There are a few reasons No. 8 Michigan was put on upset alert at Purdue — and has been put there a few more times throughout the 2017 season.
Michigan doesn't have a healthy starting quarterback, a game-breaking running back, a true No. 1 receiver or a dominant offensive line. What the Wolverines have on offense now is a quarterback controversy, given the way backup John O'Korn played in the second half in relief of an injured Wilton Speight .
O'Korn finished 18 of 26 for 270 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 28-10 victory against the Boilermakers on Saturday.
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This Don Brown defense is good enough to win the Big Ten and get the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff — good enough to strangle a trendy Purdue offense under first-year coach Jeff Brohm to 15 yards and one first down in the second half.
The offense, however, remains a work in progress — and we're a third of the way through the season. It didn't look much different in the first half before or after Speight suffered the injury. Michigan had 21 rushes for 29 yards in the first half. Four of those attempts were three sacks taken by O'Korn and Speight, but the point stands. Purdue led 10-7 at halftime.
What changed? From an emotional standpoint, O'Korn ignited the offense on a third-and-6 play where he spun out of a sack and fired to Grant Perry for a first down. Chris Evans scored the go-ahead touchdown on that drive. It was similar to O'Korn's pinch-hit start against Indiana last season.
The Wolverines also were more creative with their first-down playcalling in the second half. O'Korn worked the tight ends and was 5 of 7 passing for 78 yards on first down. In the first half, Speight and O'Korn were 3 of 4 for 24 yards. The running game totaled 11 attempts for 44 yards on first down in the first half and 10 carries for 23 yards in the second half.
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O'Korn at least made his case, even if Speight is healthy, and that will be the main topic of conversation through the bye week heading into a matchup against Michigan State at Michigan Stadium on Oct. 7. Don't count on Jim Harbaugh to shed much light on that. In all likelihood, it will be a game-time decision for everyone against the Spartans.
The Wolverines might be on upset alert there. Ditto for games against Indiana, Maryland and even Minnesota. The defense can get through those games. Purdue had eight three-and-outs and one drive of more than five plays. Brown's defense has allowed four offensive touchdowns in four games. We told you it's a championship-level defense.
But Michigan needs an offense it can trust when it plays Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State. There were glimpses of that in the second half, including a late 49-yard touchdown run by Evans. The Wolverines had some of those things they were looking for. They rushed 23 times for 120 yards. The offensive line got a push. The tight ends became the go-to guys and O'Korn spread the ball out.
That's what it's supposed to be like.
That's why, even on a bye week, there will be a lot of chatter in Ann Arbor about what's next.
