Michigan Wolverines Football: Blowout Win vs. Purdue Will Build Confidence

Michigan entered the 2012 season as a Top 10 team with extremely high aspirations.

Four weeks in, they were unranked with two disappointing losses.

They started off the season by getting dominated by a great Alabama team and then followed that setback with an uncomfortably close win over Air Force. In Week 3, the Wolverines took care of a weak UMass team but then followed that minimal success with a disappointing loss to Notre Dame.

Against Notre Dame, things were not looking up. The once-explosive Michigan offense looked like it could barely manage to get a first down. Denard Robinson wasn't breaking big plays like he had in the past, and he really wasn't getting much help from anyone else.

Coming off a bye week, however, the Wolverines exploded against Purdue and put up an impressive 44 points. Robinson had an insane game on the ground with 24 rushes and a whopping 235 yards. Fitzgerald Toussaint added two rushing touchdowns, and—when they needed to be—the Wolverines were effective enough through the air.

After struggling so much on offense against Notre Dame, that Michigan was able to come out and score a ton of points is huge. A 44-point performance was just what the doctor ordered for this team, and I fully expect everyone to look back on this game as a bit of a springboard for its offense.

The Wolverines desperately needed a confidence-boosting game, one in which they were able to work out all the kinks and feel good about their offense. With today's offensive explosion, the Wolverines flushed out the sickening taste of their dismal performance against the Fighting Irish.

Considering that tough games against MSU and Nebraska are approaching, this offensive explosion couldn't have come at a better time. Michigan just needs to get back to what it does best—which is score points and move the ball on the ground with Denard Robinson.

Now I know a win over Purdue is a bit underwhelming, but this Michigan team needed a game like this. Look for the Wolverines offense to take the field with a little bit of a swagger in the next few weeks.