Michigan Football: 3 takeaways from win over Purdue

3. Uncertainty in the offense still a problem for Michigan

All followers of college football know that there is a difference between the numbers that come with the game and the “eye test.” According to the stat sheet, the Wolverines had a solid offensive output against the Boilermakers, putting up 423 total yards and over 38 minutes of time of possession. The Wolverines also posted 24 first downs to the Boilermakers’ nine.

Despite the great outing, there still seems to be something missing within Michigan’s offense- and all fingers point to the quarterback position. Through four games, the Wolverines have seen different starters at the quarterback position and multiple games with more than one player under center. In Saturday’s win at Purdue, three Michigan quarterbacks took the field- with senior John O’Korn taking the majority of the snaps.

Coach Jim Harbaugh saw great success with Wilton Speight at quarterback in last year’s two-loss season, but with the several new faces this year, Harbaugh is looking for that sense of camaraderie within the offensive group.

This was the first game that O’Korn saw more than one pass attempt and he performed rather well, completing 18 of 26 for 270 yards and a touchdown. Speight saw just four attempts, completing two for ten yards.

The good news for the Wolverines is that O’Korn proved to be a viable option moving forward if Speight does not get comfortable handling the offense. The unfortunate news is that the lack of consistency at the quarterback position could cause chemistry issues moving forward and the longer a true starter remains in question, the longer it can take for the offense to click.