Expect to see a lot of pre-snap pointing and yelling from Purdue's quarterback and center this Saturday.
Boilermaker quarterback David Blough and center Kirk Barron have already been made well aware they'll be lined up across from the Big Ten's leader in sacks this weekend. And while you don't usually want to focus on just one player on defense, Minnesota doesn't boast another pass rusher on the level of Carter Coughlin.
"He is a very, very productive player, and he's created havoc against a lot of good teams, a lot of good players, and yes, we have to be aware every time where he's at," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said Monday.
It's one thing to be aware of a dominant pass-rusher but the reason Coughlin may as well have a giant bullseye on his uniform instead of his No. 45 is his numbers dwarf those of all others on the Gopher defense. The 245-pound junior has nine of his team's 15 sacks. According to Pro Football Focus data, 37 percent of the team's quarterback pressures (39 of 106); nearly half of its quarterback hits (13 of 27); and 25 percent of the its hurries (16 of 64) can be attributed to Coughlin alone. Nobody other Gopher has recorded more than one sack.
When Purdue (5-4, 4-2 in Big Ten) has the football Saturday at Minnesota, it will likely be the responsibility of Blough and Barron at the line of scrimmage to check into or out of certain blocking schemes depending on Coughlin's pre-snap positioning. As a hybrid linebacker and defensive end, Coughlin could be seen as an edge rusher with his hand to the ground or standing up as part of the second level of Minnesota's defense.
"A player like that who has all the numbers, including sacks, tackles for loss and everything like that, is somebody where we have to know where he is," Blough said Tuesday.
When Coughlin is lined up as a speed rusher, he'll likely be over Purdue left tackle Eric Swingler. The senior has taken over the full-time duties at left tackle after Grant Hermanns was lost to a knee injury. Swingler said Tuesday what has struck him instantly in his film preparation for Coughlin is the energy and speed with which he plays.
"The one thing I always admire with certain football players is the ability to play hard and (Coughlin) is a guy that just goes hard every play," Swingler said. "What you have to do is match his intensity or the intensity of whoever you're playing. He's going to be a big challenge because you can see he hustles to the ball constantly."
Coughlin, a former four-star and top-100 recruit by Rivals.com in 2016, recorded six-and-a-half sacks last season for a Minnesota defense for which the second-highest sack total was just two-and-a-half. Purdue expects the Gophers' newly installed interim defensive coordinator, Joe Rossi, to line Coughlin up in a variety of positions.
Brohm suggested Monday his offensive scheme may b crafted to build in blocking help for Swingler on the outside, by sliding a tight end toward Coughlin or keeping a tailback in the vicinity.
"What he is, is a fast, quick rusher. He has great athleticism, and I think he beats a lot of big guys with his speed," Brohm said. "So when we have a back, he's got to be aware if he's to the side. We've got to be chipping on the way out. We've got to make sure that he understands that he can't just run around the edge. We've got to slide the protection to him some."
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