Sherrone Moore Dismisses Idea Of Purdue ‘Trap Game’ On WCSX
Purdue may be winless in Big Ten play, but No. 21 Michigan isn’t about to take them lightly, as they vie for a playoff berth.
No. 21 Michigan is going against unranked Purdue Saturday night, which could generate discussion as a potential "trap game" for the Wolverines. But head coach Sherrone Moore is making sure his team avoids falling into said trap.
Purdue may be 2-6 overall and 0-5 in Big Ten play, but that doesn't mean Michigan is overlooking them, as a matchup with 5-3 Northwestern comes afterward and a showdown with No. 1 Ohio State (7-0) fast approaches. Moore is showing respect for his opponent regardless of their record, which is often a sign of consistent winning programs.
"There's no trap game in the Big Ten, I don't believe in that," Moore said as part of his latest interview with Jim O'Brien on 94.7 WCSX. "I think anybody can beat anybody. If you haven't prepared -- and last week, we talked about, 'proper preparation prevents poor performance' -- if you haven't prepared, any team on your schedule, regardless of what you think of them, can beat you. So there's no relaxing. The urgency in this building is at a high, just the whole time. It doesn't matter who we're playing, nameless, faceless.
"Purdue has enough weapons on offense to hurt you, and they have enough good players on defense to keep you up. And obviously, they have really good coaches. I think the world of coach (Barry) Odom, I think he's a wonderful human, I think he's a great coach. He's won everywhere he's been. So, you've got to be ready for their best. They're going to come in here with all guns blazing. I've been on the other side of it. People don't think you can win, people don't think this. Their coaches, they're really good coaches. They've got good players. So you've got to come out with everything you got as well."
The Boilermakers may be off to a rough start over Barry Odom's first season at the helm, but the head coach is widely credited with turning around UNLV's football program (19-8 record in 2023 and 2024) before joining Purdue. Moore will have to put his money where his mouth is, but he's certainly saying the right things in order for his team to avoid the dreaded trap. Especially as they've already lost twice and have a tenuous grasp on their spot in the national rankings, as it is.
Michigan and Purdue are set for a prime-time kickoff Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST. You can get the call of the game on 94.7 WCSX, starting with pregame at 4, and hear "Coffee With The Coach" live every Thursday morning at 8:05.
