Kornacki: O'Korn Turns Around Game, U-M Offense to Beat Purdue
9/23/2017 11:19:00 PM | Football, Features
By Steve Kornacki
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The sky was falling, but somehow, someway, John O'Korn averted pending doom.
O'Korn, who replaced starting quarterback Wilton Speight after he was injured late in the first quarter, made the play that turned it all around in the University of Michigan's 28-10 win Saturday (Sept. 23) at Purdue.
It was third-and-six at the Michigan 18-yard line. The Wolverines trailed, 10-7, with the third quarter winding down. The field began to seem as though it was tilted upward for Michigan, and it badly needed something, a spark.
Purdue middle linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley, who would later be ejected for targeting O'Korn, had the quarterback in his grasp on the game's pivotal play. But O'Korn, a former high school wrestler, registered an escape. He was losing his balance, though, and got himself upright by bracing the ground with his left hand.
"It was one of those things that I don't have an explanation for," said O'Korn. "Sometimes you're able to keep your feet, and sometimes you aren't. I was just happy I was able to make that play for my team."
He then scrambled to his right and threw a pass to Grant Perry, who hauled it in for a 12-yard gain to keep the chains moving.
"The key play was when John escaped what looked like a sure sack," said Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
Wolverines offensive coordinator Tim Drevno added, "The momentum changed. John made a play where there was no play to be made, and that kept the drive alive."
No. 8 Michigan then marched 86 yards to score the go-ahead touchdown on a 10-yard run by Chris Evans, and there was no looking back.
"Our goal was to get ahead and stay ahead," said O'Korn, who threw for 270 yards. "I hated that Wilton had to get hurt for me to go in, but I knew I could step up and play a role in helping us win."
The Wolverines drove 65 yards to score on a one-yard touchdown run by Ty Isaac on the next possession, and O'Korn was magical on that drive as well.
First, he hit Donovan Peoples-Jones for eight yards on third-and-eight. Then he answered the bell on second-and-17 with a 23-yard pass to tight end Sean McKeon. And before long it was first-and-25 after two penalties. No problem. O'Korn hit tight end Zach Gentry with a 25-yard pass to put his team three yards from the end zone.
"That was a big-time throw," said Harbaugh. "But he had others. He played great, and I'm really proud of him and the whole team."
Gentry said: "I just looked straight up and John threw a great back-shoulder ball. I was able to adjust to it successfully."
O'Korn said of Gentry: "He made a great play, and I'm so proud of him for adjusting to his switch from quarterback to tight end, and he's only getting better every week."
After three weeks of inconsistency, everything began clicking in this one for the offense.
The Wolverines had been 1-for-10 on scoring touchdowns when reaching the red zone in the first three games, but they were perfect in all three such opportunities against Purdue.
"That was just our biggest focus all week," said O'Korn. "In weeks past, we'd gone against our scout team in the red zone (at practices). This week, we started to go against our No. 1 defense and get a little more competitive. It was something we had to stress and get better at.
"Today, we showed it on the field. We had a different mentality. And going three-for-three in the end zone helped us win the game."
O'Korn engineered the two longest drives of the season, for 84 (in the second quarter) and 86 yards, and he was one yard shy of the most passing yardage a Wolverine ever garnered against the Boilermakers. John Navarre threw for 271 yards in 2002.
"I thought John really played great," said Harbaugh. "He was seeing things really good right from the time he came into the ballgame. He ran the offense well and made big plays."
O'Korn finished a long drive on his first possession of the game with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Gentry on third-and-four.
Michigan converted six of 15 third downs, including four in a row on the touchdown drives at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter.
"Coach Pep (Hamilton) always stresses red zone offense and third downs -- situational offense," said O'Korn of his passing game coordinator. "Those are the deciding factors in games."
Right at that instant, O'Korn, sitting on a folding chair outside the locker room, was given a big hug by Harbaugh, who leaned in and said, "Great game."
O'Korn thanked his coach, and then while walking to the team bus he met with Hamilton and Drevno, who kept the hugs and good words coming.
"He was inspirational," said Drevno. "You saw a guy come off the bench and compete like that in this kind of environment. It's huge, and you can just see the character of our football team to fight through something like that: adversity, heat, their homecoming.
"I'm so pleased and happy for John. I'm sorry to see what happened to Wilt with him having to come out of the game, but we'll push on and do what's best for the team. But it was really inspirational how John led us and this team.
"I mean, you could see that John came out to compete his heart out. It was important to him to be successful for his teammates."
Middle linebacker Devin Bush, who played a whale of game with his standout unit, said even the defense got charged up by O'Korn.
It was an emotional game for O'Korn, who said Speight told him after going down with an undisclosed injury: "Just lead the team. Do what you do."
And he did that about as well as could've been expected.
When the game ended, O'Korn hugged his roommate, receiver Maurice Ways, at midfield before finding Purdue co-offensive coordinator Tony Levine and giving him a long hug after giving him a piece of his mind during the game.
"You might have seen me barking at their sideline a little too much," said O'Korn. "I played with a lot of emotion, and sometimes it got the best of me.
"But you can't help but be emotional when you beat the coach who benched you at your old school (Houston in 2014). But I ran out there and hugged afterward."
O'Korn, who threw for 3,117 yards and 28 touchdowns as a freshman starter for the Cougars in 2013, talked about "coming full circle" and the "journey" he's been on ever since.
"If I don't play again the rest of the year," said O'Korn, "[this] was a big moment for me.
"But I'm just happy that I could contribute to a big win on the road, beat the elements (89 degrees at kickoff) and beat the team in their house and have a happy ride home."
