todd howard

Featuring special guests John Kolesar, Tom Parkhill, and Leo Koceski, to benefit www.forthosewhostayed.com.

We're broadcasting at 5PM.

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Here's the player. We start at 5:00 PM EST.

via the Michigan Daily archives

Previously: Krushed By Stauskas (Illinois 2014), Introducing #ChaosTeam (Indiana 2009), Revenge is Terrifying (Colorado 1996), Four Games In September I (Boston College 1991), Four Games In September II (Boston College 1994), Four Games In September III (Boston College 1995), Four Games In September IV (Boston College 1996), Pac Ten After Dark Parts One and Two (UCLA 1989), Harbaugh's Grand Return Parts One and Two (Notre Dame 1985)

This Game: Slightly abridged full gameWH highlightsbox score

Part One: Click here.

Is Joe Tiller ready for the second half?

He is now. While he chews, sideline reporter Dave Ryan relays some of his choice words from halftime: he's "very upset" about the "inexcusable" drops by Purdue's receivers.

While Michigan holds a 21-6 lead at the break, their 272-199 edge in total yardage is largely explained by Purdue's sudden inability to catch the football, and while the Boilermakers' late-half field goal may have been a disappointment given the starting field position, it gives them a chance to cut the game to one possession to open the second stanza.

Instead, the same issues that plagued Purdue in the first half remain present. After a confused Michigan defense allowed a 27-yard slant out to midfield, leading receiver Chris Daniels lets a deep shot slip through his fingertips before Todd Howard rakes it out completely—the third or fourth drop by Daniels alone today and, according to the broadcast, the team's seventh. Brees has completed 12 passes. Daniels is wearing his frustration:

Brees wings the next one high, then—for the third time in the game—gets caught not expecting the snap on third down:

That can't be a fun feeling. Brees gets a handle on the ball but can only heave it out of play. Another promising drive ends in disappointment.

[Hit THE JUMP for more of this, plus multiple savage postgame quotes.]

[Allen Trieu/247Sports]

[Completely unrelated: Let's go win College Football Risk!]

Michigan reeled in one of their top linebacker prospects, and for the moment their highest-ranked defensive recruit of the 2021 cycle, on Saturday, securing a commitment from 3-star linebacker Tyler McLaurin from Bolingbrook, IL.

How they plan to use him isn't so clear. In recent years when you see a Cam McGrone-shaped (6'2/210) OLB on Michigan's recruiting board you can figure they mean to turn him into a middle linebacker in Don Brown's 4-2-5/bring-five system, where the MLB has to be able to blitz, cover all manner of RBs, and get to the sideline before they do. Your local blogger and more tuned-in recruiting analysts will then tut-tut the "he's just a SAM" crowd for getting their X's and O's mixed up.

I'm holding off on the tuts this time however because the film shows a guy who could be really good SAM.

GURU RATINGS

As of this writing Rivals sees a high 3-star who's already 6'3/215, 24/7 sees a medium-high 3-star who's 6'2/210, and ESPN as per usual sees the back side of their eyelids:

Rivals ESPN 247 247 Comp
3*, 5.7, #27 OLB,

#11 IL
No Profile 3*, 88, #37 OLB

#11 IL
3*, 0.8789, #26 OLB,

#11 OH, #404 Ovr

The rankings that do exist are pretty recent. Rivals first scouted him in December and put him the #19 player in the state, bumping that up to #11 after the senior film came in. 24/7 started with a nondescript 84 in mid-October, and went to an 88 in late January.

In my composite, as a SAM/WDE he comes in right under Chase Winovich with Shantee Orr and Noah Furbush in the area. If you rank him as an ILB he's in a thick pile of Kenny Demens, Charles Thomas, Cornell Wheeler, Joey Sarantos John Spytek, Elysee Mbem-Bosse and others.

[Hit THE JUMP for scouting, video, and the rest.]

The Waggle Strikes Back

"There’s two forms to this thing: we run the ball and we pass the ball, so if we can win passing, shit, let’s go ahead and see it."

How refocusing, recalibrating, and reaping what the Buckeyes sowed led to a BCS bowl game

The little guys' turn