It struck again…the mighty Michigan second half stomp. After a surprisingly close 14-13 game at half, Michigan exploded in the second half, out scoring the Boilermakers 29-9 after the break. The final score, 43-22 will show a three touchdown game but Purdue’s gritty first half should be applauded.
Team of the Week – Michigan – A- – They used their outstanding second half to break the game opened but this wasn’t UM’s best performance of the season. They were outgained, struggled on third down (PU converted 9/18 and UM converted 6/12), and as mentioned were barely leading at the break. This didn’t really matter or was alarming going into the CFP because Michigan was tasked to play a week after their most emotional victory in a long time (at Ohio State) and then took a big step down in competition. Coming out a bit flat or a little disinterested wasn’t a shock. What would have been shocking and scary for UM’s playoff hopes was if they didn’t have that awesome second half. What’s crazy is their playoff game versus TCU is two second half teams. Who will be more second half-y? Oooh, is there finally a CFP game I’ll watch? It would be the first one all CFP.
Purdue – B- – TOO MANY FIELD GOALS! Purdue hit five field goals with three of them being kicked from 35 yards or in. This should be obvious but maybe a reader is newer to the game, so let me explain quickly why kicking field goals that short is troublesome in this game. Because you snap the ball 7 yards deep on a field goal or PAT plus the 10 yards of the end zone, that means the original line of scrimmage for those three kicks was inside the Michigan 17, also known as the the red zone. This means Purdue was having long drives result in just three points instead of seven. Purdue’s defense played well enough in the first half and the offense moved the ball extremely well…the issue was they didn’t complete enough trips with seven. Trading field goals for touchdowns was never, ever going to work. Purdue played way better than I expected and if they had gone a bit more gutsy and tempted fate on a few of those fourth downs instead of kicking field goals, who knows, maybe they pull off the upset.
Game of the Week – Kansas State and TCU was a work of beauty. Back and forth all day and overtime. Now that is what a title game should be!
Why Did I Watch This? Award – Clemson and North Carolina went according to plan…and that plan was UNC being in a game way over their heads and getting blown out.
Gambling Report Card:
- Purdue vs Michigan – UM (-15.5), Over (54)
With 65 points scored, the over was completely demolished. Not a big surprise thanks to these two offenses and playing in a dome. Michigan also covered thanks to scoring nearly 30 points in the second half. Nice little double up to close the season.
Week Record: 2-0-0
Season Record: 68-49-3
Big Ten and Counting 