Previewing Michigan vs. Purdue with a Boilermakers insider

By Clayton Sayfie

TheWolverine.com caught up with Purdue writer Tom Dienhart of Gold and Black ahead of Saturday’s matchup between the Boilermakers and Michigan Wolverines football. Dienhart broke down Purdue and offered a final score prediction. We begin with the projected starting lineup for the Boilermakers.

Purdue projected starters on offense

• #15 – Sophomore QB Ryan Browne (6-4, 210) — The Clarkston, Mich., native started two games last season and has opened all eight this year, though he’s been dealing with an upper-body injury that he suffered Oct. 18 at Northwestern. He played but was also spelled by backup Malachi Singleton, who logged nine snaps, carrying 4 times for 11 yards and going 2-of-3 passing for 11 yards and 2 touchdowns. Browne has completed 144 of his 242 throws (59.5 percent) for 1,689 yards and 8 touchdowns with 7 interceptions, adding 165 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns on 51 attempts. Browne has been sacked 11 times and pressured on 33 percent of his dropbacks. Browne has seen 96 of his 144 completions come within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, and he’s completing less than 50 percent of all other throws (10-plus air yards).

• #45 – Senior RB Devin Mockobee (6-0, 202) — The former walk-on has started two prior games against Michigan, in the 2022 Big Ten championship game (17 carries, 71 yards, 1 touchdown) and the 2023 tilt at The Big House (13 rushes, 38 yards). This season, he’s leading Purdue with 521 yards and 4 touchdowns on 125 attempts (4.2 yards per carry). He averages 3.3 yards after contact per rush and has forced a whopping 26 missed tackles. He has 14 runs of 10-plus yards. He’s also caught 18 passes for 215 yards and 1 touchdown. Mockobee has rushed for 2,983 yards and 23 touchdowns during his career. Mockobee left last week’s game with an injury and is questionable to play against Michigan. Backup Antonio Harris (20 carries, 152 yards, 1 touchdown) may pick up the slack.

• #0 – Sophomore WR Nitro Tuggle (6-1, 195) — The Georgia transfer caught 3 passes for 34 yards as a freshman with the Bulldogs in 2024. He’s second on the team with 19 catches for 310 yards and a team-best 4 touchdown grabs this season. Tuggle is a deep threat, with 5 catches on passes of 20-plus air yards. His 16.3 yards per catch average ranks seventh in the Big Ten. His 6 drops rank tied as the fifth most among FBS players, per PFF.

• #2 – Senior WR Michael Jackson III (6-0, 205) — The USC (2021-23) and Georgia (2024) transfer has made 53 receptions for 580 yards and 6 touchdowns throughout his career, including team bests in catches (44) and receiving yards (398) for the Boilermakers this season, adding 1 touchdown. The slot receiver’s average depth of target is 6.1 yards down the field.

• #13 – Senior WR EJ Horton Jr. (6-1, 190) — The Marshall (2020-22), West Virginia (2023) and Florida Atlantic (2024) transfer has hauled in 14 catches for 247 yards and 1 touchdown this season.

• #44 – Senior TE Christian Moore (6-3, 250) — The Kansas State (2020-23) and UNLV (2024) transfer followed first-year head coach Barry Odom from Las Vegas to West Lafayette. A blocker who also lines up at fullback, Moore has caught 1 pass for 2 yards this season. He has a 63.8 PFF run-blocking grade.

• #79 – Junior LT Joey Tanona (6-6, 305) — The Notre Dame transfer is in his second season at Purdue, and his first as a starter. He has a 60.7 overall PFF rating and has allowed 14 pressures and 3 sacks.

• #74 – Senior LG Jalen St. John (6-5, 330) — The UNLV transfer started 26 games over the last two seasons at his previous school, after coming in from Arkansas. He’s opened seven contests at left guard for the Boilermakers this fall. He’s recorded a 52.6 overall PFF grade with 11 pressures and a sack given up.

• #55 – Sophomore C Bradyn Joiner (6-2, 310) — The Auburn transfer appeared in 10 games with five starts in 2024, earning SEC All-Freshman Team recognition. This season, he’s generated a 66.1 overall PFF grade and has allowed 18 pressures (no sacks) in pass protection.

• #58 – Sophomore RG Hank Purvis (6-5, 360) — The UNLV transfer took over as the starting right guard last week, replacing the struggling Ethan Trent, who opened the first eight tilts. Purvis played well enough that Dienhart believes he’ll continue to hold this role, posting a 56.0 overall PFF rating with 1 pressure given up.

• #78 – Senior RT Bakyne Coly (6-7, 300) — The first-year starter has posted a 44.4 overall PFF rating and a 37.3 mark in pass protection, the lowest among Big Ten tackles with 150-plus snaps. He’s allowed 30 pressures — the most among Big Ten tackles — including 2 sacks.

Purdue projected starters on defense

• #97 – Sophomore DT Jamarrion Harkless (6-3, 345) — Has posted 9 tackles, including 2.5 sacks, with 4 quarterback hurries. He has 9 pressures on the season, having generated 2 in the last game, a 27-24 loss to Rutgers.

• #40 – Sophomore DT Ian Jeffries (6-4, 303) — The Arkansas State transfer didn’t appear in any games at his previous school last season. He made his first career start in college two weeks ago, in a 19-0 loss to Northwestern, and opened the last contest versus Rutgers. He’s tallied 14 tackles, including 3 for loss and a sack.

• #91 – Senior DE CJ Nunnally IV (6-3, 265) — The Akron transfer was recognized as a first-team All-MAC performer each of the last two seasons. He’s had a big season for the Boilermakers, notching 28 tackles — including 7.5 for loss with 5 sacks — 7 quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. His 20 pressures lead the team, and he’s coming off a 6-pressure outing against Rutgers.

• #58 – Sophomore DE Breeon Ishmail (6-4, 270) — The Michigan transfer made his first career start in last week’s loss to Rutgers, posting 5 tackles. He has 13 total stops and 6 pressures on the season.

• #16 – Senior LB Mani Powell (6-2, 230) — The UNLV transfer leads Purdue with 76 tackles, adding 7 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups and a forced fumble. He’s registered 14 pressures on 59 pass-rush snaps. He’s missed a team-high 13 tackles.

• #5 – Sophomore LB Charles Correa (6-3, 230) — The UNLV transfer is second on the team with 72 tackles, with 5.5 of them behind the line of scrimmage, including 2.5 sacks. He’s also contributed 2 pass breakups and 8 pressures. He ranks second on the team with 12 missed tackles.

• #10 – Junior LB Alex Sanford Jr. (6-1, 232) — The Arkansas transfer has recorded 33 tackles, with 2.5 for loss, 1 pass breakup and a fumble recovery.

• #4 – Sophomore CB Hudauri Hines (6-1, 200) — Has posted 23 tackles with 1.5 for loss and 5 pass breakups, while recording a 53.2 PFF coverage grade. He’s given up 23 receptions for 218 yards and 5 touchdowns on 37 targets.

• #0 – Senior CB Tony Grimes (6-2, 195) — The North Carolina (2020-22), Texas A&M (2023) and UNLV (2024) transfer has started 48 career games and was named All-ACC honorable mention in 2021. This season, he’s tallied 23 tackles and 4 pass breakups, while registering a 64.3 PFF coverage rating. In coverage, he’s yielded 16 receptions for 302 yards and a touchdown on 31 targets.

• #21 – Senior S Tahj Ra-El (6-2, 208) — The Old Dominion (2021-23) and Memphis (2024) transfer is third on the team with 68 tackles, with 2.5 of those coming behind the line of scrimmage. He’s posted 4 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery and a 60.9 PFF coverage grade. He’s given up 12 catches for 182 yards on 18 targets.

• #25 – Senior S Hershey McLaurin (6-2, 210) — The Houston transfer has appeared in only two games, making one start, which came last week against Rutgers. The Boilermakers have been without typical starter Myles Slusher (46 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble) over the last two contests, but he could be back this weekend. McLaurin has made 19 tackles, 1 sack and 1 pass breakup in his limited action. He has a 65.4 PFF coverage grade, giving up 2 catches for 12 yards and a touchdown on 3 targets.

Purdue specialists

• #35 – Sophomore K Spencer Porath (5-11, 200) — Has made 10 of his 11 field goal attempts with a 48-yard long this season. He doesn’t have any attempts of 50-plus yards. He went 7-of-11 on field goals with a 45-yard long last year.

• #38 – Senior P Jack McCallister (6-0, 213) — The Washington transfer made a brief stop at Nebraska during the spring but transferred to Purdue after the semester, following a special teams coordinator change in Lincoln. He’s attempted 29 punts, averaging 45.6 yards per boot with 13 pins inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and 11 of 50-plus yards this season. McCallister punted 5 times, averaging 47.8 yards per attempt, in Washington’s 34-13 national championship game loss to Michigan in 2023. He had 3 punts for 45 yards on average in the Huskies’ 27-17 win in 2024.

• #2 – Senior KR/PR Michael Jackson III (6-0, 205) — Has returned 8 kicks with a 24.4-yard average. His long is 56 yards. On punts, he’s brought back 6 for 11 yards (1.8-yard average) with a 17-yard long.

The quarterback situation

Browne was hurt in Purdue’s 19-0 loss to Northwestern two weeks ago, so Singleton took the majority of the snaps. Singleton was in for nine plays against Rutgers last week, too, but Browne, a Clarkston, Mich., native, was back in a starting role.

Dienhart broke down what Browne brings to the table.

“I think Ryan Browne’s best asset is just his competitiveness,” the writer stated. “He’s a well-liked kid. He’s always going to leave it on the field. Is he the most talented quarterback? No. Does he try to play hero ball sometimes? Yes. Try to do too much? Yes. I think sometimes he feels like he maybe has to make a play, right? ‘I have to make something happen. I’ve got to throw an 80-yard touchdown pass and score a 14-point touchdown here.’

“So, I think some of it’s there. He can be spotty in his decision-making, I think, though. I like him. I just don’t think he’s the guy. I don’t think most people do.

“Malachi Singleton’s certainly not the guy, either. These guys are both probably backup quarterbacks on Big Ten teams that are good.”

The rest of Purdue’s offense

In fairness, Browne doesn’t have much help with the skill position players around him.

“I will say this, though, in Ryan Browne’s defense. The wide receiving corps is an abomination. They drop the ball. The tight end position is an abomination. Probably the best player on the team is a tight end. He got hurt up at Notre Dame, a guy named George Burhenn, so they’re left with three basic stiffs who are just like glorified linemen, for the most part.

“My point is, he doesn’t have a lot of stellar guys to throw the ball to, either. I think you could be a bowl team with him. He’s never going to be an All-Big Ten guy or anything. He’s not the reason why they’re struggling.”

The Purdue offensive line owns its share of the blame, too.

“The offensive line is mediocre,” Dienhart said. “I thought it was going to be better. It’s just average. Typical Purdue, right? They’re not physical enough. They’re the anti-Michigan. They’re never going to brawl you and maul you in the red zone. They get in the red zone, forget it. They’re not going to push you around or push you backward. They always have to try to gimmick you, throw a short pass, do something finesse. And the line is not big enough, it’s not deep enough right now. 

“The right side of the line is a real issue. The right tackle is a real issue. The left side is a little bit better.”

The running backs are the strength, but Mockobee is questionable for this week.

“The best part of their offense is probably their running backs, obviously,” Dienhart said. “Mockobee, and they’ve got a kid named Antonio Harris, who’s a walk-on, and a kid from Virginia Tech named Malachi Thomas.

“Probably no Mockobee this week, though. He kind of limped off the field late last week and didn’t come back in. We’re not sure of his status, so that’s something to keep on your radar, injury-wise, on offense.”

Breakdown of the Purdue defense

Purdue ranks 92nd nationally in scoring defense, allowing 27.8 points per game, and also checks in 75th against the run and 106th versus the pass.

Here’s Dienhart’s breakdown of the defense:

“What stands out is the linebackers. They’re clearly the best part of the defense. They go with a base 4-3, and the two best guys are Mani Powell and Charles Correa, both UNLV kids. I think they could play for most Big Ten teams — maybe not start. I think Michigan could just use them on special teams or something. They’re cuts above. They run and hit and never leave the field.

“They try to keep blockers off of them up front, but the line has just been below average. They do have a pretty good big nose tackle, big No. 97, Harkless. He’s one of those 350-pound guys. He’s legit. The other tackle is not. They lost probably their best lineman to a season-ending injury, who was next to [Harkless], a guy named TJ Lindsey, who came from Auburn. He’s really good. They’ve got a couple guys that kind of rotate, Demeco Kennedy and a kid named Ian Jeffries, and they’re just guys; they’re nothing special.

“The defensive ends, there’s nothing there. There’s nobody that’s keeping Michigan’s coaches up at night — I guarantee you that. There’s no Ryan Kerrigan or Rosevelt Colvin or George Karlaftis. Purdue’s had a great run of defensive ends over the years. There’s nobody like that. The best end is a kid that came from Akron, who wasn’t even a starter to begin the year, but he’s outplayed these other guys — CJ Nunnelly, No. 91, has a team-high 5 sacks and 7 TFLs. He’s just a try-hard guy who’s busting his butt. He’s the one end who’s made some plays.

“They actually started a Michigan kid for the first time last week, Breeon Ishmail. He really hasn’t done anything this year. 

“The secondary has been a little bit of an abomination. The cornerbacks have really struggled in man coverage. They only played two last week. The guy who’s the purported No. 1 guy is another UNLV kid, No. 0, Tony Grimes. No. 4, Hudauri Hines, he just got dusted last week. He got dusted at Northwestern. You go, ‘Don’t they have anybody better than Hudauri Hines?’ and you look on the bench and go, ‘I guess not.’ 

“I know Michigan’s not renowned for throwing the football, but if I’m Michigan, I’m taking my shots and making this guy cover me. I guess they have a good freshman receiver [Andrew Marsh], and you have the kid from Indiana, [Donaven] McCulley, so take your shots downfield, man. Set them up for play action, because you can beat these guys, I think, and get some big plays.

“The safeties have been better. Myles Slusher got hurt up at Northwestern, didn’t play last week. He may play this week. He’s not some All-American, but he’s a solid player, and they need him. His replacement did pretty well last week, Hershey McLaurin, who broke up a big pass in the end zone and played better than I thought he was going to. They need Slusher back.

“And then the other guy is a real high tackler from Memphis [Tahj Ra-El]. The linebackers are the best. The line and the secondary, take your pick on which one’s worse. 

“They’re going to take their chances. They’re taking more chances blitzing on first and second down. They can’t sit back there and wait for third down. They’ve got to get you on third-and-8, and then hold on tight and see if they can force a punt.”

A key stat

“The turnover margin is the worst in the Big Ten,” Dienhart said. “That’s another way they’re beating themselves. They’re minus-11. Only two teams in the country are worse. So, minus-11 on the turnover margin … up until last week, penalties have been a real issue, too, but they didn’t have any last week, which is amazing. Beating yourself, when you’re supposed to be hard, smart and tough — Barry Odom’s ‘hard, smart and tough’ — well they haven’t been really smart a lot of the times, with the penalties and the turnovers.

“When you’re a team like Purdue, man, if you’re beating yourself, you have no shot. They’ve yet to win the turnover battle, I think, in any game. The talent’s not abundant, then you can’t be beating yourself if you want any chance to stay in games against the Minnesotas of the world, let alone the Michigans of the world.”

Dienhart’s final score prediction

“This is a Michigan team kind of in transition here,” Dienhart reasoned. “The offense isn’t tremendous. Great defense, they’re at home. [Freshman quarterback] Bryce Underwood, I know he’s been better at home than on the road. They’ll maul their way. Last weekend, in the second half they only threw the ball twice? They just shoved it up Michigan State’s rear end, and I think they’re going to probably be able to do the same thing. He may not even need to throw 1 pass to beat them. Maybe it’ll be like a 90-minute game. Maybe it’ll be a quick one, Michigan controls the ball and just grinds it out, have like an eight-, nine-minute scoring drive.

“They probably won’t need to throw more than 10 passes to win. And, man, if they get a lead on Purdue, especially, and Purdue has to start throwing the football, look out.”
Prediction: Michigan 35, Purdue 10