Indianapolis – The stage was set for two different destinations for the victor! Michigan showed the CFP why they are the No. 2 seed going into the post season. Wolverines running back Donovan Edwards ran down the Boilermakers tracks with ease.
Edwards rushed for 185 yards in 25 carries to help lead his team to 43-22 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium. The ground game was so dominate with 225 total rushing yards as a team. It really set up the play action pass for J.J. McCarthy who threw three touchdowns for 161 yards.
“I rise to those occasions,” Edwards said. “I thrive for that. It’s just easy, too, when I have tremendous teammates that I call my brothers around me. They show me love. They believe in me.”
At halftime Purdue was still in the hunt for a Rose Bowl shot only trailing 14-13 keeping pace with Michigan.
Aidan O’Connell was 32 of 47 with 366 yards and two interceptions after missing some practice time early this week to mourn the death of his brother. The turnovers were too costly for Purdue to overcome.
“That’s a really, really good football team,” O’Connell said. “Once you get inside the 20, it’s tough to run the ball in the first place on them, and then, secondly, they tighten up the coverage.”
A bright spot for the Boilermakers was walk-on running back Devin Mockobee who rushed for 71 hard fought yards that included a touchdown on 17 carries. His teammates are busting with anticipation to see him gain a scholarship like he gains yards on the field.
Defensive back Rod Moore led the Wolverines with 9 tackles from the secondary. While linebacker Jaylen Harrell sacked O’Connell two times along with two tackles.
Now Michigan will sleep easy tonight and await a bowl invitation with the ultimate goal of being No 1 in CFP after playing two more games. Purdue gave it their all and will most likely travel to Florida to play in the Citrus Bowl.
