The Michigan football win over Purdue may have ended in victory, but it was anything but pretty. The Wolverines got to a 7–2 record after their 21–16 victory against the Boilermakers. But their performance created more problems than it addressed.
The game turned into a difficult contest even though the final result showed a clear winner. Michigan struggled in all three phases and once again needed Jordan Marshall to put the team on his back. Marshall delivered an outstanding performance after Justice Haynes became unavailable. But the remaining players showed they needed extensive development work.
Jordan Marshall Carries Michigan Win Over Purdue
The team faced unexpected challenges against Purdue despite their weak performance because they committed multiple turnovers and made errors with their passes and special teams play.
The Michigan football team defeated Purdue because Jordan Marshall achieved 185 yards and three touchdowns despite their struggling offense.
Marshall has become the team’s lifeblood because Haynes is out, and the passing attack has completely broken down. If Michigan didn’t have him, it’s fair to ask where this offense would be.
Passing Game Struggles Continue
One week after throwing for just 86 yards against Michigan State, Bryce Underwood followed it up with arguably his worst game as a Wolverine.
Despite the Michigan football win over Purdue, the passing game remained a major issue for Bryce Underwood and the Wolverines.
The freshman showed constant discomfort throughout the game through his erratic wild pitches and missed targets, and poor footwork. Confidence seems to be fading, and even when he did put the ball on target, receivers failed to help with costly drops.
Michigan’s air attack is completely out of sync. The rhythm isn’t there, the timing is off, and the passing concepts lack consistency. If this offense is going to make any noise down the stretch, Underwood has to settle down and start trusting his mechanics again.
Derrick Moore Deserves More Recognition
One of the few bright spots in the Michigan football win over Purdue was Derrick Moore, who added two more sacks to his total. The defensive end recorded two additional sacks against Purdue, which raised his total season sacks to 8.5.
Moore is on track to join an exclusive group of Wolverines who achieved double-digit sack totals because Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo accomplished this feat with 14 and 11 sacks, respectively, during the 2021 season. Moore shows improvement toward his objective, yet his statistical accomplishments do not generate any interest from fans.
A strong finish in his last game with a standout performance against Ohio State would help Moore join the list of legendary players from his program.
Special Teams Have Become a Teamwide Weak Point.
The special teams unit at Michigan remains a significant problem for the team. The punt return unit remains ineffective with Semaj Morgan, and the punting game might be even worse.
Hudson Hollenbeck struggled again on Saturday, with punts of 29 and 37 yards — one tipped due to poor blocking, and the other simply shanked. The defense needs to manage challenging defensive situations because defensive mistakes happen every week of competition.
The special teams unit shows no signs of improvement, which results in Michigan losing crucial field position during each contest.
The team needs this bye week to happen at this exact moment.
The upcoming second bye week stands as Michigan’s only hope to survive its remaining three games. The team faces multiple injuries, which have forced them to start with five absent players before facing Purdue. They lost two more — Jaishawn Barham and Donaven McCulley — before the night was over.
The team needs Justice Haynes and Rod Moore, and their entire linebacker unit, to reach full health before the end of the season.
Michigan needs to use its additional week to address its multiple problems, which include passing game performance and tackling mistakes, and special teams failures. If the Wolverines want to compete in the Big Ten race, they’ll need to look far sharper than they did against Purdue.
Final Thoughts:
Michigan survived, but survival won’t be enough moving forward. The team’s flaws are becoming too obvious to overlook, and the next three weeks will determine whether the Wolverines are simply good — or capable of being great again.
Main Image: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
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