Opponent View/Scouting Michigan

If Purdue is going to end its six-game losing streak and 14-game Big Ten losing skid, it will take a massive upset to do so. Up next: A trip to No. 21 Michigan.

The Boilermakers are coming off a dispiriting 27-24 loss at home to Rutgers on homecoming. Now, Purdue (2-6 overall; 0-5 Big Ten) finds itself a 21-point underdog as it wades into Ann Arbor (7 p.m. ET, BTN).

The Boilers have lost 17 games in a row to Power 4 foes. The last Big Ten road win? At Indiana in 2022. So, it’s 11 Big Ten road losses in succession.

The Wolverines (6-2; 4-1) have won two in a row and five of their last six games. The lone loss in that span: At USC, 31-13. Michigan is coming off a 31-20 victory at Michigan State.

Michigan has won the last six meetings vs. the Boilermakers, dating to a Purdue 38-36 victory in Ann Arbor in 2009 under Danny Hope. In those six losses, Purdue has scored over 20 points just one time. The last meeting also took place in Ann Arbor, with the Boilermakers losing 41-13 in 2023. Prior to that, the Wolverines downed Purdue, 43-22, in the 2022 Big Ten title game.

GoldandBlack.com spoke with the voice of Michigan football, Doug Karsch, to learn more about the Wolverines.

GoldandBlack.com: What should we know about the Michigan offense?

Karsch: They really have started to run the ball the way Sherrone Moore wants to run the ball. Offensive linemen love it, running backs love it, but fans don’t always love it. But you look back at the Michigan State game, and Michigan only threw the ball twice in the second half and scored 21 points. In the first half, when they were trying to be more diverse, Michigan scored just 10 points. So, they’re just finding ways to win football games with a freshman quarterback (Bryce Underwood).

They have five and sometimes six freshmen on offense: three on the line, the true freshman quarterback, their most dangerous wide receiver is a true freshman and Jordan Marshall, the running back. So, there’s a lot of youth there and a lot of variability from week-to-week. It’s a challenge. They’re trying to coddle the offense through this and score enough points and hope that the defense supports them.

They started to make some plays on the outside. Andrew Marsh, the true freshman wideout, has turned out to be very explosive. He’s probably emerged as their most dangerous receiver in the last few weeks. Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley is a good receiver, a guy that can go get the ball, but they don’t have a lot of depth at receiver. The tight end position has been a little bit of feast or famine. They’ve had a lot of injuries.

This hasn’t been the greatest Michigan offense. But when you have that many young players, I don’t know if you can expect them to be that great. But you can see the talent with Bryce Underwood. He’s a dual-threat guy. He’s got an extremely strong arm. You can see the talent is there, and they’re hoping that the best performances start to stack on top of one another, and they can raise the baseline and maybe give them a little bit more to work with.

GoldandBlack.com: What should we know about the Wolverine defense?

Karsch: This is the strength of the team. They have a lot of depth at a lot of different positions, although that depth is getting tested.

You can make a case that their best defensive back and their best linebacker didn’t play in the Michigan State game. Rod Moore, the fifth-year senior safety who is like a coach in the secondary, and Cole Sullivan, a young linebacker, left early in the Michigan State game. His status at this point is unknown. Moore has been slow to return from an ACL suffered prior to last season. We’ll see if he plays on Saturday.

The defensive tackles are good at collapsing the pocket and stuffing the run. The edge rushers, Jaishawn Barham and Derrick Moore, have been very good. LB Jimmy Rolder was the best player on the field against Michigan State. He was a former Illinois baseball commit that eventually decided to play football. In the secondary, Jyaire Hill’s coverage has been really good. They like their secondary. The DBs are very young. DC Wink Martindale calls it a playpen back there.

The defense is a strength. They’ve done a very good job defensively, and they’re kind of carrying the team. And I think they’re trying to play to that strength. Punt, play defense and take advantage of any opportunities that the offense can scrounge up in the course of a game.

GoldandBlack.com: How do you see this game unfolding?

Karsch: Because of the youth, I don’t really think Michigan’s going to run away and hide from a lot of people. They’re susceptible to letdowns. And I think a lot of teams come into the Big House where they’re so tuned in that it wouldn’t shock me if this game is closer than the experts think.

I wouldn’t be shocked if this game is a little bit closer than people think. I expect Michigan to win the game, but I’ve gotten used to not knowing what to expect out of the Michigan offense. They’re a little bit banged up. We’ll see who can play on Saturday. But I like Michigan to win the game, maybe by a couple scores.

MORE: Barry 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 | First look: Michigan | First and 10: Purdue at Michigan | Gold and Black Radio: Purdue preps for No. 21 Michigan

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