SPONSOR NOTES. If you're a Power 5 university that still doesn't have air conditioning in a visitor's locker room in 2017, there's probably a reason. Maybe you're paying a buyout for a guy you hired after one good year in the MAC, that sort of thing. Maybe you've made some poor choices in your athletic department and do not have ready cash to repair the embarrassing thing about yourself. Maybe you need a loan. Well, HomeSure Lending can get you that loan.

Probably. I mean... it's not like you're a part of the Michigan fanbase. No promises. But you'll find out fast if you have sufficient credit to build a marginally acceptable locker room. That HomeSure Lending can promise.

FORMATION NOTES. 15 4-DL snaps versus 39 3-DL snaps; Michigan had a few passing down snaps where Furbush was a DE and they lined up in a four-man line, so call it 1/3rd four-man lines and 2/3rds 3-3 stuff with a heavy stack emphasis. Michigan had three dime snaps with all three CBs on the field, which is a slightly meaningful indicator about the trust they've got in their top three.

They had some more of their weird line slide snaps.

This was about the only thing of note in the formations. Purdue had a bunch of bog-standard spread stuff. Michigan did what they'd done in their previous games. The end.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES. A little bit more rotation on the interior DL, with Solomon, Kemp and Dwumfour getting several snaps. Winovich was omnipresent until very late. LBs were Furbush, McCray, and Bush the whole way except for one drive Wroblewski got in the first half.

The secondary saw the now usual rotation of Hill, Long, and Watson through the snaps, in approximately equal shares. Hudson, Metellus, and Kinnel did not come off the field.

[After THE JUMP: throwbacks and doom]

Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun quads TE	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	N/A	Transcontinental	Kinnel	24
Trickery to start off and Michigan isn’t ready for it. By the time the QB gets the ball back from Anthrop everyone is gone; Blough has his whole OL set up for a buffalo stampede. It is not a touchdown because Kinnel(+2) dodged a cut block and gets through all five OL to push Blough out; even without that Bush(+1) was going to run this down from behind. RPS -3. I could maybe ding Hudson for not seeing this is a lateral but that would be real rough.
O49	1	10	Shotgun empty	3-3-5	3-3 line slide	Press two high	Pass	4	Scramble	Hurst	11
Bush blitzes and actually gets picked up this time, with a G coming off his man to shove him past. Blough can step up because Hurst(-2) got too aggressive and ends up knocked over five yards in the backfield. Big gap up the middle that only has McCray in it; first down. (Pressure -3)
M40	1	10	Offset I	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press two high	Pass	4	PA screen	McCray	1
Again this is very bad news. Michigan is in man coverage and once the CB gets run off there’s nobody in front of this for a long way. McCray(+2, cover +1) is able to redirect after sucking up on the PA and runs the back down from behind; an OL peels back to him but too late. On the one hand, free run from McCray and two yards, on the other this is at least a first down if he does not make this play. RPS push, I guess.
M39	2	9	Pistol FB	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press two high	Pass	5	Stop and go	Hill	Inc
Hill(-2, cover -2) fortunate here as he bites hard on the double move and clearly interferes when he realizes he's beat. Interfering is the right move, at least. Blough’s throw is vastly long and Hill gets away with it. Pocket is collapsing but the throw does not appear affected. Gary(+0.5) and Bush(+0.5) had both shot through up the middle (pressure +1).
M39	3	9	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	3-3 LB strong	Press two high	Pass	5	Screen	Bush	Inc
Again with the screen business. Bush(+2, cover +2) manages to read it and peels back, nearly intercepting. Another situation where Michigan has one player make a play to rescue a difficult situation.
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 13 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O43	1	10	Pistol FB	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press two high	Run	N/A	Iso	Furbush	2
M a bit lucky here as the RB makes a bad cut. Gary slants away and Furbush(-1) replaces as the DE. He gets hit, gives ground, sealed inside, nice hole. Hudson(+0.5) blitzes off the edge and redirects, getting around the TE and possibly futzing with the back’s decision making process. Bush(-0.5) rather catches the lead blocker but does funnel back to help, which would be slow arriving because McCray(-1) thought this was IZ, it looks like, and doesn’t show up in the backside gap. He’ll probably shut it down but for 5-8; bad cut by the back into Metellus for a meh gain. Metellus(+0.5) did fill and tackle(+1) in space well.
O46	2	8	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	5	Drag	Bush	Inc
Furbush(+1.5) drives the LG, and on his blitz he does a subtle thing with a step outside before he plunges into the middle of the line. This baits the LG and now Bush(+1.5, pressure +3) has a free run at the QB; he hits on the throw and the resulting ball is a duck to nowhere. Gary(+1) around the corner at 8 or 9 yards and forces a step up into Bush. Route was open(cover -1) as Michigan was in man against mesh. RPS push, I guess: blitz got a free run but a non-Bush LB maybe lets this pass get off.
O46	3	8	Shotgun 4-wide	3-3-5	3-3 line slide	Press one high	Penalty	N/A	False start	N/A	-5
Oops
O41	3	13	Shotgun 4-wide	3-3-5	3-3 line slide	Press one high	Pass	5	Fade	Long	Inc (Pen -15)
Four verts; Clean pocket this time(pressure -2) as Purdue picks up a blitz well; Winovich gets knocked over as he’s on the interior and not edge rushing; Bush gets cut by the back. Blough has a little more time but pulls the trigger anyway on a fade route that Long(+2, cover +2) has blanketed. He’s in perfect position and gets his head around for the PBU. Maybe had a shot at the TE if Metellus wasn’t able to come down on him. Purdue hit with a chop block call on the Bush block; that’s iffy(refs +1) as Bush was cut and in the air when he got hit by a second guy.
O25	3	28	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Run	N/A	Power O	McCray	3
Winovich(+1) dusts his guy and threatens to nail the back if he tries to go outside. McCray(+1) sets up shop at the LOS and is waiting to see where the back goes; when he dives in side he follows and initiates a tackle; Gary(+1) drove from the backside to join him. Hurst ate a play long double and that’s just not tenable against this D.
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 10 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O15	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-3-4	4-3 over	Press one high	Penalty	N/A	False start	N/A	-5
Mone in; Robo in; Kemp in.
O10	1	15	Shotgun 3-wide	4-3-4	4-3 over	Press two high	Run	N/A	Power O	Kemp	4
This outcome is fine, getting there is weird. Hurst slants away from the gap Purdue attacks. Normally you see the playside LB, Furbush, funnel back to the MLB. Here Furbush is either late on a blitz or a bit off; he moves to the LOS and gets a G popping off on him. He nails that guy back and shuts off a potential gap so maybe that’s okay? Kemp(+1) is stalemating the TE and rips inside when the back passes to initiate a tackle; Robo(+1) has a good redirect and scrape to the hole to make a tackle. RPS -1, the slant made it LBs versus OL and Purdue had a blocker for everyone in the front here. Could have gone worse without a couple of one on one wins.
O14	2	11	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	5	Slant	Kinnel	7
Ball out too quick for pressure on a dink and dunk throw that Kinnel is in push coverage on: he can’t make the catch more difficult but tackles immediately to set up third down.
O21	3	4	Shotgun empty	3-3-5	3-3 line slide	Press one high	Pass	5	TE out	McCray	3
Winovich(+3, pressure +3) goes ole around the LG and hammers Blough the instant after he gets this off. Ball is accurate and McCray(-1, tackling -1) ends up overrunning the tight end to give up the first down. Michigan again a bit lucky: the TE’s knee hit as he spun.
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 7 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
M47	1	10	Pistol trips TE	3-3-5	3-3 LB strong	Half press two high	Pass	4	Flea flicker	Bush	-4
QB has to double clutch the return throw and he is doomed. Bush(+3, pressure +3) sees the pitch back and goes into rabid squirrel mode, shooting through a gap in the line and tracking down the QB for a sack; three Michigan players help finish. RPS +1.
O49	2	14	Shotgun empty	3-3-5	3-3 LB strong	Press two high	Pass	4	Scramble	Solomon	7
Kinnel sent off the edge and picked up. Winovich(+1) gets around and threatens to sack; gap between Gary(-1) and Solomon(-1) allows him to break the pocket and pick up a chunk of yards. Pressure -2.
M44	3	7	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 split	Press two high	Pass	5	Angle	McCray	Inc
Hudson(-2, cover -2) gets beat badly on this and Purdue has the opportunity for a catch and run if they can just get it complete. QB gets it off just before the pressure gets there but the ball is weirdly off. I’m pretty sure that McCray(+1, pressure +1) got a fingernail on this, changing the trajectory just enough for an incompletion. Winovich(+2, pressure +1) again around the corner to hit the QB an instant after the release.
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 3 min 1st Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun 4-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	4	Throwback tunnel	McCray	16
Clever tunnel variation that uses the rollout to shift the tunnel guy to the slot receiver. This catches the worst blitz for M to be in, as Kinnel is sent from the side away from the rollout. McCray is sitting back in a zone and Bush flows along the LOS. When WR catches the ball McCray is the only guy in the area. Watson(+1) comes up and forces the WR to start weaving to stay away from him; he gives up ground continually but gives M time to rally. McCray(-1) in tough but blocked away easily; should have given ground to get around. RPS -3.
O41	1	10	Pistol twin TE	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	4	Scramble	Metellus	13
PA and a two man route that is a throwback. Dude looks relatively open but no throw, in part because Michigan has no contain here. Metellus(-2) is the edge guy and just stares at the tight end the whole time until Sindelar is well outside of him and ripping off a chunk. Ditto Bush(-1). Hudson does flow out but too late; he is the tackler.
M46	1	10	Shotgun 2-back	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	4	PA cross	Winovich	Inc
Winovich(+2, pressure +2) blows by the LT and runs at Sindelar. Sindelar rolls away, contained by Kemp and Furbush. He tries a crossing route on Kinnel(-1, cover -1) who is beat, and misses.
M46	2	10	Pistol 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 line slide	Press one high	Pass	5	PA tunnel	N/A	36
Another slot tunnel with no throwback. M has six guys on the LOS and a seventh over the TE to the other side of the line. Five guys shoot at the QB, one dropper on the other side of the field, Metellus is the only guy in a ton of space. He has no shot. Kinnel(-1, tackling -1) comes up and misses a difficult tackle attempt; he had a blocker coming to him and only had one option: hammer at this and try to make it. He does get enough of the WR to slow him down and prevent a TD with McCray and Metellus rallying. RPS –3.
M10	1	G	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	5	TE throwback	Hudson	10
This is man so it’s Hudson(-2, cover -2) getting lost; to be fair he really gets sold that he’s beating a block, and then beats it, and then whoops! RPS -2.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 7-7, 9 min 2nd Q. Well, this was frustrating. Pick on next drive sets Purdue up in M territory.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
M27	1	10	Shotgun twins twin TE	3-3-5	3-3 line slide	Press one high	Pass	5	Throwback TE screen	Hudson	Inc
Hudson(+2, cover +2) isn’t going to let this happen again. As TE tries to release he grabs and goes with him; no PI behind LOS. RPS +3. Once too many times to the well.
M27	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	Nickel over	Press two high	Pass	5	Throwback TE cross	Kinnel	13
This one catches zone and should be nerfed for a modest gain but Kinnel(-1, tackling -1) decides to go high for some very bad reason and gets run over by the TE. McCray(-1, tackling -1) compounds matters by running up and accidentally bashing Kinnel off of the TE. Woof. Cover +1, RPS +1.
M14	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	4	Skinny post	Metellus	Inc
Overthrown; Metellus(+1, cover +1) in excellent position and has a play on anything but an inch perfect throw. Kinnel comes over and gets a borderline late hit, which is not in any way targeting. Not late enough to be a call IMO.
M14	2	10	Shotgun trips TE	4-2-5	Nickel over	Press two high	Run	N/A	Crack sweep	Winovich	2
Only puller is playside T but whatever. Winovich(+1) feints and then bursts outside, refusing to get reached, and contains. Mone(+0.5) delays playside G release enough for Bush(+1) to climb over it and flow. He arrives first and tackles at a weird hard angle, with help from his friends.
M12	3	8	Shotgun 2TE	4-2-5	4-3 over	Press two high	Run	N/A	Power O	Hurst	1
LOL, put it in the Hurst(+2) file. Hurst is the backside DT on a power play and destroys this by almost taking the handoff and tackling in the backfield. He can’t quite manage it but has delayed the back enough for Michigan to rally. Winovich(+1) is the beneficiary.
Drive Notes: FG(29), 7-10, 6 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O34	1	10	Pistol FB	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press one high	Pass	4	Back shoulder fade	Hill	Inc (Pen -15)
Two penalties here, a chop block on Gary (relatively benign) and Lavert Hill(+1, cover +1) drawing an OPI as the WR shoves him past on the back shoulder.
O19	1	25	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 even	Press one high	Pass	4	Seam	Gary	Inc
They slide their protection so Gary(+2, pressure +2) is on a back. That goes about as well as you’d expect, with Gary thundering in for a would-be sack. Sindelar fires at his slot guy on a deep seam route on Metellus. WR has exactly one step and the throw is off. Push coverage.
O19	2	25	Pistol trips	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press two high	Pass	4	Flash screen	Bush	Inc
Sindelar airmails this. Bush was coming down on it and this was probably a few yards unless something goofy happened.
O19	3	25	Shotgun empty TE	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press two high	Pass	4	Tunnel screen	Bush	0
Bush(+1) specifically deployed to defeat a tunnel and defeats it. RPS +3.
Drive Notes: Punt, 7-10, 3 min 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O21	1	10	Shotgun trips tight bunch	4-2-5	4-3 over	Press one high	Run	N/A	Inside zone	Hurst	2
M folding Hudson inside Gary here so Hudson can jam/cover the TE on the LOS. When this happens Gary is a long way from the QB, another reason Winovich is racking up all the stats. Hurst(+2) shoves back the LG. He gets a momentary double; when the T leaves for Bush he is free to flow down the line and tackle. Still a bit of room as Hudson(-1) blown out by a DE; Gary(+1) comes around the outside super fast to help tackle.
O23	2	8	Pistol 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 under	Press two high	Pass	4	Fade	Hurst	24
Hurst(-1) jumps offside, free play. That play is a rather hopeful shot down the sidelines at Long(+1, cover +2), who is in position and gets a PBU on a back shoulder throw… until the deflection pops right into the WR’s hands. Life. Don’t talk to me about life.
O47	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	4-2-5	4-3 over	Press two high	Pass	4	Out and up	Hill	Inc
Rollout to buy time and M ends up in cover three; WR is inside of Hill by a step or two but Hill is off a little laterally and to the outside. With a post route removing Kinnel there’s a window here. Sindelar misses it badly, in part because Dwumfour(+1, pressure +1) read the rollout and got out to cut the QB off. He has to stop suddenly and throws off his back foot. Ball is way outside. WR tries to run through Hill, falls over, no flag.
O47	2	10	Pistol 3-wide	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press two high	Run	N/A	Inside zone	Solomon	4
Given situation near end of half this is a good outcome, as Michigan is playing soft. Solomon(+1) drives his guy and gets off to tackle as the back passes; McCray(+0.5) isn’t attacking hard but does get outside to force it back just a couple yards downfield; Hurst(+0.5) dodges a cut block and flows down the line to help finish the tackle.
M49	3	6	Shotgun trips	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press two high	Pass	4	Sack	Hurst	-1
Very much a team sack. Coverage(+2) good for a couple beats. M doesn’t get anyone through as Purdue picks up a DT twist but the DEs don’t provide an obvoius lane and a spooked Sindelar tries to bug out. Hurst(+1) and Solomon(+1) drove the pocket well, they’re both six yards in the backfield and in good position to tackle no matter where he pops out. Hurst grabs a leg and tackles; ball momentarily pops out but goes right back to the QB.
Drive Notes: Punt,7-10, 27 sec 2nd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O20	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	N/A	Sack	Winovich	-2
Attempted reverse throw to Blough on a wheel route; Michigan blanks it. Hurst(+1) gets so much penetration he almost sacks for a loss of 11; he disrupts the WR. He decides not to throw; probably wise since M is covering it. Winovich(+1) in the area as he tries to run; he simply forms up and tackles for loss, no funny business. RPS +2.
O18	2	12	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 split	Press one high	Run	N/A	Edge pitch	Kinnel	3
Trying to edge Winovich and they kind of do; he is flowing inside out fast enough to string it out at least. Kinnel(+2, tackling +1) has a blocker; he throws him away and shoots up to tackle at the LOS. Winovich does help.
O21	3	9	Shotgun trips	3-2-6	3-2 dime	Press one high	Pass	4	Slant	Hill	Inc
How Hill(+2, cover +2) didn’t get credit for a PBU on this I don’t know. He’s got Anthrop in man coverage and is in the guy’s back pocket. Anthrop tries to bump him off the route and come back but Hill has a little jersey and gets his hand in to knock it away, or close enough. Interference here? Maybe, but pretty mutual. Bush(+0.5) coming free as Gary(+1) thunked a guy inside on a stunt(pressure +1).
Drive Notes: Punt, 7-10, 10 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O37	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	4	Slant	Hudson	Inc
Hudson(+1, pressure +2) gets a free run as M blitzes him for the first time this game and the OL is concerned with Gary. Hot read in front of Sindelar is a slant route that Bush(+1, cover +3) has sat down in front of. I don’t know if Sindelar turfs this in a panic once he sees what he’s about to do but that’s the only thing between Bush and an INT. RPS +3.
O37	2	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	5	Sack	Bush	-11
Furbush(+1) again clears the way, threatening to split two OL and occupying their attention. Bush(+2) has a free run and when the QB turns around he’s already dead. Bush begins to sack and may just be losing him when Winovich(+1) comes in and finishes the job. RPS +2, Pressure +3.
O26	3	21	Shotgun trips	4-2-5	Nickel even	Press two high	Run	N/A	Draw	Kinnel	14
A little bit RPS as M has a twist on that Purdue picks up and this draw goes past both DTs; twist allows OL to get out on McCray easily, and Bush is ten yards off the LOS. That breaks to the second level, and then Kinnel(-2, tackling -2) has a bad missed tackle that neither forces the RB inside or appreciably slows him. Bush(+1) is very fast and shuts this down but that cost Michigan several yards of field position and could have been dangerous. No RPS because of the situation.
Drive Notes: Punt, 7-10, 8 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun 2-back	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press two high	Pass	4	Flare screen	Metellus	4
Man coverage. Hudson gets driven back into Metellus’s path, mostly; Metellus shoves the pair and Hudson(+0.5) miraculously stays on his feet to help pursue. Metellus(+1) is the first to make contact at a couple yards and leaks one or two. Cover +1.
O29	2	6	Shotgun trips tight bunch	3-3-5	3-3 LB strong	Press one high	Pass	4	Yakety sax	N/A	-12
Jet motion that’s probably leading to a waggle that wants to get the flat guy; Sindelar fumbles.
O17	3	18	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	Nickel even	Press two high	Pass	4	TE flat	Winovich	Inc
Very strange twist from the DTs, who are way split out and have these big arcing loops that seem more like tunnel defense than anything resembling pass rush. M still gets that because Winovich(+1, pressure +1) is through immediately, flushing the QB into Hurst on one of those exaggerated loops. QB dumps; Bush(+1, cover +1) is there to tackle after a minimal gain and the force of his hit actually jars the ball loose.
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-01, 1 min 3rd Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O20	1	10	Shotgun empty	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Press one high	Pass	4	Fade	Long	Inc
Cut blocks for everyone; Blough throws a fade at Long(+2, cover +2), who is in dominant position and gets a PBU.
O20	2	10	Pistol 2TE	3-3-5	4-3 even	Press two high	Pass	4	Tunnel screen	McCray	5
Bit of a dangerous play here from McCray as he goes upfield of his blocker and if he doesn’t make it he’s given up a big play; Kinnel is in the area and can hunt this down if McCray forces to help. But McCray(+2, tackling +1) does make it, tackling for a modest gain.
O25	3	5	Shotgun 4-wide	4-1-6	4-1 dime	Press two high	Pass	5	Drag	Bush	Inc
Hudson off the corner for a fifth rusher. Pocket holds (pressure -2) and Blough has time to stand in and fire on a route that takes a little time. Bush(-0.5) is again sitting right under this as Michigan anticipates mesh but doesn’t widen out quite enough and Blough has a small window outside of him for a completion. Dropped. Tough catch outside of the frame, though, possibly because of Bush. RPS +2.
Drive Notes: Punt, 21-10, 9 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O25	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Off one high	Pass	5	Sack	Winovich	-5
Happy feet from Blough but probably happening anyway. Coverage(+2) good on an attempted high low of a corner on Blough’s first read and then he’s done. Winovich(+2, pressure +2) dives inside and drives; he extends away from the RG and gets him on his heels, shutting down Blough’s flight path for a sack. Furbush(+1) looped around efficiently and got through, perhaps spurring the pocket departure.
O20	2	15	Shotgun trips	3-3-5	Nickel even	Half press two high	Pass	4	Slant	Bush	16
Hurst(+2, pressure +2) gets a but lucky as neither Purdue OL decides to pick him up, but his LOS move played a part in this. Blough gets the ball off, rather incredibly, and nails his TE for a nice gain. Bush(-1, cover -1) is successfully walled off from the pass and then has a little trouble tackling. Penalty on him is ridiculous though. Refs -2, not that it mattered.
O36	1	10	Shotgun 3-wide	3-3-5	3-3 stack	Off one high	Pass	5	PA throwaway	Bush	Inc
Zilch is open as Hill(+1) and Watson(+1) blanket their guys. Bush(+1, pressure +1), blitzes, gets into the OL pulling to protect the edge, bounces off, and chases Blough down to force the throwaway.
O36	2	10	Shotgun 4-wide	3-3-5	3-3 line slide	Off one high	Pass	5	Hitch	Hurst	Inc
Weird line thing  features a Bush(+1) and Hurst(+1) twist. Bush is through the line in a flash and the C has no choice but to stay with him, so the Hurst loop is unstoppable. Bush has already cleared the space. Ball out for a four yard hitch that will see an instant tackle; dropped. RPS +2, Pressure +3.
O36	3	10	Shotgun 4-wide	3-2-6	3-2 dime	Off one high	Pass	5	Sack	Winovich	-8
Winovich(+2, pressure +3) right around the LT at eight yards-ish; McCray(+1) helps shut the space down so Blough has nothing to do but drop.
Drive Notes: Punt, 28-10, 5 min 4th Q.
Ln	Dn	Ds	O Form	D Pack	Front	Cover look	Type	Rush	Play	Player	Yards
O36	1	10	???	3-3-5	3-3 stack	???	Run	N/A	Jet sweep	Wroblewski	5
Hudson(+1) has a blocker, forces it inside at the numbers. Robo(+2) isn’t as fast as Bush and this gets more yards than it would otherwise, but he does jar the ball out with a tackle that punches right on said ball.
Drive Notes: Fumble, 28-10, 2 min 4th Q.

I AM VERY TINGLY

Yo let's drive chart this:

• 8 three-and-outs
• 3 first down-and-outs, one of which is a FG after Michigan's INT.
• fumble on first play
• opening drive that's a trick play and a scramble and a three-and-out
• 75 yard throwback-heavy TD drive

That is one annoying drive away from perfect, at least in the non-Rutgers realm. Purdue's probably going to find that their early optimism tops out into a season where bowl eligibility seems pretty good. (This is still an accomplishment for Jeff Brohm.) They did not have any of the things that an opponent needs to test Michigan's defense except a decent-to-good slot receiver and a balls-to-the-wall attitude.

Still, not screwing up is hard and Michigan mostly did not.

Mostly?

The pass rush obscured a few open guys, and there were tight windows that could have been hit. I shudder to think of what this week might have been like amongst the Michigan fanbase if Purdue was able to hit this deep shot:

That's tough, and the coverage is decent.

Earlier, Hudson got beat cleanly. This is a chunk play if McCray (probably) doesn't get a fingernail on it:

#7, MLB-ish

That's a clever route combo that plays on the third-down tendency to run America's Rollout Out... but it probably shouldn't work so well on third and seven, which is not an ARO down. If you are looking for holes, Michigan's safeties all came out at or around zero in this game, and there are hints here and there that they have some weaknesses the other parts of the defense patently don't.

But, I mean. You can live with that when you've got this front seven.

Man, what a great game. I tingle in anticipation about who had the greatest game. Tell me. I want to know.

FOX's director.

...not Devin Bush

Look, Devin Bush is great and all but I'd trade him to have this director follow Michigan around and do every game. Not only did he zoom out when it was appropriate to do so, he had tight shots for probable runs and had two useful replay angles cued up for many plays. The only play they missed the start of was in garbage time when it was time to talk about Brady Quinn's career against Purdue. It was my favorite direction of a Michigan game I've charted. Ever!

Okay... but Devin Bush.

I love this man, who I do not know. The man who does the football directing good.

Please, please, please talk about Devin Bush now.

Well first, here's this...

disturbingly sensual chart titled "RICK" because you think this guy's name is rick I guess?

Rick just sounds like the kind of guy who would be amazingly competent at directing a football game, shut up

RICK, THE CHART

Defensive Line
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Gary	6.5	1	5.5	Another good, if somewhat quiet day.
Hurst	9.5	3	6.5	Added a couple things to the Hurst file.
Mone	0.5		0.5
Winovich	18		18	Dominant pass rush outing.
Kemp	1		1
Solomon	2	1	1
Marshall				DNC
Paye				DNC
Jones				DNC
TOTAL	37.5	5	32.5	Sheer lack of minuses is pretty stunning.
Linebacker
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Furbush	3.5	1	2.5	Despite the score, lengthy section on him later.
Bush	17.5	3	14.5	Almost as good as Rick The Director
McCray	7.5	4	3.5	Rescued a couple of screens that looked bad.
Robo	3		3	FF on last charted play.
TOTAL	31.5	8	23.5	One more game for all Bush takes to be validated.
Secondary
Player	+	-	T	Notes
Hudson	5	5	0	Got beat a couple times in coverage.
Metellus	2.5	2	0.5	Boring day.
Kinnel	4	5	-1	Missed tackles but big play on transcontinental.
Hill	4	2	2	One excellent PBU.
Long	5		5	Great position on three targets.
Watson	2		2
Glasgow				DNP
TOTAL	22.5	14	8.5
Metrics
Pressure	35	9	+26	Could not block for anything longer than about four yards.
Coverage	22	9	+13	A few hiccups from the safeties; CBs great.
Tackling	3	6	-3
RPS	19	12	+7	This was a comeback, man.

That RPS number is a big Don Brown win and it was the Braylonfest of RPS wins: after the Purdue TD drive I had all of Purdue's RPS positives and just one of Michigan's. They went from –11 to +7 on an 18-0 run.

I have to ask about the –11 section of the game.

I understand.

I wish it to be known that I expect a number of bad things to happen and Don Brown always comes in under expectations.

This is not a criticism.

Certainly not.

And yet we must delve. Onward. Live I thought the Purdue touchdown drive was a –10 RPS kind of thing; turns out it was –8, which is still not great. On this particular drive Michigan committed a bunch of guys to contesting rollouts and got throwback tunnel screens on their face twice. Purdue switched it up by having their slot receiver grab the screens; the rollout sent Michigan players running the wrong way and they could not redirect to be useful:

Ace detailed Purdue's throwback wheel-with-drag-under-it play; this is a similarly clever tweak to regular play that was effective. Very Brohm. Purdue did get lucky that Michigan had the worst possible blitz on versus this playcall, but this probably would have worked anyway.

Sindelar picked up a first down on a bizarre scramble on an attempted throwback, and then Michigan rolled out the red carpet for another slot tunnel when they lined up in their line slide package on second and ten. Nobody from the box can contest this. It is a free first down with a blocker delivered to the last man:

I did minus Kinnel here but only –1 because I think he made the right decision; his tackle attempt did give the rest of the D time to rally and stop this at the ten. Other than that there's nothing a Michigan player could have done.

Finally, Hudson got sold a bill of goods on the TE throwback, which is undefeated once a game. Throw in the –3 on the QB throwback and there's Purdue's coaching positives for the game.

Why didn't Purdue keep doing this?

They tried. Michigan adjusted. The first play of Purdue's next drive was an attempted TE throwback screen that got thrown into the ground because Hudson was in the chest of the TE. The second was a throwback to the TE that broke for a first down mostly because Kinnel didn't go low on a guy 50 pounds heavier than him; if Kinnel cuts the guy's legs out he picks up five yards.

Michigan had Purdue downloaded after this drive, on the throwback stuff and the trick play stuff and even some of the more basic concepts. Don Brown twice dropped Devin Bush directly into Purdue routes for near-picks, once on a slant, and once on mesh:

Hurry the QB a little more or widen Bush out a little bit more and that's a pick six. The slant went into the turf, possibly because the QB realized what he was about to do at the last second.

Michigan also had Bush specifically tasked with whomping a tunnel screen that Purdue duly ran on third and long. He whomped it. By the end of the game Brown was practicing whatever blitzes he hadn't gotten to yet and Blough got snowed under. Purdue's yards in this game were mostly RPS, and they all but stopped after their TD. Thus the comeback and a solid W for Don Brown against a tricky customer.

Okay but can we please talk about Bush now?

It's really hard not to get ahead of yourself with Bush, but here we are. Four starts, four great games. My favorite Bush play was probably the one he didn't actually make a tackle on, but would have. Raise your hand if you saw the QB throwback and the impending Buffalo Stampede and then saw Devin Bush closing like an avenging angel and though "oh thank God":

This is where Bush is when the D has collectively realized it's a throwback. He's the guy with dreads in the dead center here:

He turns that into a would-be tackle 25 yards downfield. JFC.

Bush's ability to read plays and redirect effectively showed up again. He nearly intercepted a screen on Purdue's first drive on a play that looked otherwise certain to work. He blew up Purdue's flea flicker by going 0 to 60 in a flash:

He jarred the ball loose from Purdue's tight end in another situation where he made up a ton of ground. He tracked down a back who had gotten dangerously loose on third and a bunch, and he was obviously a terror in the backfield.

Four games into his sophomore year the discussion is already about how far back in the past you have to go to find a better Michigan linebacker. I'm still holding the line at David Harris. If he keeps on this track that might not last the season.

I don't understand why nobody blocks him. If I'm an offensive coordinator I might be like "okay guys, let's try to block this guy," you know?

I think it's time to talk about Noah Furbush. Michigan is playing him instead of Bryan Mone, a 330-pound tank. Why? WTKA's Ira Weintraub put it best: Furbush is Bush's fullback. His job is to blitz and get engulfed by two guys. His only goal is to prevent the guy who should be blocking Bush from doing so, and he's excellent at that. This Bush QB hit was the clearest example of Furbush's job and why he's good at it. It's subtle, but watch Furbush feint outside before diving in at the C:

#59 LB to top of screen

OL commits and then Bush is gone, doing Bush things. This is the story of virtually all of Bush's free runs into the backfield.

#59 LB just left of umpire

Furbush's combination of speed and heft draws OL attention; he is able to drive these OL after getting a running start, and the rest is rabid squirrel history.

Mone is not able to do this. He cannot run at a couple OL and force both to block him even when it's pretty clear they shouldn't. There are many reasons Michigan is running a 3-3-5 this year; Furbush's ability to clear the way for Bush is #1. He is the definition of an unsung hero.

Doesn't that feel like something that opponents will adjust to?

Probably? Maybe? You have to figure that Purdue went into this game aware that they needed to block Bush first and foremost, and that didn't happen. Furbush has been good at putting himself in spots where the OL is picking between guys to let through. I'd still choose "not Bush" if I was an OC, and we'll see if that is the pick going forward.

Michigan's late pass rush did display some variations on the theme that should forestall a total shutdown of Bush's backfield forays. Winovich's first sack features Bush dropping while Furbush loops around untouched:

He doesn't get there as fast but it's fast enough. Later a Mo Hurst hurry has its path carved out by... Devin Bush:

#73 NT and #10 MLB

Bush's guy is understandably 100% focused on him. The idea that someone might stunt around never occurs to him and Hurst gets a free run up the gut. Brown has kept opponents guessing and will continue doing so; the Bush decoy section of the game was no less likely to get a guy to the quarterback than the rest of the game was.

And then the other guy... you know... captain... name is on the tip of my tongue...

It must be weird for Mike McCray, who entered the year as Michigan's Last Returning Starter and was instantly relegated to the sidekick's sidekick. He was great last week and quietly effective this week. Bush wasn't the only linebacker to rescue an ohshit screen:

#9 LB to top of screen

McCray didn't get a lot of other plays on which he was tested; that was a lifesaver. He mitigated another very open-looking tunnel screen:

I'm not usually a fan of going upfield of a block, especially when you're the last guy between Purdue and a guy shooting straight upfield until Metellus either tackles or gives up a TD. But that job got done.

McCray did get a little lucky on a would-be third and short conversion that he overran. The tight end's knee hit when he made his move, forcing a punt. The rest of his day was solid.

I used to remind people that UFR grades needed to be interpreted differently by position: zero was bad for a DL but okay for a linebacker. I said this because Michigan's linebackers had a tough time keeping their heads above zero. While McCray had a bad day against Cincinnati and is currently being dwarfed by Devin Bush on the chart, he too is an upgrade from Michigan's linebackers since... about David Harris, I think. Just not as much of one.

Sweet Odin's teats, Chase Winovich.

Yeah, 18-0=18 is something. Winovich was again rampant. Like Khaleke Hudson's interception against Cincinnati, his late sacks were only justice for a day of pillaging opponent backfields. Here he's the "nose tackle" in Michigan's slide and finds himself matched up with a guard. It does not go well for that guard:

#15 nose tackle

A few plays later he'd win on a pure speed rush; again the ball was out a fraction of a second before Winovich plowed the QB:

#15 standup DE to top of screen

This was a theme. Purdue could not keep Winovich from getting around the corner productively. He of course helped out on Bush's two half-sacks.

His pass rush is in fact more impressive than Bush's since he's almost always beating a guy straight up. Bush gets his meat cooked by Furbush, to use an old RichRod term. Winovich gets it raw, and gets to the quarterback. And even with all of that I think this play was my favorite from Winovich's day. Pitch sweep to him:

#15 DE to top of screen

Winovich doesn't anticipate the crack pre-snap—his first step is upfield—and he's still athletic enough to redirect around it in a flash, whereupon he seals the edge and takes two blockers and paves the way for his teammates. Winovich is no longer a wild and crazy guy. He's just the latter.

(BONUS: check out the announcer reacting to a pitch outside with "and here comes the trick play." I thought the same thing.)

Winovich is playing at or above Taco Charlton's level from last year. We'll see how it