Purdue defense needs to "worry about us" going into Illinois matchup

Kevin Kane's defense has come out of the gates stumbling through four games this season as a whole, ranking last in points allowed per game and second-to-last in total defense in the Big Ten.

The main issue that has plagued the Boilermakers' in recent contests is struggling to get going from the opening kickoff, which has lead to back-to-back defeats at the hands of Syracuse and Wisconsin.

In the Big Ten opener last Friday, Purdue quickly found itself in a 21-3 hole after the Badgers imposed its will offensively behind Braelon Allen and Tanner Mordecai in the run game. Wisconsin also began the game going 8-8 on third downs, which has been a reoccurring theme for Kevin Kane's unit in the first four games of the year.

Despite a rough first half, Kane's unit came out looking sharp in the third quarter of Friday's loss, helping gain momentum in what turned out to be an unsuccessful comeback attempt against the Badgers.

Wisconsin was able to move the ball down the field, but the Boilermakers were stout with its backs against the wall, allowing just a pair of field goals in the quarter. That success largely translated to the fourth quarter as well. While the Badgers scored 11 points in the final frame, its scoring drives were just 16 yards (resulting in a 48 yard field goal) and 26 yards following the Hudson Card/Devin Mockobee fumble fiasco deep in their own side of the field.

Starting fast to eliminate the holes Purdue has found itself in of late has been one of the focuses for the defense during this week of preparation, according to defensive lineman Isaiah Nichols, who shared that his unit needs to come out with a different mentality moving forward.

"Our focus for this week has been starting fast. So come out in the first quarter how you're going to play for the whole game. Don't wait for the for the other team to show you how good or bad they are to determine how we're going to go play," Nichols said.

Kevin Kane has seen what his defense is capable of in spurts, such as the third quarter last Friday and the second half showing in the Virginia Tech win. The Boilermakers' defensive coordinator says it's up to the staff to build some confidence and get the group to play consistently for all four quarters.

"We got to instill that confidence in them from an early standpoint. From the first snap to the last snap, we are going to play with that same swagger they had starting in the third quarter," Kane said.

Kane also gave credit to his group on Wednesday, sharing that the players are working hard, but there are still many areas of improvement needed to get the Air Strike defense where it wants to be as Big Ten play picks up.

"Our guys, to their credit, we got a great group of kids that are gonna play hard. It's our job as coaches just to clean up the little details along the way. And I think once they got the feel of themselves, they started feeling like this is just football and we can just go out there and play it. Don't worry about what the logo says on the other side, or whatever it is, don't let the stage get too big for us," Kane said.

The Arkansas transfer Nichols recognizes the struggles of the group early in the year and believes the Purdue defense needs to dig deep to find motivation and get things turned around on the field.

"Find an identity. What are you playing for? Why are you out here? What do you want to win for? Who do you want to win for? So, I think a lot of guys have to think about that and we have to find what motivates us to play this sport," Nichols said.

That motivation may not be hard to find heading into rivalry week against Illinois.

Kevin Kane was one of the several coaches that followed head coach Ryan Walters from Champaign to West Lafayette this off-season, and now they have their first opportunity to face off with their former employer this weekend.

The Purdue defensive coordinator has fond memories of his time with the Illini, but is ready to compete against Bret Bielema and company on Saturday afternoon in Ross-Ade Stadium.

"We learned a lot while we were there with Coach Walters and then with Coach Bielema, too," Kane said. "There's obviously a little history between us there. So I think it'll be fun to get out there and see those guys and we're gonna go out there and do our thing."

While the Purdue coaching staff may not come out and say it, there is a lot of motivation behind this game. Isaiah Nichols feels that he and his teammates need to come out and put together a strong showing for their coaches.

"I think for me, it's pretty important," Nichols said. "It definitely is something that [is] on our hearts as players to be able to go out there and play for our coaches."

Kane was the outside linebackers coach for the Illini in 2022, where he was able to go up against Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. every day in practice last season, which could give the Boilermakers some advantages going into Saturday's showdown.

"Obviously we know each other, we practiced against each other. We've gone through spring ball, fall camp, so there's that familiarity," Kane said.

Illinois' offense has undergone some changes since Kane and the rest of the Illinois defectors headed for West Lafayette this off-season, most notably at the quarterback position. Transfer Luke Altmyer has been up and down to start his Illini career, leading the Big Ten in interceptions through four games, but poses another challenge that has been a thorn in the side of Purdue's defense. His running ability.

Altmyer already has 143 rushing yards and three scores on the ground, giving the Boilermakers another dual-threat quarterback to contend with. Kane knows the potential problems Altmyer poses with his legs, sharing that his defense will have to be disciplined in order to end the trend of mobile quarterbacks giving Purdue fits.

"There's a lot involved with that. It's something that if guys are gonna play man coverage, it's a weakness. We obviously understand that we have to have spies, we have to have whatever we need to get those guys down to for that type of stuff," Kane said. "We just got to do a better job of seeing what we need to see and then getting out and helping when we need to."

The Illini also have a breakout receiver to lean on in the passing game, Isaiah Williams, who is second in the Big Ten with 333 yards and leads the conference in receptions with 24 through four games. The former quarterback is deployed in several ways just to get the ball in his hands with space.

Kane is familiar with Williams' work and knows he will be a tough cover for the Purdue secondary on Saturday.

"He's a competitor and he's a winner. He thrives when the ball is thrown his way and he wants the ball thrown his way. They're gonna have designed ways to get him the ball always. So I think he's got a unique ability in space to make people miss," Kane said of the Illini pass catcher.

While Kane and the defensive staff have a lot of familiarity with the Illini offense and will try to use that to their advantage, the defensive coordinator believes his unit needs to focus on itself and things will fall into place.

"To me, in the situation that we're in right now, it's unique, we got to worry about us. We're not worried about them. We got to go out there and whatever calls made, we got to execute the call. We got to get our guys lined up in the right positions," Kane said.

Purdue needs that to happen rather quickly if it is to turn around what has been a disappointing start to the 2023 season. At 1-3, the Boilermakers are in dangerous territory heading into what could be a season defining game against Illinois.