Rodriguez, Michigan blow first half lead, fail to secure a bowl bid

Michigan went into halftime leading by 14 points in yesterdays match-up against Purdue. The Wolverines defense surrendered four second half touchdowns en route to their fifth straight Big Ten loss, coming via 38-36 defeat of the Boilermakers. This was Purdue’s first victory at Michigan Stadium since 1966, another record broken under Rich Rodriguez.

Brandon Minor and Roy Roundtree consistently made big plays for the Michigan offense. Minor finished with 154 rushing yards and scoring on runs of 29, 55, and one yard. Roundtree led the Wolverines receivers with 10 catches for 124 yards and scored on a 44 yard pass from Tate Forcier.

Michigan seemed to be getting back on track after struggling in its last two games, as they took a 24-10 lead into halftime. The Wolverines got the ball to start the second half, but a Forcier fumble on a pitch gave Purdue great field position, and they capitalized as Ralph Bolden rushed for a 19 yard touchdown, trimming the deficit to seven.

Forcier led the Wolverines down the field, and he scored on a six yard run, but a missed extra point only increased Michigan’s lead to 13. Later in the third quarter, Purdue scored two touchdowns within in ten seconds, after recovering an onside kick after their first score, and immediately scoring, giving Purdue a 31-30 lead. The Boilermakers added another touchdown in the fourth, increasing the deficit for Michigan to eight.

With just over two minutes remaining, Minor scored his third touchdown of the game, putting Michigan within a two-point conversion away to tie the game. But Foricer was sacked and Michigan’s chances of clinching a bowl game will have to wait another week.

It won’t get any easier for the Wolverines, as they wrap up their final two games of the regular season by traveling to Madison to face Wisconsin next week, where Michigan hasn’t won at since 2001. Then Michigan will head home for “The Game” on
November 21.