Matchup Preview: Who has the edge?

Purdue vs. Michigan, from a matchup perspective.

Date/Time: Saturday, November 1, 7 p.m. EDT

Location: Michigan Stadium

Surface: Field Turf

Capacity: 107,601 (tickets)

2025 schedules/records: Purdue 2-6 (0-5 Big Ten) | Michigan 6-2 (4-1 Big Ten)

Series notes: The longtime Big Ten foes will meet for the 55th time on Saturday, as the series history strongly favors the maize and blue. Michigan leads the series 41-13 and enters on a six-game winning streak. Purdue last downed the Wolverines in 2009, when Joey Elliott threw for 367 yards and Ralph Bolden ran for two touchdowns as the Boilermakers left Ann Arbor with a 38-36 victory. The two programs last met in 2023 in a similar night game in the Big House. Michigan, on its way to a national title, rolled past Purdue 41-13 as JJ McCarthy threw for 335 yards.

TV: BTN (PxP Jeff Levering, Analyst Jake Butt, Sidelines Brooke Fletcher)

Radio: Purdue Sports Properties (PxP Tim Newton, Analyst Mark Herrmann, Sidelines Kelly Kitchel)

Line: Michigan -20.5, O/U 51.5

Weather: The forecast shows a high of 49, a low of 31 and partly cloudy skies during the day

Purdue Roster | Purdue Game Notes

Michigan Roster | Michigan Game Notes

Pregame: First Look: Michigan | First and 10: Purdue at No. 21 Michigan | Odom: ‘Purdue has been very aggressive in giving us every single thing that we need’ | The 3-2-1: Fearsome foursome of November foes looms for Purdue | Opponent View: Michigan | Projected Purdue depth charts: Michigan |

Michigan running game versus Purdue against the run

Michigan returned to national prominence under Jim Harbaugh by dominating the trenches and running the ball. Since taking over ahead of last season, Sherrone Moore continues to approach offense in the same manner, no surprise as a former offensive line coach. The Wolverines deploy a two-tailback approach, splitting carries between Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall. Haynes leads the Big Ten in rushing yards, ranks third with 10 rushing touchdowns and comes in sixth nationally with 7.08 yards per carry. Over the last two games, Marshall has totaled 243 yards on more than six yards per carry.

The offensive line might not pack the same punch as Michigan’s 2023 national championship group, but it still helps give Haynes and Marshall room to operate. Quarterback Bryce Underwood can cause issues with his legs, too. The top quarterback recruit in the 2025 class, he stands 6-4 and weighs in at 228 pounds. Purdue must locate him in the run game, and Michigan will use zone read concepts to get him in space with the ball.

Purdue enters the season’s final stretch with solid, albeit unspectacular, run defense numbers. Opponents average a tick below four yards per carry, as the Boilermakers rank in the middle of the pack nationally in most rushing defense statistics. Boilermaker defenders litter the top of the Big Ten’s defensive statistics, as Mani Powell, Charles Correa and Tahj Ra-El each sit inside the top five in total tackles. Purdue could see Myles Slusher return to the field this week, too, who’s played a nice role in working downhill to stuff opposing ballcarriers.

The defensive line continues to progress as well. After the loss of TJ Lindsey for the season, the Boilermakers responded nicely. Chops Harkless remains the driving force on the interior, but the emergence of Ian Jeffries in recent weeks stands out as a major development. Purdue’s shown vulnerability to allowing big plays in the run game at times, though, and that’s where Michigan excels. Wolverine ballcarriers enter with 49 runs of 10+ yards on the season.

Michigan passing game versus Purdue against the pass

Underwood’s true freshman campaign remains a work in progress. There’s no denying the talent that the former five-star brings to the table, but the results don’t quite reflect that yet. He’s completing 61% of his passes for just 190 yards per game. On the positive side, though, he enters the final third of the season with seven touchdown passes to just two interceptions. He enters after his weakest statistical performance of the season, where he completed just eight of 17 attempts for 86 yards in the win at Michigan State. He’s played much better at home compared to the road, though, and he’ll look to continue that underneath the Big House lights on Saturday night.

Part of Michigan’s inconsistent passing game lies in the pass catchers, too. Donaven McCulley, who converted from quarterback to wide receiver while at Indiana, leads the team in receiving. He’s a tall, lanky target, but he’s not your typical top wideout for a College Football Playoff contender. True freshman Andrew Marsh improves each week, and shifty slot man Semaj Morgan can make defenders miss in space. Expect to see the running backs play a role in the passing game, too, as Michigan likes to play it safe in the passing game.

Purdue’s secondary must bounce back after a poor performance against Rutgers. The Boilermakers surrendered 13.3 yards per attempt for a total of 359 yards. Rutgers wideout KJ Duff racked up 241 yards, the most allowed by Purdue to a single opposing player since 1983. In Slusher’s absence, Hershey McLaurin did some good things, but the secondary simply struggled too much. Purdue doesn’t rotate much in the defensive backfield, relying heavily on Tony Grimes and Hudauri Hines at corner.

On the positive side, Purdue did generate pressure. The Boilermakers racked up five sacks last week, bringing the season total to 19, good for seventh in the Big Ten. CJ Nunnally remains a revelation, as the Akron transfer leads the team with five sacks. He’s emerged as the lone constant presence in the pass rush. Still, when Purdue doesn’t hurry a throw or bring the quarterback down, opposing passers pick the secondary apart far too easily, and Purdue surrenders too many big plays through the air.

Purdue running game versus Michigan against the run

Purdue reached the 200-yard mark once again on the ground last week, and it did so with big plays from all three tailbacks. Devin Mockobee carried the bulk of the load once again, but Malachi Thomas ripped off a gain of 57 and Antonio Harris tacked on a 37-yard scamper. Mockobee did not return to the game after limping off the field in the fourth quarter, and Purdue will undoubtedly want him available for Saturday night’s contest. He needs just 13 more rushing yards to become the fourth Boilermaker to reach the 3,000-yard mark, and it looks increasingly likely that he’ll wind up fourth on the career rushing list when the season ends.

Malachi Singleton came in for nine snaps last week, mostly coming in red zone and short-yardage situations. While Ryan Browne continues to showcase the ability to use his legs, Singleton remains effective in these situations. The Boilermakers seem to squeeze all the juice out of the run game that they can, despite an often-overmatched offensive line. Purdue hit on several big plays on the ground last week, and it’ll need several more in order to put a scare in Michigan on Saturday.

Michigan enters November ranked 15th nationally in run defense, holding opponents to just 95.5 yards per game. Following the blueprint set forth in previous years, Michigan wants to dominate in the trenches and force opponents to beat it over the top. Linebackers Ernest Hausmann and Jimmy Rolder lead the Wolverine defense, as they’ve combined for nine tackles for loss. Five of Michigan’s nine opponents have finished with fewer than 100 rushing yards. Aside from an explosion by USC, the run defense has stifled opponents thus far.

Purdue passing game versus Rutgers against the pass

As the run game showed improvement in recent weeks, the pass game continues to trend in the opposite direction. The 128 passing yards against Rutgers were a new season low, and Purdue managed a mere 5.57 yards per attempt. Browne played after Barry Odom called him “doubtful” earlier in the week with a left shoulder injury, but the pass game didn’t click. Singleton tossed two touchdown passes in the red zone, but Odom remained steadfast in the postgame that Browne is Purdue’s starting quarterback. Regardless of who takes the snaps, Purdue will look for the pass game to return to the early season level in the season’s final month.

A significant reason behind Purdue’s declining passing game lies with the pass catchers. The tight end position does not pose any threat to catch passes without George Burhenn, and drops remain a significant issue among wide receivers. Pro Football Focus ranks Purdue’s receiving game 110th out of 136 FBS teams, as the Boilermakers average three drops per game. Purdue missed on several deep shots down the field last week. In order to spark an upset bid on Saturday, it’ll need to connect for those big plays in the air.

Michigan’s pass defense doesn’t scare opponents the way the run defense does, but it remains a formidable group. Derrick Moore enters the weekend tied for the Big Ten lead with seven sacks, and Jaishawn Barham joins him to create a nice duo of pass rushers. Jyaire Hill serves as the top corner, limiting opposing receivers, and Cole Sullivan boasts three interceptions on the year. Michigan would like to force more turnovers, entering with 16 through eight games, and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale will blitz early and often to rattle Purdue’s quarterbacks.

Special teams

Has the kicking game been Purdue’s brightest spot? Spencer Porath nailed another chip shot to bring his season total to 10-for-11 on field goal tries and remains perfect on extra points. And, in the punting game, Jack McCallister continues to put together an All-Big Ten type of campaign.

Michael Jackson III did return a kickoff 56 yards last week, by far the best return of the season. Purdue needs to create plays on special teams, especially as the offense’s scoring output falls short of its early-season production. ‘

Michigan kicker Dominic Zvada earned first-team All-Big Ten and consensus All-America honors last season when he made 21 of 22 tries and made all seven of his attempts from 50+ yards. He’s started a bit slower in 2025, entering this week with 10 makes in 14 tries, but he’s one of the best kickers in the nation. Punter Hudson Hollenback averages 43 yards per punt.

The Wolverines don’t often return kickoffs, but Morgan does try to return punts regularly. The issue? He averages less than two yards per punt return. Expect plenty of fair catches, a common theme in 2025.

Intangibles

Now what? Purdue’s month of October looked manageable. Instead, the Boilermakers turned in a 0-4 month with two crushing defeats. Now, with three ranked opponents and a trip to Washington, Purdue projects as a three-score underdog in each of its remaining contests. The Boilermakers cleaned up the penalties and only turned the ball over once last week, but those classic line items didn’t make enough of a difference to flip the outcome in Purdue’s direction.

The challenge is real for Barry Odom and company, as they must keep the team motivated in a month that could feature some lopsided defeats. After a heartbreaking loss at Minnesota, Purdue did not respond well, falling 19-0 to Northwestern. Can Purdue respond positively after another victory slipped away?

On the other sideline, Michigan enters with a favorable slate ahead of its always-anticipated clash with Ohio State. The Wolverines will play the role of sizable favorites in each of their next three games ahead of the rivalry finale. But Michigan does enter this one after a rivalry victory, having defeated in-state rival Michigan State in East Lansing on Saturday night. Will the Wolverines avoid a letdown spot?

It will likely take a win over the Buckeyes, but Moore’s team remains in the mix for a College Football Playoff birth. They enter at 6-2, and if chalk holds serve, they’ll take a 9-2 record as they look to down Ohio State for the fifth straight season. If Michigan lives up to the projections and pulls ahead in this game, do style points become an emphasis? Or, will the Wolverines look to speed up the game and get it over with?