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Evan Panfil always is chasing.
He’s a big dude with a big motor, and he was revved up to attack Nevada’s offensive line and, finally, finish plays Saturday.
He’d just spent two-plus weeks hearing all about how Purdue couldn’t stop the run or get to the quarterback.
And not just from the fan base.
Position coach Randy Melvin rarely is satisfied, so even though the front line has shown some promise, it hasn’t gotten the ultimate result — a sack — often enough.
Until Saturday.
The Boilermakers delivered with five sacks, including Panfil’s two, and limited the Wolf Pack to only 68 yards rushing in a 24-14 victory at Ross-Ade Stadium.
“All bye week and this week it’s just been a huge emphasis to get to the quarterback,” said Panfil, who had four tackles for loss. “Coach Melvin really preaches that. That’s his expectation. We had just really been working on games and trying to get to (the quarterback), and I think we executed pretty well (Saturday).
“It’s a huge confidence builder and boost. It really just shows us what we’re capable of. I thought they had a lot they could have thrown at us, and I thought we prepared well and then executed well to what they threw at us. So it shows that we’re capable of handling a large amount of whatever they want to throw at us and we can handle it and defend it.”
Though Purdue (2-1) had done a good job of limiting Nevada (2-2) for much of the game, the Wolf Pack appeared to be in position to steal a victory in the fourth quarter.
With the Boilermakers leading 17-14, Nevada had the ball on its 33-yard line and mounted an 11-play drive to reach Purdue’s 5-yard line. The Wolf Pack only needed to convert one third-down play on the drive — because it ripped off chunks of yardage, including 18 yards on a first-and-20 and a 15-yard QB keeper when a big hole opened up the middle.
But Purdue’s defense responded when the team needed it most.
On third-and-goal on the 5, Nevada lined up in a trips formation to the left against Purdue’s nickel defense. But it ran a play outside, and James Butler couldn’t find space. Cornerback Da’Wan Hunte raced Butler down and grabbed Butler’s pants, and Jake Replogle was there to finish the play, forcing Nevada into a field goal try.
Brent Zuzo missed a 27-yarder, prompting Coach Darrell Hazell into a fit of elation on the sidelines. The head coach showed more emotion than he typically does in games, swinging his right fist through the air not only once but twice. His headset may even have slipped off.
“I thought the defense did a great job on that series, first-and-goal on the 5, knocked them back, knocked them back,” Hazell said. “What came across my mind (before the field goal) was, ‘We need a break.’ We haven’t had a whole lot of breaks, and we needed a break. We got some pretty good pressure, and he yanked it. That was a good feeling for us.
“I was a little emotional on the sideline, to be honest with you. It just felt like you’re always trudging uphill and these guys have worked so hard, and I was just glad to see us be able to overcome those things.”
Purdue’s offense added the dagger by running a four-minute drill to near perfection after the missed field goal — capped by David Blough’s 51-yard touchdown throw to Brycen Hopkins.
But, really, this day belonged to the defense, which had to bail out the offense over and over. Purdue had four turnovers, an interception and three lost fumbles.
The unit did it by playing physical, gritty and disciplined.
Nevada had used three quarterbacks over the first part of the season, the No. 2 and No. 3 options as zone-read and triple-option QBs. But it played only two Saturday and the backup only had a handful of snaps. Still, they were all things Purdue’s defense worked on leading into the game, practicing against a variety of motions and shifts and formations. Even without the gimmicks, top back Butler was expected to be tough to stop — Hazell said that was his top concern entering the game — but other than a 13-yard run, Butler largely was held in check. He averaged only 2.7 yards per carry and 38 yards.
The 68 total yards rushing by the team was the lowest by a FBS opponent since Purdue held Illinois to only 65 in 2014.
“As a defense, when somebody tells you that you can’t stop the run, that’s just something you take personal,” said sophomore nose tackle Eddy Wilson, who had 1.5 sacks. “In practice, we just had an attitude that we’re going to stop the run this week. We’re going to keep them to the lowest amount of yards possible, (and we) came out and did that. Got a lot of pressure in the pass game as well. Just a great game.”
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