Improving in "critical moments" key for success of Purdue defense
Purdue's defense went into Saturday night's matchup against Syracuse confident after a bounce back showing in Blacksburg. That confidence did not turn into success, however, as Dino Babers' offense had its way with the Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium.
After reviewing the tape, defensive coordinator Kevin Kane liked a lot of what he saw from the Purdue defense against Syracuse, but mistakes in "critical moments" were simply too much to overcome for his unit.
"Once we went back and looked at the film, like 95% of what we did last week was really, really good. It's 5% of those critical moments that we need to continue to harp on and eliminate. Once we do that, we're gonna be a pretty consistent and really good defense," Kane said.
The most glaring weakness in the defeat was containing quarterback Garrett Shrader on the ground. The Syracuse signal caller ran for a career-high 195 yards and four touchdowns in the Big Ten-ACC matchup. It was the first time Purdue had allowed a 100-yard rusher on the young season.
Kane addressed what went wrong for the Boilermakers that allowed Shrader to have a career day in West Lafayette.
"It was a little bit of everything. You know, I think they got us a couple times on a couple of designed quarterback runs. But other than that, there was guys there to make plays and we got to get them down. If we have a spy there, we got to tackle them and I got to do a better job of getting the right guys in those positions," Kane said.
The Boilermakers' defensive coordinator shared that he believes the group has been in positions to make big plays on the defensive side of the ball, but have been unable to do so, which has led to some of the struggles at times through three games.
That factor, and coming up with big plays in key moments is something that will have to improve moving forward. Kane also admitted that he also needs to ensure the right players are in the right position for that to be possible.
"I think we have guys in positions to make plays, and in those critical junctures they gotta make those things," Kane said. "Now as coaches, we gotta put them in better spots too I think."
"Looking at the first three weeks where we had some issues were certain parts of the field and situations and those are the critical areas that we gotta continue to work better on," Kane said.
Team captain and senior safety Sanoussi Kane echoed the sentiments of his defensive coordinator following Wednesday's practice. After three games, Kane thinks the Boilermakers have shown promise, but will need to be more consistent as Big Ten play begins.
"We were up and down. There's been times where we've shown what we're capable of and times that we're not. So, just trying to be more consistent on defense as a whole," Kane said.
Purdue's defensive coordinator also recognized the important of his group playing well to help out the Boilermakers' offense.
"I think every week presents its own challenges. Ebbs and flows of the game and we have to be able to play complimentary football," Kane said. "When the offense is rolling, we gotta do our part and get them the ball back as quickly as possible, and if the offense is not doing so hot, we gotta go out there and at stop some people."
How will the Boilermakers do that? Senior transfer defensive lineman Malik Langham thinks it's simple. Just do their jobs.
"Just doing our job. Just staying focused doing our job first and foremost," Langham said.
As Purdue looks to improve on the defensive side of the ball heading into a grueling conference slate, it will face a tall task in its first opportunity. The Boilermakers will host Wisconsin on Friday night for their Big Ten opener, but it won't be the Badger offense that the conference has become accustomed to in years past.
Head coach Luke Fickell hired former North Carolina offensive coordinator Phil Longo to help introduce the Air Raid offense to Madison in 2023, which is a far cry from the extreme run heavy schemes in recent memory for the Badgers.
"I think just watching the first three games of what they've done, it's not the Wisconsin of old, that's for sure. You know, they're not gonna line up in two back sets very often. They're not going to line up in 22 personnel very often. They're gonna spread you out. They’re gonna throw it," Kane said.
It will be a familiar sight for the Purdue defense, though, who go up against Graham Harrell's Air Raid offense every day in practice. Kevin Kane thinks that experience on a daily basis will have Purdue better prepared for the new attack from the Badgers on Friday night.
"I feel like our offense gives us similar similar stuff all throughout camp and we've been prepared for that type of stuff. So I think guys are excited for this challenge and I think that familiarity will be good too. I think when we get out there, you'll see a lot of similar stuff that we've seen for quite a while," Kane said.
Through three games, Wisconsin is averaging 31.7 points per game, which is good for 57th in the nation so far this season.
Transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai was also brought in as the Badgers make a massive shift in offensive identity. The former SMU signal caller has had mixed results to start his career in the Big Ten, throwing for 703 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions through three games. Although he has done a better job of protecting the football over the last two weeks and scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in a win over Georgia Southern last Saturday.
While the passing attack has seen a jump for Wisconsin, Madison is still home to one of the top running back duo in the Big Ten which will remain a large part of Phil Longo's offense.
Wisconsin is 27th in the country in rushing yards per game at 203.7 behind its talented tandem of Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi. The pair has combined for 522 yards on 6.86 yards per rush and have already gotten into the end zone eight times in just three games.
"They're still gonna run it with their running backs and everything. I think they still feature those guys but it's definitely a different look as what you're used to," Kane said.
Sanoussi Kane has played Wisconsin two of his first three years with the Boilermakers (with the 2020 matchup being cancelled) and was accustomed to a hard nose team that was looking to dominate through the ground game. Now that Wisconsin has opened up the offense, the team captain is expecting a new type of challenge out of the Badgers.
"Usually when you see those white and red jerseys, you think it's straight run, running the ball and they're throwing it around now. But they still got the two backs that they have so they're an all around great offense and they're definitely a challenge for us," the senior safety said.
Purdue may have to take on that challenge without one of its top defenders, however, as outside linebacker Kydran Jenkins' status for Friday night is still up in the air. Purdue's sack leader missed the second half of the Syracuse game with an undisclosed injury. Kevin Kane addressed Jenkins and his status on Wednesday afternoon.
"He'll tell me when he's ready," Kane said. "If I know KJ, he's gonna want to play. So, we'll see how it goes."
If Jenkins cannot go on Friday, Purdue will likely fill the void on the opposite side of Nic Scourton with a combination of Will Heldt and Scotty Humpich, who both saw extended action against the Orange in week three. The true freshman Heldt will have a chance to prove himself game ready
"Will is an extremely intelligent young man. You know, he lined up, he did his job. He came in there as a true freshman and really did a pretty good job. There was some missed tackles along the way, but we're not scared to throw Will out there because he knows what he's doing," Kane said of the young pass rusher.
Whether Jenkins suits up on Friday or not, stopping the new look Wisconsin offense will be yet another challenge for Kevin Kane and company. The success of the defense will be instrumental in Purdue's success if the program is to defeat the Badgers for the first time in 20 years.