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Friday, September 22, 2017 — 7

Breakdown: Michigan vs. Purdue; Cakewalk no more

Three weeks ago, few would’ve

expected this football game to
carry so much weight.

While No. 8 Michigan’s recent

offensive struggles may have
boosted Purdue’s chances at an
upset, the Boilermakers may also
be a far more worthy opponent
than people originally thought.

Through three games, Purdue

(2-1) has blown out Ohio, crushed
Missouri on the road and nearly
taken down reigning Heisman
winner Lamar Jackson and No. 19
Louisville. Led by fiery new coach
Jeff Brohm, the Boilermakers’
offense is averaging 35.7 points
per game.

Here’s how the Wolverines

(3-0) stack up against Purdue:

Michigan pass offense vs.

Purdue pass defense

A new wide receiver will have

to step up this week following
the
season-ending
injury
for

freshman Tarik Black. Black was
developing a strong connection
with redshirt junior quarterback
Wilton Speight and was leading
the team in receiving. Sophomore
Kekoa Crawford and junior Grant
Perry will likely see more catches
as a result, and following them in
rotation will be a combination of
sophomore Eddie McDoom and
freshman Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Without Black, the Wolverines

lose a fast, sure-handed receiver
who excels at beating cornerbacks
downfield.
Peoples-Jones
and

McDoom can make up for the
speed, no doubt, but it’s yet to be
seen how the two fare bringing
down catches against Big Ten
safeties in 1-on-1 situations.

Purdue’s secondary has given

up an average of 244 passing
yards and one pass touchdown
per game, which bodes well
for
the
Wolverines.
Purdue’s

experienced cornerbacks Da’Wan
Hunte and Josh Okonye lead
the Boilermakers’ backfield, but

with so many offensive receiving
weapons — including a reliable
crew of Michigan tight ends — the
Wolverines’ passing game should
prevail.

Edge: Michigan

Michigan run offense vs.

Purdue run defense

A highlight for Michigan this

season has been the emergence
of a consistent Ty Isaac. The
fifth-year senior running back
is averaging 112 rushing yards
per game. He has yet to score a
touchdown, but that’s because the
running backs rotate for different
situations. When the Wolverines
get close to the red zone, junior
Karan Higdon lines up at tailback
and has fittingly scored two
rushing touchdowns.

Isaac was carted off the field

against Air Force after getting hit
in the ribs, but Michigan coach

Jim Harbaugh said Monday that
he would likely be fine. Expect
Michigan to hand the ball to Isaac
on its first offensive drive. He’s
been consistent in getting first
downs play after play and has been
instrumental in moving the team
downfield.

Edge: Michigan

Purdue
pass
offense
vs.

Michigan pass defense

Purdue uses two quarterbacks,

David Blough and Elijah Sindelar,
but the former has taken most
of reps. Blough has six passing
touchdowns so far and maintains a
stellar 76-percent completion rate.
He can also use his feet, and has one
rushing touchdown on 15 carries.
Sindelar has four touchdown
passes on a 50-percent completion
rate. Though, both quarterbacks
have been intercepted twice.

Brohm isn’t afraid to throw

trick plays into the mix, either.
Expect the unexpected. Against
Ohio, Purdue ran a double-reverse
flea flicker that turned into a
62-yard touchdown.

Purdue
receiver
Jackson

Anthrop has four touchdown
receptions and will be a major test
for Michigan’s young secondary.
The
Wolverines’
cornerbacks

haven’t faced a true pass-heavy
opponent yet.

Edge: Purdue

Purdue
run
offense
vs.

Michigan run defense

Michigan
should
dominate

against Purdue’s run game. The
Wolverines’ rushing defense is the
ninth-best in the nation, allowing
an average of 82.3 rushing yards
per game. Michigan leads the Big
Ten in that category as well and
also has held opponents to an
average of 2.33 yards per carry.

Purdue’s
offensive
line

will likely struggle to contain
Michigan’s D-linemen, especially
the two starting defensive ends,
sophomore Rashan Gary and
redshirt junior Chase Winovich.

The Boilermakers’ lead rusher,

Tario Fuller, is averaging 87
yards per game. Unlike Michigan,
Purdue doesn’t have depth at
running back. After Fuller, who
has 43 carries, Purdue has gone
to backup running back Brian
Lankford Johnson just 16 times.

Edge: Michigan

Special teams

If you haven’t heard of redshirt

freshman kicker Quinn Nordin
yet, just check out who leads
the entire Big Ten conference in
scoring.

That’s right; Nordin — a kicker

— leads the conference in scoring
with 42 total points.

Nordin has been Michigan’s

safety net so far, converting 11-of-
13 field goal attempts. His record
distance is 55 yards, and a special
teams coach Chris Partridge said
this week that he’d continue to
trust Nordin from that range as
long as wind isn’t a factor.

Purdue
has
not
been
as

fortunate in the kicking game.
Kickers J.D. Dellinger and Spencer
Evans have combined to go 3-for-6
on FG attempts. The longest kick
they’ve made is from 38 yards
out, and the Boilermakers even
had an attempt blocked against
Louisville.

In the return game, Purdue

will have to be wary of Peoples-
Jones. In the first two games of the
season, Peoples-Jones made some
questionable choices regarding
whether or not to call for fair
catches. After getting benched
and replaced by Perry, the true
freshman got a second chance to
return punts against Air Force.
He proved his worth with a game-
changing 79-yard punt return for a
touchdown.

Peoples-Jones has yet to get the

chance to return kick offs, but the
coaches said that he is definitely in
consideration for that role as well.

Edge: Michigan

Intangibles

Michigan has a lot more at stake

than Purdue, but Jeff Brohm will
have the Boilermakers ready for
the first meeting between the two
sides since 2012.

Before the season, it was

expected that Purdue would need
at least a year to adjust to its new
coach, but now it’s expected to
contend for the Big Ten West.
Opening the conference slate with
a win at home against a top-10
team like Michigan would send
West Lafayette into a frenzy.

Edge: Purdue

Prediction:
Michigan
22,

Purdue 10

Behind Enemy Lines: Purdue linebacker Danny Ezechukwu

Michigan and Purdue haven’t

met since 2012. But that’s only
part of the anticipation leading
into this Saturday’s game in
West Lafayette. The eighth-
ranked
Wolverines
remain

unbeaten through the first three
games of the season; Purdue, in
a change from recent years, isn’t
far behind.

Under the stewardship of

new coach Jeff Brohm, the
Boilermakers are off to a 2-1
start. They narrowly lost to
then-No. 16 Louisville, 35-28,
in the season opener, before
beating
Ohio,
44-21,
and

Missouri, 35-3.

Their early play has certainly

captured
the
attention
of

Michigan — especially defensive
coordinator Don Brown.

“They’re running the ball

pretty
good,
they’re
doing

running backs by committee,
they know what they’re doing up
front in terms of the blocks and
the concepts they’re trying to
run,” Brown said. “Couple that
with they’re gimmick crazy. …
So obviously that’s gotten our
attention and our discipline,
and they throw the ball very
well, which is (Brohm’s) history.
They’ve played extremely well
here early in the season.”

While Purdue’s offense has

garnered most of the praise, the
defense has improved steadily
since last season. In 2016, the
Boilermakers allowed 38.2 points
per game, which ranked No. 128
in the nation. This year, Purdue
has given up just 19.7 points per
game — good for No. 43.

Senior
linebacker
Danny

Ezechukwu has been a pivotal
part of those efforts, currently
leading the team in tackles-for-
loss and sacks with three and
one, respectively.

The
Daily
talked
with

Ezechukwu at Big Ten Media
Days in July to discuss his
team’s new attitude, changes in
defensive scheme and Brohm,

a cult figure among die-hard
college football fans.

Q: You’ve seen (David Blough)

since he got here to Purdue, and
the quarterback’s always going
to be a leader on the team, but
it seems like he’s taken some
really big strides, and it showed
today.”

A: Man, David been a grown

man since he stepped on this
campus. Like, he doesn’t get
distracted by anything. David
came here to play football and
get a world-class education.
He’s been that way since he got
here. Like on his visit, he didn’t
want to go out — he wanted to be
in the drawing room, in the film
room, playing football. He’s been
that way since he got here. I’ve
learned a lot from him. I look at
him as a leader even though he’s
younger than me. I feel like a
lot of guys look up to him. He’s
a voice in the locker room, he’s

a voice on the field, he knows
what everybody’s supposed to
be doing on the offensive side of
the ball, from the protections to
the routes, to everybody’s first
step. He’s a leader, man, and
he’s been that way since he got
here, and all the success and
the
accolades

he’s
getting

right now are no
surprise to me or
him.

Q: Why is this

year
going
to

be different for
Purdue football?

A: I feel like

it’s going to be
different
for

Purdue football.
The
primary

reason
being

we’re
attacking.
We’re
not

reacting. The film study that
we take in, we’re taking in and

we’re predicting, ‘Okay, this is
what we’re going to do.’ It’s not,
‘In case they do this, this is what
we’re going to do.’ We’re not
waiting and counterpunching.
We’re out there attacking like
teams have been attacking us.
We come out here and that

approach
only

lasts so long until
adjustments have
to be made after
the
first
half.

We’re coming at
you. We’re not
waiting for you
to hit us and
then we have to
make a change
on the fly. …
That
attacking,

downhill sort of
play, that’s what

you’re going to see a lot of from
the defensive side of the ball
— and the offensive side of the

ball, because they’re going to be
moving like this (snaps fingers)
and it’s really going to help
everybody.”

TMD: Does that mentality

translate to a more aggressive
scheme
in
terms
of
more

blitzing?

DE: Yeah, we’re probably

going to be coming a whole lot
more from depth as far as corners,
safeties, nickels, linebackers. It’ll
probably be a lot more blitzing.
The
coverage
scheme
will

probably be a lot more sound, a lot
simpler because we’re bringing
pressure and we’re expecting
(the quarterback) to get the ball
out faster so (defensive backs)
are going to know exactly where
they need to be to make plays on
the ball. So it’s going to be a fun
time, man, and Purdue fans can
look forward to it.

TMD: A lot of other players

here have talked about how

difficult it is to defend RPO.
When you’re going up against
that every day in practice, how
does that help you adjust to it?

DE: It doesn’t make it any

easier. It’s all a feel thing — it’s
an instinctual thing. You’ve got
to be able to react, and you’ve
got to be able to react fast. It is
what it is. It puts you in a bind
because you have to respect the
run, but then you’ve got to react
to the pass and rally to the ball.
Football’s getting way more
innovative with all these smart
minds coming to the helm. You
see we just got Coach Brohm,
and Minnesota got PJ Fleck. So,
you know, things are about to
get crazy up here in the Big Ten.
You’ve just got to be able to react
and try and dictate the pace,
because if you try and sit there
and react, it’s not going to work.

TMD: In spring ball, did

Coach Brohm install anything
to the offense that made you
step back and say, ‘Wow, I wasn’t
ready for that’?

DE: They had some intricate

ways of running the ball. They
had some really intricate ways
of running the ball that have
been unusual. That’s the type of
stuff you’ve got to do.

TMD:
You
guys
haven’t

played Michigan since 2012. Is
there anything in particular
you’re looking forward to when
playing them this year?

DE: I’m looking forward to

their
smashmouth,
pro-style

way of football. I think that kind
of plays into our hands, honestly.
I feel like we’re built for that
and I’m excited to go against it.

TMD: And lastly, there’s this

famous video of your new coach
where he has this phrase, he
yells, ‘Street fight between the
whistle.’ Have you seen that at
all?

DE: I have not, man. I don’t

think we’ve been around Coach
Brohm long enough to pick up
on any of his phrases. But I’m
looking forward to it. I can
imagine him saying something
like that, I really can.

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown will face a tough task preparing a game plan for the Purdue offense developed by new coach Jeff Brohm.

The Daily talked with Ezechukwu at Big Ten Media Days in July to discuss Purdue’s new coach and attitude

ORION SANG

Daily Sports Editor

“I’m looking

forward to their
smashmouth,
pro-style way of

football.”

TED JANES

Daily Sports Writer

EVAN AARON/Daily

Fifth-year senior running back Ty Isaac has been a highlight for Michigan’s struggling offense, and he will be expected to factor heavily against the Boilermakers.