Purdue opponent early outlook: Michigan

As the 2023 football season nears closer, GoldandBlack.com will provide a mid-summer outlook of each of Purdue’s opponents. Today, it’s Michigan, who looks to three-peat as Big Ten champions in 2023.

2022 RECORD: 13-1 (9-0 Big Ten)

HEAD COACH: Jim Harbaugh (74-25 entering ninth year at Michigan, 103-46 overall)

KEY PLAYERS: QB JJ McCarthy, RB Blake Corum, LB Junior Colson

HISTORY VS. PURDUE: Michigan holds a 46-14 advantage in the series between longtime Big Ten opponents dating back to 1890. Despite the long history, this will mark just the third meeting between Purdue and Michigan since 2012. In the most recent matchup, Michigan defeated Purdue 43-22 in the 2022 Big Ten Championship Game. Purdue will look for its first win in Michigan Stadium since a 2009 upset win in Ann Arbor.

ABOUT THE WOLVERINES: After a 2-4 record in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Michigan elected to give Jim Harbaugh one last chance. Since then, the Wolverines hold a 25-3 record with a pair of wins over arch-rival Ohio State and two Big Ten championships. The next step: win a national championship.

Michigan returns plenty on offense, led by quarterback JJ McCarthy and dynamic running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. After running for 238 yards per game in 2022, don’t expect the run-heavy approach to change much in 2023, especially with Corum back following an ACL tear that shortened his elite campaign a year ago.

With three returning starters and three more added through the portal with starting experience, Michigan’s offensive line could contend for its third-consecutive Joe Moore Award, given to the nation’s top O-line unit. They’ll pave the way for the run game and give McCarthy time to find an unproven group of receivers.

Seven starters return from a top-10 defense nationally. Although some key pieces now play in the NFL, the defense will be led from the middle. Linebackers Junior Colson and Michael Barrett return, and the interior of the defensive line should fill plenty of gaps. Though questions about the secondary linger, a soft September slate will provide time for the Wolverines to figure that out.

It’s hard to overstate the 180-degree turn Michigan took following 2020. Now, they’re the hunted team in the Big Ten. The only thing left for the maize and blue to accomplish would be bringing home the program’s first national championship since 1997.

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