Michigan Football moved to 7-2 on the year with a tight 21-16 win over Purdue at the Big House on Saturday night. Here are the four players we believe stood out the most in the game and will take home
a game ball for their efforts.
RB Jordan Marshall
Without Justice Haynes for the second time this season, Michigan was going to need a big night from Jordan Marshall, and the sophomore delivered with 185 yards on 25 carries.
Marshall’s biggest play of the night came late in the first quarter, when he put the Wolverines on the scoreboard with a 54-yard touchdown run, something that’s become a bit of a regularity for the offense this year. He would tack on two additional touchdowns as well to give him a total of three for the night.
Overall, Marshall proved to be the MVP for the offense on a night where the group was sleepy at best. His knack for turning two or three-yard gains into five or six-yard gains helped give Michigan just enough in the game. If Justice Haynes continues to miss time, performances like this will be more than helpful.
TE Zack Marshall
Michigan’s passing attack struggled mightily, as Bryce Underwood couldn’t consistently hit open receivers while drop issues resurfaced a bit as well. However, tight end Zack Marshall had himself another nice performance as he continues his emergence as a viable option in the pass game.
On Saturday night, Marshall finished with three receptions for 58 yards. In the third quarter, he found some space down the sideline and made a 37-yard grab on a flea flicker. He followed that up with a 16-yard reception over the middle of the field in the fourth quarter to set up a touchdown that put Michigan up 21-10. In what’s been an inconsistent year from the pass-catchers. Marshall’s emergence has been a positive development, and he certainly deserves some more chances to make plays.
DE Derrick Moore
Derrick Moore earned himself this game ball within the first 10 minutes of the game. He was credited with sacks to end both of Purdue’s first two drives, including a forced fumble on the second that was recovered by Rayshaun Benny. Moore came into the night with four sacks in his previous two games, and he picked right back up where he left off with three total tackles and two sacks.
Although he might have gotten off to a slow start, Moore has quickly emerged as the best overall player on Michigan’s defense and is helping the pass rush become a major difference in these games. He is making the kind of impact for Michigan’s defense that fans have been expecting for the last two years, and it might be coming at just the right time.
LB Ernest Hausmann
Ernest Hausmann hasn’t gotten as much shine as you might have expected this year with Cole Sullivan and Jimmy Rolder emerging as big contributors in the middle of the defense. However, with both Sullivan and Rolder not in action on Saturday night, it was up to Hausmann to carry the load for his position group, and he still found a way to make an impact on what was an otherwise uninspiring night for the defense.
Michigan’s senior middle linebacker led the team in tackles on Saturday night with 11 total tackles. The Wolverines needed their team leader to make an impact especially with a couple of big contributors on the sideline. Even if it wasn’t the prettiest all around performance for the group, Hausmann helped make sure it wasn’t worse and helped the Wolverines ultimately get the win.
