Defense, O'Korn Rally Football Past Purdue in Big Ten Opener

Saturday, September 23

West Lafayette, Ind.

4:00 PM

Michigan

4-0 , 1-0

Purdue

2-2 , 0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Michigan

Purdue

Michigan celebrates Zach Gentry's (83) touchdown

Defense, O'Korn Rally Football Past Purdue in Big Ten Opener

9/23/2017 8:28:00 PM | Football

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By: Dave Ablauf, Chad Shepard

» John O'Korn came off the bench for an injured Wilton Speight to throw for 270 yards and a touchdown.
» After trailing 10-7 at halftime, the Michigan defense ratcheted up play in the second half, limiting Purdue to just 10 total yards of offense. Devin Bush and Chase Winovich each had six tackles and combined for four sacks.
» Ten different receivers caught a pass on the afternoon, led by tight ends Sean McKeon (82 yards) and Zach Gentry (48 yards, touchdown).

Site: West Lafayette, Ind. (Ross-Ade Stadium)
Score: #8 Michigan 28, Purdue 10
Records: U-M (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), Purdue (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
Attendance: 60,402
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Oct. 7 -- vs. Michigan State (Michigan Stadium), Time/TV TBA

• Kornacki Feature: O'Korn Turns Around Game, U-M Offense

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Fifth-year senior John O'Korn came off the bench to throw for 270 yards and a touchdown as the eighth-ranked University of Michigan football team erased a three-point halftime deficit to defeat Purdue, 28-10, on a hot and dry Saturday (Sept. 23) inside Ross-Ade Stadium.

While O'Korn energized the offense, it was the defense that won the day, holding Purdue to only 10 yards in the second half. The Wolverines completely dominated in the trenches, limiting the Boilermakers to just 30 rushing yards for the game. Sophomore Devin Bush and senior Chase Winovich had six tackles each and combined for four sacks.

O'Korn came into the game in the first quarter after starter Wilton Speight exited due to injury, and he went 18-for-26 passing for 270 yards and a touchdown. O'Korn targeted his tight ends early and often; sophomore Sean McKeon had five receptions for 82 yards, while junior Zach Gentry had three receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown.

Sophomore Chris Evans led the way on the ground, rushing 14 times for 97 yards and a pair of scores. Fifth-year senior Ty Isaac also accounted for a rushing touchdown on the afternoon.

Defense controlled play in a scoreless first quarter until O'Korn entered the game. He took command immediately, putting together a 13-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 12-yard pass to Gentry. O'Korn was a perfect 5-for-5 on the drive, which lasted more than 6:30.

Purdue struck back less than two minutes on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Elijah Sindelar to Brycen Hopkins, tying the game at 7-7. The Boilermakers tacked on three more on a 29-yard field goal from J.D. Dellinger and led 10-7 at halftime.

The second half started like the first, as neither team was able to do much on its first two possessions. The third drive ended up changing the game and would not have happened if not for some magic from O'Korn, who escaped a sack inside his own 20-yard line on third-and-six before finding Grant Perry for 12 yards to move the chains. After another third-down conversion -- a 30-yard pass to McKeon -- a Purdue player was flagged for targeting, adding another 15 yards and putting the offense right outside the red zone. Four plays later, Evans took a handoff up the middle for a 10-yard touchdown run, allowing Michigan to take the 14-10 lead.

After the defense came up with a stop, the offense once again sustained a long scoring drive. O'Korn continued to make clutch throws: a 23-yarder to McKeon (on second-and-17) and a 25-yarder to Gentry (on first-and-25). Two plays after the strike to Gentry, Isaac punched it into the end zone from one yard out, making it 21-10 with 10:36 to play.

Another Purdue three-and-out and Michigan was back out on the field, needing only five plays to find the end zone again. Evans burst through the line and outran the Purdue secondary for a 49-yard touchdown run, capping the lead at 28-10.

The Wolverines are off next week and will return to the field on Saturday, Oct. 7, hosting rival Michigan State inside Michigan Stadium. The kickoff time is expected to be announced Monday (Sept. 25).