The Weekly Word is GoldandBlack.com's weekly, obviously, column covering Purdue football, basketball and recruiting, as well as college sports issues, the true meaning of life, or whatever other topics might come to mind in a given week.

Last year, Purdue overachieved on defense. It was so young and so new and so under-prepared thanks to the Summer of COVID, not to mention limited from a personnel perspective, that the rock-solid defense it played most of the season was a win.

Now, it should be disappointed if it does not take a significant step forward.

Why? Because all those greenhorns from last season, they're grown up, or at least meaningfully experienced, and three of them — Jaden Ivey, Brandon Newman and Zach Edey — can be excellent defensive players.