Upon Further Review: Purdue's loss at Michigan
Upon Further Review is GoldandBlack.com’s detailed weekly look back at that weekend’s Purdue football game. Today, the Boilermakers’ 41-13 loss at second-ranked Michigan. In this series, we will do our best to examine some of the finer points of game, the strategy, scheme and such things. We will do so without intimate knowledge of game plans and terminology and without access to all-22 video, so please keep all that in mind.
Use of these video clips (credit: NBC) is intended for editorial comment only.
Obviously the game was what it was, but we’ll just highlight a few things.
PDF: Purdue-Michigan statistics
DEFENSIVE POSITIVES
Bad as this game was, it could have been a lot worse and would have if not for the Boilermaker defense really getting its footing after Michigan put up two early TDs.
Two guys who absolutely belonged on the field with Michigan: Purdue’s two best defensive players (IMO): Nic Scourton and Kydran Jenkins.
This is that big fourth-down stop. Look at the impact Scourton (5) makes at the snap here. Just a monster.
Purdue used both of them in different ways, seeming at times to disrupt Michigan’s offense.
Normally these guys are Purdue’s edge rushers. Against Michigan, Purdue often stood them up inside defensive ends, matching them more on interior linemen, limiting JJ McCarthy’s ability to step up in the pocket and assuring that they wouldn’t over-run any plays.
Here’s a money down where Jenkins just darts past Michigan’s guard.
Here’s a stunt Purdue runs that frees Scourton to twist outside while the end dives inside. Scourton doesn’t get there but he does get within the QB’s field of vision and contributes to a third-down stop.
Here’s a red-zone stop that’s just perfectly executed, in which Scourton and Jenkins drop into short zone, bracketing the middle of the field and perhaps forcing the throw to the sideline, where the DB is sitting back in zone himself and makes the breakup.
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Purdue moved to more zone after it struggled with pre-snap motion early in the game. This play is an example, but also something that if you appreciate good football you should take a look at. This is incredible play design and incredible execution and that’s a hell of a combination when you have awesome players too. The way they manipulate the defense, then set up their downfield blocks and make them, wow.
PURDUE OFFENSIVE DIFFICULTIES
I want to make this very clear: This is not meant to be a call-out thread for players who really shouldn’t be on the field at this level at this point, but if any plays underscore the Boilermakers’ four-alarm fire at offensive tackle, it’s these.
This is a touchdown if not for immediate edge pressure.
Here, Purdue’s chipping with the tight end, which would allow the offensive to get to his spot and establish a block. Can’t. Of course, easier said than done as this Derrick Moore fellow is shot out of a cannon. Moore, of course, is a former top-100 recruit who had offers from Alabama and Oklahoma and will be in the NFL before long.
So, here’s Hudson Card’s turnover. Stunts normally take a second or two to take shape. This one is pretty explosive.
MISC
• A key to making big plays against this one-high-safety defense: Get Dillon Thieneman leaning.
All-22 video would show this better but we don’t have it and never, ever, ever will unless any of you Purdue fans want to go to games for us and film from the stands (I kid, I kid). But here you see how the stretch-play run look and the wide receiver showing slant puts Purdue’s last line of defense a step behind and turns a big gain into a touchdown. Hard to deal because Michigan has such explosiveness that their suddenness alone makes them really hard to deal with.
