10/9/2019 football Edit

Coach's corner: Trice a quick study at cornerback

Tom Dienhart • BoilerUpload

GoldandBlack.com, Associate Editor

It's difficult to miss Cory Trice on the field.

If his rangy 6-3 physique in the secondary doesn't catch your eye, the long hair sticking out of his helmet will. But he has stood out for more than appearances: Trice's play has been a pleasant surprise.

"He is doing a nice job of coming in, getting the game plan, learning the techniques and playing hard, competing,” said co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter. "Really pleased with his development."

It has been impressive, considering Trice just moved from safety to cornerback in training camp and immediatley earned a back-up role. Now, he’s a key starter in the secondary. And at 6-3, 215-pounds, Trice is one of the biggest cornerbacks in the Big Ten—if not the nation.

“I feel like things are going well,” said Trice, a redshirt freshman from Hopkinsville, Ky. “I still have some learning to do on technique, but it's going pretty good.”

What has been his biggest adjustment?

"Really, just staying low,” said Trice. "At safety, I didn’t have to be that low and could focus on the man. At corner, I have to stay low and have more technique.

“I don't have to get everyone lined up. Now, I can get a call and I can line up and guard my man."

How good has Trice been? According to Pro Football Focus, he is the fifth-highest graded Boilermaker defender in 2019.

“This guy is an imposing figure,” said Poindexter. “He actually can run well for his size. There aren’t a lot of offenses that look over there and want that matchup.”

The transformation of Trice came about quickly. Days before the opener at Nevada, Trice told reporters that he hadn’t played cornerback since middle school. Regardless, the Boilermaker coaches felt comfortable with Trice’s skill-set to make the move.

“They asked me (if I wanted to make the move),” said Trice in August. “They didn’t force me to do it. They asked me if I was willing to try.

“I can just play football now,” he said back then. “I don’t have to give a lot of calls out. People can give me calls now. Now, I feel like my talent can come out.”

And it has.

"He gives us great length," said defensive coordinator Nick Holt in August. "He gives us athleticism. We had to (move him), because we had some injuries at corner. And, quite honestly, some of these young freshmen at safety were doing a good job, so we need to find ways to get our best guys on the field."

Trice ended up playing six snaps at Nevada. And he did so late in the game with Nevada driving for the tying touchdown after starter Kenneth Major got dinged up and had to leave the game. Trice played three snaps vs. TCU and then saw his playing time sky-rocket vs. Minnesota, as he played 54 snaps.

Then, Trice was made a starter for the first time last week at Penn State. And he acquitted himself well in playing 75 snaps.

“I think he didn't play scared," said Jeff Brohm of Trice's effort at Penn State. "There wasn't fear in him, which is what you've got to see at corner. You can't have it. You get beat once or twice, you can't have it. I don't like to see guys running out of there, flying so fast. I want to be able to challenge some routes and sit on some things a little bit and I want to be able to read the quarterback. I think he tried to do those things and that's what we need. We need guys to play aggressive and play with confidence, and I think he did a good job of that."

Trice has nine tackles with a TFL on the season. Trice will be in the starting lineup again this week vs. Maryland (3-2 overall; 1-1 Big Ten).

“I think he's practiced well,” said Brohm. “I think he gives us good size and athleticism and he is green at the position, there's not a question about it, but I think because of his length, he's able to recover at times. I think he played hard.”

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Sending out a SOS on the RPO

Don’t look now, but here comes another opponent that features the RPO heavily in its offense: Maryland, which is No. 4 in the Big Ten in scoring (41.4 ppg) and No. 4 in total offense (446.2 ypg).

Purdue got an up-close look at the RPO when it welcomed Minnesota to Ross-Ade Stadium in the Boilermakers’ most recent home game. And, it didn't go well. The Golden Gophers ran roughshod over Purdue’s defense in a 38-31 win. Minnesota notched 488 yards, with quarterback Tanner Morgan hitting a stupefying 21-of-22 passes for 396 yards with four touchdowns. Time and again, Morgan hit wide-open Gopher receivers, often off a RPO look.

Maryland’s offense--which blasted Syracuse for 63 points earlier this season--has a similar build and is coming off a commanding 48-7 win at Rutgers. Yes, the Terrapins (3-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) will use backup quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome— who is subbing for injured starter Josh Jackson—but he is an athletic signal-caller with experience who excels at operating the RPO.

“It’s gonna be very similar to Minnesota,” said co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Anthony Poindexter. “Lot of RPO game. They have a good quarterback, can run the ball as well as throw the ball. I’ve known Coach (Mike) Locksley a long time. He does a great job. His offense is really indicative of who he is.”

Why did Purdue struggle so much with Minnesota’s RPO?

“We just didn’t cover the windows up enough early on in the downs,” said Poindexter. “You have to have a game plan. The kids have to understand what they are coming to. These teams in the Big Ten do what they do. They won't come to the game and have a whole different deal. Credit to Minnesota. They did a good job running their game plan and out executed us. We are trying to not let that happen this week.”

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Where's the beef?

Purdue is a little light in the britches at defensive tackle. At least that’s how Jeff Brohm sees it.

“Got some big interior linemen he's going to have to go against and really that's kind of the issue we have right now, when you look at our defensive tackles, their weight is not what it needs to be,” said Brohm. “Their mass is not what it needs to be. Because of that, we're getting pushed back.”

The unit lost some bulk when junior Anthony Watts got hurt at Penn State. The 300-pounder won’t play Saturday vs. Maryland.

“It’s next man up,” said Lawrence Johnson, who has assumed Watts’ spot in the starting lineup. "It’s hard, because Anthony is a great leader for us on the d-line."

And Purdue has been without 315-pound d-tackle Lorenzo Neal, who has been out all season recovering from knee surgery. With each passing week, Neal’s return seems more remote. But Johnson still has been getting some help from the captain.

“All the time,” said Johnson. “He’s always telling me to use my hands. As a d-lineman, your hands never can be good enough. He’s always telling me to use my hands, use my feet and sometimes my feet become concrete. He is constantly telling me to move my feet, move my feet.”

With Watts out, where does that leave the Boilermakers at defensive tackle for Saturday’s tiff with Maryland?

At 300 pounds, Johnson passes the eyeball test and adds plenty of bulk. He is slated to make his fourth start of 2019 after being supplanted by Kai Higgins as a starter the last two games. But after that? The needle on the scale goes down for Purdue’s DTs.

The Boilermakers will start the 260-pound Higgins next to Johnson. Remember: Higgins is an end by trade. In reserve are 270-pound Jack Sullivan and 270-pound Jeff Marks. And 265-pound Branson Deen—typically an end—also slides inside on occasion. Seldom-used Giovanni Reviere (77 snaps in four games) is another option, but the former end almost appears skinny at 6-5, 270.

To augment the interior, Brohm says the staff considered playing freshman end sensation George Karlaftis inside.

“Well, he's done such a good job on the outside for us,” said Brohm. “While we looked at it, I don't know if that's the best option.”

And the 265-pound Karlaftis wouldn’t bring much bulk to the interior.

Purdue’s lack of poundage has “been exposed at times,” according to Brohm. So, how does Purdue work around its lack of mass inside on the d-line?

“We've got to be creative with some things and move some things around and slant a little bit more, blitz a little bit more, bring guys up the middle and mix in a few more different fronts,” said Brohm.

“That gets into coaching, and sometimes you've got to have the perfect balance of being creative but also not doing too much where you lose your fundamentals and your techniques on all the sound things you do.”

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