TheBoilingPoints.com will be simulating the 2012-13 college football season in NCAA Football 13. In case you were sitting at home trying to figure out how to spend the next three weeks while you wait for the Olympics to begin, check back at TheBoilingPoints.com every weekday at noon eastern to see the results.
We’ll be doing one game per day, but will simulate each game three times: once with Robert Marve at quarterback and once with Caleb Terbush at quarterback. We began one with Rob Henry at quarterback, but he made it through just three weeks before being injured and missing the rest of the season. Sorry Austin Appleby fans, we’ll hook you up when NCAA Football 14 comes out.
In week six the Boilers open Big Ten play against Michigan.
Simulation 1: Robert Marve
Marve’s team fell to 3-2 and 0-1 in the Big Ten after losing a close game at home to No. 24 Michigan (3-2, 1-0), 24-17.
The game started off slowly, with the Boilers kicking things off with a 3-0 lead after a 34-yard Paul Griggs field goal with 8:25 to go in the first quarter. Nearly eight minutes later, Michigan’s kicker responded with a 33-yarder of his own to tie the game up.
Purdue took control in the second quarter, first with a 25-yard pass from Marve to Antavian Edison with 12:50 left to put them up 10-3. Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson responded with 8:36 to go in the half with a 3-yard TD run to tie the game, but Marve and Edison connected again, this time from 38 yards out, to take a 17-10 lead just moments before halftime.
The defenses won the third quarter, holding both offenses without points.
In the fourth quarter Michigan tied the game with 11:02 left after Robinson connected on a 49-yard touchdown bomb. Then the Boilers saw the game slip out of their hands with 4:08 left when Robinson connected with former Purdue verbal-commit Roy Roundtree from 19 yards out for the game-winning touchdown.
Marve was 20-38 on the day for 262 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t throw an interception and was sacked three times. He also rushed 11 times for 12 yards.
Akeem Shavers led Purdue’s ground game with 78 yards on 19 carries. He did have one fumble, however. Akeem Hunt added 38 yards on 10 carries.
Antavian Edison was Purdue’s Player of The Game (Robinson was Michigan’s), with eight receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Crosby Wright added four catches for 44 yards.
Simulation 2: Caleb Terbush
Terbush’s Boilers also fell to 3-2, 0-1 in their Big Ten opener following a loss to No. 20 Michigan (3-2, 1-0).
In this game, Michigan ran out to a big lead in the first half as Fitzgerald Toussaint ran two red zone touchdowns in in the second quarter to give Michigan a 13-0 lead (missed extra point on first TD) with 3:21 left in the second quarter. Terbush eventually responded with a 2-yard touchdown run of his own, but the Boilers still trailed 13-7 after the first half.
The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, with Denard Robinson connecting from 19 yards out with 8:36 left in the half to build Michigan’s lead up to 20-7. Seven minutes later Terbush found Crosby Wright from the two yard-line to make the score 20-14 after three periods.
Purdue would be shut out the rest of the game, while Michigan added two more Toussaint touchdowns, this time coming off receptions from 55 and 11 yards out, along with a 39-yard field goal, to record an 18 point fourth quarter. The Wolverines won 38-14. On the bright side, Roy Roundtree didn’t score.
Terbushwas 9-29 on the day for 108 yards and one touchdown. He threw three interceptions and was sacked four times. Terbush did, however, lead the Boilers in rushing, with 17 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Akeem Shavers added 41 yards on 10 carries and Akeem Hunt had 9 carries for 30 yards. Both running backs had a fumble.
Crosby Wright was Purdue’s Player of the Game, with four catches for 54 yards. Shavers was the only other Boilermaker with more than one catch, with two for 31 yards.