This Purdue defense isn't just bad, it isn't just one of the worst in the Big Ten, it's arguably going to go down as the worst in program history at current pace.

Through six games this season, there is enough sample size to know exactly what this group is and what it isn't. On the heels of a second straight game allowing 50 or more points, the Purdue defense becomes just the second in school history with three games of 50+ points allowed in a single season.

We are at the halfway point of the year.

The Boilermakers are now surrendering 39.0 points per game. That mark would go down as the worst in program history, should it continue through the latter half of the season. The 2016 and 2013 defenses of Darrell Hazell currently hold the two worst marks, giving up 38.2 and 38.0 points, respectively, in those seasons.

If you exclude the Indiana State game, Purdue is surrendering 46.8 points per game to FBS opponents, which would be second-worst in all of college football, ahead of only 0-6 Kent State.

Defensive coordinator Kevin Kane points to the revolving door of talent within the group due to several injuries through the first half of the season as a factor plaguing his unit.

Starting cornerback Nyland Green missed the first three games, while Markevious Brown left the program upon his return. Starting safety Antonio Stevens returned on Saturday after missing the previous two games. Linebacker Winston Berglund and defensive linemen Mo Omonode and Damarjhe Lewis have all missed time of late, as well as rush end CJ Madden, who will be sidelined the rest of the season.

"Every week there's new people in different spots because of injuries and so on, so forth. So the idea of gelling together, we got to get that unity, that bond together. I think it's part of it," Kane said.

A multitude of changes have occurred for the unit throughout the first six games, including introducing more zone, moving Dillon Thieneman and Kydran Jenkins to more advantageous roles, and more.

None have resulted in results between the white lines for the Boilermakers.

Kane spoke to continuing to make things as simple as possible for his defenders to try and put them in the best positions possible.

"I think as coaches, we got to simplify things a little bit to allow those guys with the newer faces, to feel comfortable and to play fast and just continue to keep repping and meeting with these guys to get them comfortable," Kane said.

That is a good plan in principle, but Purdue's biggest knock as a defense could negate any scheme tweaks. The Boilermakers have simply struggled to get opposing runners down, which is perhaps the most pressing issue for the unit, leading to big plays and big point totals.

"We gotta get the ball down, you know. We have opportunities to make plays and get it down for negative gains, and then turns into gains of 20, you know. So, like, if we have guys there to tackle somebody, we got to get them down. So I think our tackling is always going to be something we stress and emphasize," Kane said.

Tackling has been the focal point for Kane and company, going through tackle circuits, tackle drills in individual periods and harping on technique throughout practice. It has yet to translate to the gridiron. According to Pro Football Focus, Purdue has the 11th worst tackling grade in the nation. The 75 missed tackles on the season are on pace to break the highest total in that category for the program since PFF began tracking in 2014.

That is particularly troubling with an offense holding the firepower of Oregon coming to town on Friday night. For all of the struggles Purdue has gone through defensively this season, no prior opponent has an offense as explosive as the Ducks. Oregon is averaging 34.5 points per game and just hung 32 on the number one defense in the country last week.

"When you think of Oregon team, this is about what you would expect," Kane said.

The attack is led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who is second in the conference in passing (1,790 yards) as well as being tied for fourth with 13 passing touchdowns and four more scores on the ground. The seasoned signal caller has a talent rich group of weapons to lean on as well.

"[Gabriel] delivers the ball to where he needs to, to his playmakers. Then you got your tailbacks, are a room, they're fast and they're physical. You know, the tight ends are guys that they target those guys a lot," Kevin Kane said of the Ducks' offense. "And then you got their skill guys outside where, you know, they got speed, and they utilize those guys all over the field, different formations."

Running back Jordan James is of concern with Purdue's tackling woes as well, having forced 32 missed tackles this season, good for 18th in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus. It has all the makings for a recipe for disaster for the worst defense in Power 4.

Oregon is the first of several explosive offenses Purdue will face over the final six games of the year, which also includes Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana. A defense that has already struggled to contain middle of the pack offenses will not receive any favors down the stretch, making it a real possibility the unit could set a program-worst record by the end of the season.