If Purdue football is going to contend for wins this season, one area that must be productive is the defensive unit.
And, as the Boilermakers enter year two under head coach Ryan Walters and defensive coordinator Kevin Kane, there is no reason to think Purdue football won’t make things tough on opposing offenses in 2024.
Both Walters and Kane hope that is the case. If prior seasons are any indication, Purdue football could see quite a bit of improvement in year two. After two years as co-defensive coordinator at Missouri, Walters became the coordinator in 2018 and took the Tigers to an 18th ranked defense, which allowed less than five yards a play. He did the same thing at Illinois, rebuilding the Illini defense. In his second season as coordinator, Illinois was ranked second in defense, allowing just over four yards a play.
Can he do the same with Purdue football? Last year, the Boilers allowed 5.72 yards per play and were 11th in the former Big Ten Conference. At 4-8 on the season, Purdue football struggled defensively.
The Boilermakers were ranked last in the Big Ten in scoring defense (30.4 ppg), pass defense (241.5 ypg) and big plays allowed. Purdue allowed an average of 382.1 yards per game and struggled to get off the field on third down.
Looking back on last year, Walters said Purdue football had mixed results on the defensive side of the football.
“Obviously I think we were disruptive and got sacks and takeaways and (tackles for loss) and things like that,” Walters said. “But we gave up too many yards, especially through the air, and gave up too many explosive plays. So we’ve got to get better at everything.”
“Coming off of year one into year two, I think we have added some really great additions to this defense to give us a chance to have success,” Kane recently told the media.
Purdue football added eight transfers on the defensive side, including Georgia transfers CJ Madden and Nyland Green, as well as Colorado transfer Kyndrich Breedlove and Boston College standout Shitta Sillah.
“On the back end, we added a lot more depth and the guys who do what we do. Nyland Green and Breedlove and those guys have had a great fall camp so far. Our youth up front is starting to come along. The more we can coach them and not have to babysit them is huge for us,” Kane said.
Eliminating explosive plays has been a main point of emphasis heading into the season, Kane admitted.
“We had guys in positions to make plays, and now we just have to make them. That’s got to be our key to success. If we make teams earn it down the field here, nine times out of 10, they are going to screw it up before we do. If we can eliminate those kinds of big plays and just keep the ball in front of us, I think we are going to have a great chance for success,” Kane said.
Purdue football opens the season Aug. 31 at Ross-Ade Stadium against Indiana State.
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