Michigan
7-2 , 4-1
Purdue
6-2 , 3-1
Defense Leads Michigan to Resounding Win vs. Purdue
10/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan football team (No. 13 AP, No. 10 ESPN/USA Today) defeated No. 10 Purdue 31-3 in front of 111,349 fans on Saturday (Oct. 25) at Michigan Stadium. The Michigan defense harassed reigning Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Week Kyle Orton all day, forcing two interceptions and generating seven sacks.
| | Shazor had three tackles for loss, including two of U-M's seven quarterback sacks. |
With Purdue beginning the game on offense, the Boilermakers and Wolverines exchanged three-and-outs. Adam Finley's punt pinned Purdue on its 16-yard line to begin its second drive. After failing again to gain a first down, Purdue kicked the football back to Michigan.
Running right on first down, Chris Perry (Advance, N.C./Fork Union Military, Va.) broke loose to rack up 10 yards to the U-M 35-yard line. With the carry, Perry surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Perry gained eight yards on a screen pass and then Navarre found Avant deep over the middle for a 19-yard pickup on third down. Two plays later, Avant hauled in an 18-yard reception to reach the PU 16-yard line. From 14 yards out Michigan continued its aerial attack as Navarre threw high to a leaping Edwards on a post route for a touchdown at 7:03. Garrett Rivas (Tampa, Fla./Jesuit HS) converted the extra point to give U-M a 7-0 lead. Navarre went 4-for-4 passing for 59 yards as the drive covered 65 yards in eight plays.
A sack by Ernest Shazor (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King HS) and a dropped pass by Purdue forced the Boilermakers to punt to a waiting Steve Breaston (North Braddock, Pa./Woodland Hills HS). The U-M returner corralled the ball at his own 19-yard line and raced across the field from right to left, picking up a clearing block from Avant. Breaston was finally tripped up 30 yards later near midfield. Two carries from Perry and a pass interference penalty on Purdue ushered Michigan to the PU 21-yard line. From there, Breaston weaved his way to the end zone on a reverse to the right side where he picked up blocks from Navarre, center Dave Pearson (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) and wideout Tyrece Butler (Indianapolis, Ind./Decatur Central HS). Rivas nailed the point-after try to make it 14-0 after the first quarter. The six-play drive traveled 49 yards in 1:28.
Starting the second quarter on its own 20-yard line, Purdue finally began to move the ball by earning two first downs to approach midfield. However, the Boilermakers' drive stalled there as Markus Curry (Detroit, Mich./Bishop Gallagher HS) broke up a third-and-seven pass by Orton.
Purdue caught its first break of the game with 1:41 remaining in the half when Navarre was sacked and fumbled away the ball on his own 28-yard line. Orton moved the Boilermakers to the five-yard line when he broke containment and ran along the right sideline. A sack moved Purdue back to the eight-yard line. Finally, Orton scrambled to his right and was picked off by Leon Hall (Vista, Calif./Vista HS) in the end zone to quell the threat.
Michigan's defense dominated the vaunted Purdue offense in the first half, allowing only 72 net yards. Forty-three of those yards came on passes by Orton, who was 7-for-16 with one interception. The Boilermakers, who had just four first downs in the half, were 0-for-7 on third down and gave up three sacks. Michigan's offense more than doubled Purdue with 152 net yards and had 11 first downs.
Purdue's opening drive of the third stanza started at its own 43-yard line. Two rushes gave PU a first down in Michigan territory, and a deep pass down the right seam to Taylor Stubblefield delivered the Boilermakers to the U-M four-yard line. A stuffed run and a sack by Larry Stevens (Tacoma, Wash./Woodrow Wilson HS) set up a third-down attempt from the 10-yard line. The ensuing jump ball by Orton was batted down by Hall in the right corner. Purdue settled for a Ben Jones field goal at 9:46 to trim Michigan's lead to 14-3.
The Maize and Blue quickly responded with a pass to Avant for 14 yards and a carry by Perry for 15. A 22-yard catch and run by Edwards put U-M at the Purdue 28-yard line. Two plays later, Navarre went back to Edwards for a 26-yard touchdown catch on a fade near the front right pylon. Edwards out-jumped his defender and landed with both feet inbounds at the 6:57 mark of the third quarter. Rivas' PAT made it 21-3. The drive moved 80 yards on six plays in 2:49.
Although Michigan's first drive of the fourth quarter stalled just across midfield, Finley's punt was kept out of the end zone by a diving Brent Cummings (Belding, Mich./Belding HS) and the ball was downed at the two-yard line. On the next play, Purdue's Brandon Jones was hit in the hole by Carl Diggs, who dislodged the ball, which was recovered by Curry for a touchdown at 12:22. The extra point made it 28-3.
Michigan pushed its lead to 31-3 at 5:48 of the fourth quarter on a 27-yard field goal by Rivas. The 10-play drive covered 61 yards, 34 of which came on a catch and run by Avant down the right sideline.
Michigan created its third turnover of the game with 4:33 left when a blitzing Jeremy LeSueur (Holly Springs, Miss./Holly Springs HS) demolished Orton on a backside blitz, which forced an errant throw that landed in the arms of Hall for his second interception of the day.
The 51st annual battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy between Michigan and Michigan State will be played next Saturday (Nov. 1) at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. The game will be broadcast regionally by ABC Sports at noon EST.
Contact: David Ablauf, Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
PUR 0, MICH 7
MICH - Edwards, B. 14 yd pass from Navarre, John (Rivas, Garrett kick) 8 plays, 65 yards, TOP 4:34
PUR 0, MICH 14
MICH - Breaston, Steve 21 yd run (Rivas, Garrett kick), 5 plays, 49 yards, TOP 1:28
PUR 3, MICH 14
PUR - Jones, Ben 27 yd field goal 9 plays, 47 yards, TOP 3:40
PUR 3, MICH 21
MICH - Edwards, B. 26 yd pass from Navarre, John (Rivas, Garrett kick) 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:49
PUR 3, MICH 28
MICH - Curry, Markus 2 yd fumble recovery (Rivas, Garrett kick)
PUR 3, MICH 31
MICH - Rivas, Garrett 27 yd field goal 10 plays, 61 yards, TOP 4:15
