Miles seizes snaps; Hunte prepping to help stop run; more

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After not playing at all last season, Antoine Miles was a first-teamer on the defense during the spring.

Then, during training camp, he was back in the basement again, with academic troubles looming as a potential roadblock to his opportunity. At that time, the senior defensive lineman was dropped to, essentially, fourth team, missing out on all team drills.

“It was a scary month,” he said after Wednesday's practice. “The whole timeframe around training camp, because I wasn’t sure if I was going to be here or wasn’t going to be here. For me, the most important thing was staying around my teammates and keeping my love of the game high, so that even though I wasn’t in the rotation I was still doing something that I loved to do. I’m happy to still be a part of this team.”

Purdue’s happy to have him, too, especially since Miles has become part of a rotation at defensive end, mixing in there with Gelen Robinson and Austin Larkin, when the latter is healthy.

The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder, who played a season-high in snaps on Saturday in the win over Minnesota, is probably playing better than his statistics indicate. He has only three tackles this season, but on multiple occasions vs. the Gophers, he was able to get into the backfield and help disrupt Minnesota’s passing game.

“When he was fresh, I thought he did a very good job,” Coach Jeff Brohm said. “When he was in there a long time, I thought he got tired. So we've got to make sure we get the correct amount of reps for him, we don't overdo it, unless we have to have him in there. But when he was fresh and healthy, he showed up and did a good job.”

Now, Miles says he needs only to finish, feeling like there were some opportunities to do so on Saturday. But he’s still shaking off some game-day rust, too.

It’d been since 2015 since Miles had played, when he had four sacks and had 28 tackles while playing all 12 games, including six starts. But he wasn’t part of Ross Els’ plans in the former defensive coordinator’s scheme last season and Miles didn’t play a single snap.

But Miles fit better in Nick Holt’s more aggressive front, and was given a chance from Day 1 in the spring. Then, Miles was playing the hybrid Leo position and loving it.

But Miles’ academic trouble — he said he was never worried about being ineligible, but “had some things to take care of” — knocked him off that path. By the time he had returned to good standing in late August, Purdue had inserted Danny Ezechuwku as the starter at Leo.

Miles would have to find a place at defensive end, a more run-defense-heavy position. But even while he wasn’t getting physical repetitions, he was trying to get mental ones.

“For me, it was about mentally going through the plays while I wasn’t on the field,” he said, “figuring out what I had to do, knowing my assignments, knowing my alignment, knowing the things I had to do.

“I’m starting to feel a little more comfortable out there and play a little football. I’m starting to know what’s going on and they’re throwing me out there, hoping I make the plays I need to make.” (KC)

Da’Wan Hunte recognized the pattern.

Minnesota was lining up its running back wide — aligned as a receiver — before putting him in motion and giving him a handoff. Over and over and over.

So Hunte, one of Purdue’s starting cornerbacks, decided that was enough.

As soon as Minnesota’s back went in motion, Hunte slipped off his receiver, triggered on the snap and raced to cut off the back for a minimal gain. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound senior has not been afraid to mix it up in run support, and though it’s not his primary responsibility, it’s been a nice piece in Purdue’s run defense of late.

Hunte said he’s been in the box more — it depends on Purdue’s coverage, usually, and the opponent’s formations — and he’s enjoying the role.

“I’m just doing what the coach is putting me in position to do, and I’m making sure I execute the plays I’m supposed to make,” Hunte said after Wednesday’s practice. “Tackling is fundamental, so when the play is there, I have to make sure I execute. That’s just, really, what I’ve been doing. Always been physical. I take pride in tackling and doing all the right things. It’s nothing more than what the coaches are asking of me.

“This is the Big Ten, and I know it’s a physical conference, so you’ve got to be ready to bring your shoulder pads with you, so that’s what I’ve been doing.”

On Saturday, Hunte certainly will get more chances against a Wisconsin team that pounds the ball with a big offensive line and talented backs. The Badgers will line up with multiple tight ends and lead blockers whose intent is to reach the second level to clear paths for backs. Purdue’s linebackers must do their jobs, too, of shedding and making plays, but Hunte is eager to slip in when he can to help.

While staying disciplined to Wisconsin’s potential to throw the ball, too.

“Wisconsin is Wisconsin. They’re going to try to run the ball down your throat and then hit you with a few play-action passes. I’ve been getting my mind ready for it,” Hunte said. “It’s going to be another challenge. They have great backs and their system has been successful for the past however many years. Wisconsin is Wisconsin. I’ve got to bring everything with me and just get ready to have a good game.”

Hunte attributed sniffing out the jet sweep against Minnesota to his preparation and awareness, which includes tracking tendencies during the game to be able to respond. But he needed to be able to deliver with the tackles, too. Largely, he’s done that.

He said he’s not sure how many of his 16 tackles this season have been on run plays — the only stat he cares about, he said, is a missed interception Saturday — but position coach Jackson has liked what he’s seen from his feisty corner.

“Da’Wan Hunte is a guy, to me, who has shown up very, very well,” Jackson said last week. “The Michigan game, several times he was in one-on-one situations with a big back that he got the guy on the ground where we watched a lot of film that several other teams weren’t making those same plays. I think you have confidence in getting those guys involved in the run game and know that they’re going to be able to get guys on the ground. Any good team is going to force those guys to prove not only they can cover, but they can tackle. Thus far, through four games, they’ve done a great job of showing that. We can have a physical presence and still be a team that can cover well. When you can do both those components hand-in-hand, you’re going to have a chance to be successful.

“The one great thing about Da’Wan is I never saw him in a drill or any competitive atmosphere to where he didn’t seem to be a guy that was going to be willing to put his face in the fan and go hit people,” Jackson said. “He has a competitive spirit. It shows up on a daily basis. Guy has missed, maybe, a practice, and it might have been more that we held him out of it.” (SC)

Normally, Jeff Brohm will take the ball if Purdue wins the toss to start a game. But the conditions were the priority against Minnesota, so Brohm deferred, hoping his scripted offensive plays still produced the desired result, even if Purdue wasn't starting with the ball.

They did, as the Boilermakers needed only two plays to score on a short field against the Gophers. It was the third time in Purdue's five games it scored on its first possession.

Brohm said he takes pride in that.

"The first series is important," he said Tuesday during the Big Ten teleconference. "We practice those plays at least three practices in a row. They know what they are. They should understand them, all the different looks we could see. We’re hopeful to try to gain a positive experience and a positive drive and try to get some points every time we do that."

Typically, Brohm scripts the first eight plays.

Quarterback Elijah Sindelar said it helps when those plays are then repped consistently in practice. And Sindelar also likes the staff's willingness to tweak and change, depending on how effective the plays are during the week.

Against Ohio, Purdue used six plays to get into field goal range on its first drive and kicked a field goal. At Missouri, Purdue marched 75 yards in 11 plays to score on its opening drive, which included only one third-down conversion, the touchdown.

"I think we’re pretty prepared," Sindelar said. "Our coaches do a good job of game-planning and kind of knowing what they do on first and second down and third down and making sure we’re running plays to exploit that defense that we’re anticipating. They’ve pretty much been spot on, almost every game we’ve scored the first drive. Then after that, defenses start to adjust and adapt. Our coaches and their game plan has been pretty phenomenal." (SC)

It'll be imperative for Brohm to get creative in his play-calling Saturday, considering Wisconsin's defense will play a variety of looks, blitzes and coverages, though most of them are aggressive.

Brohm took that tact against Michigan, using a trick play to start the game with QB David Blough catching a pass, and he threw in other wrinkles as well, including several throwbacks to the tight ends and other misdirection. Against the Wolverines, Purdue motioned its back out of the backfield on a couple occasions but never quite got a payoff. Last week against Minnesota, Purdue had better results using its backs' versatility.

On three plays, Brohm had a running back line up wide, like a receiver. It was a small package Brohm inserted for the game, he said earlier this week, and the main purpose: Cause confusion on the defense.

Minnesota called timeout once when Markell Jones lined up wide right, but it let it ride on two other plays when D.J. Knox was wide left and Jones was wide right. On Knox’s play, he went into a speed sweep motion, and tight end Cole Herdman released off the left side of the line. Herdman ran free and caught an easy touchdown — but he wasn’t the only person open on the play, validating Brohm’s “confusion” point. On Jones’ snap, he also went in motion and actually took the handoff and gained 10 yards. (For more on the plays Purdue motioned its backs out of the backfield, read the “Breakdown.”)

“I feel like it helps give us a different look, give the defense a different look,” Knox said. “You don’t stay the same all the time. Kind of throw a different aspect so you’ve got to honor us out there or you’ve got to pay attention. I feel like it adds a different dynamic to the offense.”

Expect more tweaks against the Badgers, likely formations or plays or motions Wisconsin has yet to see on film from Brohm and Purdue. It’s one way the Boilermakers can try to gain separation — scheming for it — because, talent-wise, at this point in the rebuild, they don’t match up with Wisconsin, a similar scenario to Michigan.

“Really, all the different little looks you give, you hope that it just kind of creates a little confusion and gives you an edge and finds a way to get somebody open without having to win one-on-one every single time at every position,” Brohm said. “So it’s important to have a couple different wrinkles. We need it to make sure we have them this week to just kind of create some type of confusion or something that they haven’t seen before.” (SC)

T.J. McCollum has been here before, not practicing in the days leading up to a game.

Earlier this season, the senior linebacker overcame a hamstring injury to play against Michigan in Week 4. It’s not the hamstring now, instead ankle and knee soreness after twisting his right leg awkwardly on the last play of Purdue’s win over Minnesota Saturday.

McCollum, Purdue’s leading tackler with 40, says the ankle is the worse of the two injuries, but he hopes to go Saturday vs. No. 7 Wisconsin.

“I think I will (play),” he said Wednesday, after he had watched practice in street clothes from the sideline. “I’m getting help from the training staff, they’re helping me get through it day-by-day but I think I’ll be able to come back.”

McCollum was hurt while making a tackle on the last snap against the Gophers, when a couple offensive linemen fell on top of him. Hardly anyone noticed at the time, even those who were on the field.

“Everybody was walking past me, shaking hands, the game’s over,” he said. “I’m still on the ground. Finally, somebody came over and was like, ‘Are you OK?’ ‘Nah, I’m not OK.’ But it was tragic for it to happen the last play of the game. It sucks.”

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