2020-21 Season Preview: Michigan Wolverines
By: Dakota Isgrigg | July 28th | @dakota_isgrigg | @BoilerInTexas
We are officially on the countdown to the 2020-21 Purdue football season! [Even though there are still a lot of details to be figured out because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems as though the precautions taken in early 2020 will allow us to have college football in some form or fashion.] Even though the American public failed to heed the warnings of scientists/professionals, as of now, football is still going to happen. Even though as of July 9th the Big Ten announced that because of the resurgence in COVID-19 cases in the US, the Big Ten will have a conference game only football schedule, for now. So we here at Boiler In Texas will continue as if the season will be taking place and Purdue will be suiting up this fall, regardless of the actions of some Americans. So over the weeks leading up to the presumptive start to the season, we will be going week by week and taking a look at the season for our Boilermakers and their opponents every week.
Purdue 2020 Football Schedule:
9/5: @Nebraska
9/12: Memphis - Cancelled
9/19: Air Force - Cancelled
9/26: @Boston College - Cancelled
10/10: Rutgers
10/17: @Illinois
10/24: @Michigan
10/31: Northwestern
11/7: @Minnesota
11/14: Wisconsin
11/21: Iowa
11/28: @Indiana
The last time Purdue and Michigan met it was game 4 of the Jeff Brohm era at Purdue and the Boilermakers were coming off of a narrow loss to Lamar Jackson and Louisville and dominant wins over Ohio and Missouri on the road. The start to the 2017 season had fans extremely excited for the Wolverines to visit a sold-out Ross-Ade stadium, a win would be hard fought and fans were excited to see how the Boilers would fare against the top of the Big Ten. It was a hard fought game that unfortunately ended with a 28-10 loss to Michigan that was actually closer than the final score would indicate.
Now in 2020 Purdue is (still currently) scheduled to travel to Ann Arbor to face the Wolverines once again. No matter how Purdue’s season starts, this will be the hardest game Purdue plays this year. It will be the first time Purdue makes the trip north since… checks notes… 2011? Are we sure that we are in the same conference? Not saying that it’s a bad thing, as avoiding the top teams in the Big Ten has seemed to be in Purdue’s favor since 2011, but it is still interesting that Purdue hasn’t made the trip in 9 years, and it’s only our 3rd game against Michigan since then as well (2012, 2017, 2020).
Michigan 2020-21 Football Schedule
9/5: @Washington - Cancelled
9/12: Ball State- Cancelled
9/19: Arkansas State - Cancelled
9/26: Wisconsin
10/3: Penn State
10/10: @Michigan State
10/17: @Minnesota
10/24: Purdue
11/7: Maryland
11/14: @Rutgers
11/21: Indiana
11/28: @Ohio State
It seems as though Michigan has solidified their place in the conference and college football as a whole. They are essentially a lock for 8-10 wins a year and always sit near the top of the Big Ten. They have struggled to take the next step in their own journey in attempting to winning the Big Ten as they have not been able to get over the hump of beating Ohio State and seem to stumble in another game every year as well. Last year Michigan had a bit of an up and down year as they finished 9-4 overall and 6-3 in conference. They finished the season by losing to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl 35-16.
Michigan Offense
It’s hard to say that a team like Michigan will struggle after losing some important pieces from the offense from the year before. Even when they lose guys, there will always seem to be highly rated guys behind them waiting for their chance to shine. This may be one of those moments as Michigan does lose starting QB Shea Patterson as well as all but one starter along the offensive line. Will the next men up be able to build on Michigan’s 31.7 points-per-game average from last season? Time will tell.
Quarterback
As mentioned, Shea Patterson is no longer running the offense and the responsibility falls to either Dylan McCaffrey or Joe Milton. Both have seen the field in some form or fashion but not enough to say whether or not one has the job locked up over the other. McCaffery has been utilized in more of a running threat role while Milton is the opposite where he has showcased his arm but hasn’t had the chance to show his ability to run. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod to start the season, but I would still expect to see both used early and often.
Running back
The running back position will likely be a two-man game as Hassan Hankins and Zach Charbonnet gave the Wolverines great production in 2019. Hankins finished the season with 622 yards and 4 TD’s while Charbonnet contributed 726 yards and 11 TD’s. So, whoever sees the field should see the ball a lot and be expected to move it forward.
Receivers
Michigan returns their top-2 receivers as well in Ronnie Bell (2019: 48 receptions, 758 yards, and 4 TD’s) and Nico Collins (2019: 37 receptions, 729 yards, and 7 TD’s). Whoever wins the starting QB position should have a plethora of options to throw to this season as they get their feet wet.
While there are questions surrounding a few positions, mainly quarterback and offensive line, it is still Michigan and it should be expected that whoever steps up into the starting role will be more than enough to prosper. Looking at the match ups with the Purdue defense… this will be a tough one for the Boilermakers to put it lightly. Purdue will have to play a perfect game on defense to have a chance, and even then it may not be enough. Michigan will have a lot of physically impressive as well as skilled players on offense.
Michigan Defense
For as impressive as Michigan can be on offense, their defense is usually more impressive (outside of The Game, where they seem to struggle more than usual). They held opponents to under 21 points per game, held them to 185 yards through the air, and 121 on the ground. Impressive numbers for an impressive group.
Linebackers
Michigan returns a gluttony of riches at the linebacker position as Cameron McGrone, Josh Ross, and Michael Barrett return as the likely top-3 guys. This is a group that should be looking to continue to excel in pass-rush as the defense finished 2019 with 36 sacks on the season.
Secondary
The Michigan defense only intercepted 9 passes last year, so they will be looking to improve on that number in 2020. Names to keep an eye on would be Ambry Thomas, Brad Hawkins, and Daxton Hill. Hawkins and Hill return after playing in all 13 games from a year ago and have plenty of experience to build on.
Defensive Line
On the defensive line, they have a pair of defensive ends that put in work last year in Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson. Paye had 6.5 sacks in 2019 and Hutchinson finished with 4.5 sacks to go along with 68 tackles. Another guy returning with some experience is Carlo Kemp, who should provide some experience at the tackle position.
The Michigan defense will always be their strongest side of the ball. They routinely recruit big, fast, and physical guys who will try and eat up the offense at ever opportunity. Once again, looking at the Purdue match ups specifically, Purdue will have to play an above average game to have a shot. The fact that Michigan is breaking in a pair of new cornerbacks may* help, but at the end of the day, it’s Michigan on the road. Purdue is going to have to play a perfect game on offense to have a chance.
Michigan Special Teams
Michigan utilized a kicking rotation in 2019. Should that be expected again in 2020? Time will tell. In 2019 both Jake Moody and Quinn Nordin took kicks for the Wolverines finishing 6-9 with a long of 43, and 10-13 with a long of 57 respectively. Will Hart returns as the Punter after finishing with an average north of 44 yards per kick and actually had 15 kicks land at over 50 yards. In the return game, Giles Jackson likely will handle both punt and kickoff return duties as he is a dangerous return man and took a kick 97 yards to the house in 2019. Purdue has to keep Jackson in front of them or he may be taking it to the house.
Game Outlook
This is going to be Purdue’s toughest game of the season without a doubt. Couple the skill gap with the fact that Purdue just doesn’t win in Ann Arbor and we could be in for a long day. Michigan has a good mix of returning talent and younger prospects, they will be considered a top-25 team in the country and they will know that they are better than Purdue. If this game and the game from 2017 were reversed, meaning that we played at Michigan in 2017 and they returned to West Lafayette this year, I may feel slightly better about it. But, Purdue hasn’t won in Ann Arbor since 2009, and before that, the 1960’s. Mix in a still mixed bag offensive line, as well as rebuilding defense? It could be a tough one to watch on that Saturday.
Score Prediction
As much as I want to think that Purdue can pull this one off, Michigan isn’t Ohio State, and Purdue just doesn’t beat ranked teams on the road. The rebuilding defense will be a liability, and if the offensive line struggles, we may see a repeat of the Penn State game from 2019. I think Purdue has the ability to keep it respectable, but don’t think Rondale Moore and David Bell will be able to do enough in the end. If Purdue somehow pulls this off…. I’ll just let you all imagine that while we await the fate of the college football season.
Score Prediction: Purdue 17, Michigan 35
Comment below on how you feel about Purdue’s chances to shock the world?
As Always, Boiler Up, Hammer Down, Hail Purdue!
