Michigan looked like a different team in the second half of Saturday’s 28-10 win at Purdue.
The Wolverines had just seven points and 131 yards of offense at halftime, but posted 21 points and 292 yards of offense in the second half.
So what changed?
Sophomore tight end Sean McKeon gave his take.
“Coaches came in, and calmed us down,” he explained. “We have great confidence in [fifth-year senior quarterback] John [O’Korn], and he’s prepared all year like he was the starter — we really knew he was going to come in and do a great job. We came in, made our adjustments and just got rolling.”
The offense as a whole certainly “got rolling” in the second half, due to O’Korn’s obvious confident play.
“He’s really mastered the offense,” McKeon said. “He and Coach Pep [Hamilton] meet every day and go over the little things on offense. Obviously he’s done a great job, knows his stuff and really executed today.
“We definitely had some momentum in the second half, and knew our offense had great protection and blocking. The receivers and tight ends made plays — we definitely felt more confident and had a lot of momentum in the second half.”
McKeon played a big factor in the increased offensive production, as he hauled in five catches for a career-high 82 yards, including a 30-yard pass play.
“It was one of the plays we repped all summer,” he exclaimed. “We have great confidence in that play. I managed to get open, and John put it on the spot.”
McKeon wasn’t Michigan’s only tight end that had success on Saturday though.
Redshirt sophomore Zach Gentry also compiled 48 receiving yards and a touchdown.
McKeon touched on his position mate’s success.
“Zach did a great job today. He did great all summer in camp, got better in run game blocking, and also did a good job in the pass game.
“Once you make a catch, the quarterback wants to go back to you. We just want to do our job, get open and make some catches.”
Michigan’s tight ends certainly “made some catches” on Saturday — the combination of McKeon and Gentry combined to haul in eight passes for 130 yards and a touchdown against the Boilermakers.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @AndrewVcourt and @Balas_Wolverine
• Like us on Facebook
