s especially true in a non-rivalry game at home.
Edge Derrick Moore — Winner
Derrick Moore had a few huge plays again this week, including two sacks, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble and three total tackles. Sure, the defense didn’t look as dominant as many of us would’ve liked to have seen, but Moore made some big plays and stepped up. He’s continuing to be a force on the defense.
Time of Possession — Loser
At the end of the first half, Purdue was controlling the game and winning time of possession, 19:55-10:05. That’s about the time I hopped on the treadmill and started shoveling Halloween candy into my mouth. By the end of game, Purdue possessed the ball for 32:55. The Wolverines might not have many ranked opponents on the schedule, but if they’re not willing to go out there and get opposing offenses off the field, the next two games might be nail-biters as well, and it’s tough to even think about the game at the end of the season.
Michigan was without Cole Sullivan and Jimmy Rolder in this one due to injury, so Jaishawn Barham moved back to the linebacker position before he left the game (and never returned) with an injury of his own. Ernest Hausmann was on the field for a ton of snaps, and some of the other young linebackers like Chase Taylor and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng had to step up and make some plays, too. In a close game like this one, you have to give the guys at this position some credit for stepping up and helping their team get a win.
Going beyond Underwood, this was another game that felt like Michigan doesn’t know what it wants to do when it comes to its passing game. Wide receiver Andrew Marsh led the team in catches with four, but tight end Zack Marshall led in yards (58). While this was somewhat expected going into the season, it’s discouraging to see a lack of clarity this far into the year. Michigan has already played nine games, and it still feels like the team is trying to troubleshoot during games instead of coming in with a clear offensive identity.
We know the team wins and loses together, but who would you say won the day, and who could use some improvement heading into next week? Let us know in the comments!
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