Michigan Football: Previewing the Purdue Game

Michigan's game with Purdue this weekend just got a whole lot tougher with the Boilermakers' big win over Illinois.

Regardless, the odds-makers decided to make Michigan a 14-point favorite, which some fans are saying is way too high.

Here's a look at the biggest aspects and matchups to watch for in this weekend's game.

Purdue's Quarterback Situation

It has become pretty clear that Caleb TerBush is Purdue's quarterback.  It wouldn't even be a surprise if we didn't see Robert Marve take one snap on Saturday.

TerBush's numbers aren't great, but they're definitely not bad either.  He is completing just under 62 percent of his passes, which is very mediocre, but has a decent touchdown-to-interception ratio of 2:1.

Marve, on the other hand, was only completing 53 percent of his passes.  Now a senior, it looks like his college career will end in disappointment, as he just couldn't work things out at Miami or Purdue.

If TerBush continues to improve, he could be a quarterback people would have to take notice of heading into his senior season next fall.

He has a perfect body for the NFL, standing 6-5 and weighing 225 pounds, but still has a long way to go before he even dreams about getting drafted.

Whether or not Michigan struggles with Purdue's passing attack remains to be seen.

The Boilermakers are statistically one of the worst passing teams in the country, as they only throw for 191 yards a game.

Even though a lot of people probably don't realize it, Michigan has the 25th best pass defense in the country.  That obviously doesn't mean that they'll shut Purdue's poor passing offense down.

It will be very interesting to see how often Purdue throws the ball, and how much success they have.

Purdue's Running Backs

Both Ralph Bolden and Akeem Shavers are good backs.  We will see plenty of carries by each of them on Saturday.

Michigan fans may be especially nervous about Bolden.  Everyone remembers what he did against them in the 2009 game in Michigan Stadium.

Both backs are basically averaging 5.0 yards a carry, which isn't bad.

Purdue also has some lesser-used running backs that we may or may not see.  Akeem Hunt is averaging just under 8.0 yards a carry and has already scored two touchdowns on only 18 carries.

Raheem Mostert is only a true freshman, but is averaging over 9.0 yards a carry and has scored twice on only nine carries.

Purdue's rushing attack has put up solid numbers, as they rank 27th in the country.

Michigan's rush defense hasn't been great, as it ranks 55th in the nation.

Don't be surprised if Purdue has success running the ball on Saturday.

Purdue's Receivers

Not many people knew what to make of Purdue's receiving core coming into the season, but they have performed surprisingly well so far.

Antavian Edison leads the team in receiving yards, as he is already almost at 400.

O.J. Ross, only a true sophomore, has 22 catches for 246 yards.

The one Michigan fans will be keeping their eye on, though, is Justin Siller.  Now a senior, it seems like only yesterday he was making his first start at quarterback as a freshman against Michigan and tearing up their secondary.

He led Purdue to a 48-42 victory in that game, which was in late 2008.

Now a receiver, he leads the team in catches and has almost 300 receiving yards.

Gary Bush is another one to look out for, as he is usually the first receiver off the bench.

Waynelle Gravesande can also be dangerous, as he is both a receiver and punt returner.

The Purdue Front 7

For the most part, Purdue has very good defensive numbers.  The weakest part of their defense, though, seems to be their front seven.

Only one senior starts on the defensive line, so they are reasonably young.

The one guy to really watch out for on the defensive line is Kawann Short.  He already has 10 tackles for loss, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten.

At linebacker, Joe Holland is the only senior that will start.  Dwayne Beckford seems to be solid as a junior, and Will Lucas is only a true sophomore.

We'll see Brandon Taylor sub in a lot at defensive tackle.  Other than that, though, they mainly keep the same seven or eight guys out there in the front seven.

Michigan should be able to run on these guys.  Denard Robinson better have a big day running, because at this point, it's hard to have any faith in the running backs.

If Fitz Toussaint or Vincent Smith don't break out in this game, then they probably won't all season.

The Purdue Secondary

Both of Purdue's safeties, Logan Link and Albert Evans, are seniors.  However, their corner duo is much younger.

Josh Johnson is a junior, while Ricardo Allen is a rising star as a true sophomore.  Everyone remembers what Allen did in last year's game against Michigan, as he scored a touchdown on defense.

Purdue's pass defense actually has solid numbers, as they rank 38th in the country.

Denard just hasn't looked good throwing the ball all year, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him struggle again this week.

That could definitely mean that we see more of Devin Gardner.

Penalties

Purdue is the most penalized team in the Big Ten, averaging 7.9 penalties per game.

Michigan, on the other hand, is the least penalized, averaging only 4.1 per game.

With that much of a difference between the two teams, penalties could play a big factor in Saturday's game.

If those two trends continue, it could help Michigan out tremendously.

Turnovers

Michigan's defense has gotten 19 turnovers, which is the most in the Big Ten.

Purdue's defense, on the other hand, has only gotten eight, which is second worst in the Big Ten.  Only Minnesota's defense has forced fewer.

It would be big if Michigan's defense could continue to force turnovers, seeing as how Purdue gets so few.

Purdue's offense, though, rarely turns the ball over, as they only have eight times all year.  That is good for fourth in the Big Ten.

Michigan's offense has turned it over 12 times, which is ninth in the Big Ten.

Turnovers will play a factor in this game, just as they have in all of Michigan's games this year.

Prediction:       Michigan 35   Purdue 21