Stalwart Purdue Run Defense Looks to Halt Nebraska's Anthony Grant
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Shutting down the run game has been a top priority for Purdue football on defense through the first six weeks of the 2022 season. The team has been susceptible to scrambling quarterbacks this year, but opposing running backs have had little success on the ground.
The Boilermakers are giving up just 97 yards rushing per game, which ranks seventh in the Big Ten, and haven't allowed a single 100-yard rusher. They'll look to continue their dominance up front when the team welcomes the Nebraska Cornhuskers to Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday.
"We work hard at it, we've done a good job," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. "At the same time, I'm realistic. Maryland is not a running team. Minnesota didn't have their running back. We've got a lot of really good teams coming up that run the ball, so we'll see how good we are."
Against the conference's top rushing offense, Purdue went on the road and held Minnesota to just 47 total rushing yards. The Golden Gophers were without star running back Mohamed Ibrahim, but backup Bryce Williams could muster only 35 yards and a short touchdown on 11 carries.
The Boilermakers also came away with three interceptions en route to a 20-10 upset at Huntington Bank Stadium.
The following week against Maryland, Purdue continued to halt the opposing rushing attack. The Terrapins boast a passing offense that ranks second in the Big Ten behind only the Ohio State Buckeyes, but still average 157 rush yards per game on the season.
The Boilermakers gave up just 72 rushing yards in a narrow 31-29 win inside SECU Stadium, earning their second straight win away from West Lafayette to improve to 4-2 and 2-1 in conference play.
Up next, Purdue will look to hinder Nebraska junior running back Anthony Grant. The talented transfer leads the Cornhuskers with 133 carries, 647 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns and an average of 107.8 rushing yards per game so far this season.
"Well, I think they've got a good combination of a running back and big tight ends, some athletic receivers, and a quarterback that can move around and make plays," Brohm said. "And that always presents some issues.
"Stopping in the run is always a priority. We got to do the best job we can, have the perfect balance, and make sure that we're playing the pass some as well. We can't just commit a bunch of guys in there and isolate our corners all the time."
Grant has been a dominant force in the run game for Nebraska in 2022. He had 23 carries for 189 yards and two trips to the end zone in a 38-17 win over North Dakota, marking the first victory of the year.
The Cornhuskers have won their last two matchups before traveling to West Lafayette, both in conference play. Grant saw 32 carries in a win over Indiana on Oct. 1, amassing 136 yards on the ground. He has been held under 100 yards just twice this season. The first came in a 49-14 loss to Oklahoma.
In Nebraska's 14-13 win against Rutgers last Friday to kick off Week 6, Grant was rendered a nonfactor as he tallied just 47 yards on 19 carries. His longest rush went for seven yards and he averaged 2.5 yards per rush in the victory, his lowest output of the season.
Purdue, which has utilized a rotation of several defensive linemen this season, will be tasked with slowing Grant down early and often on Saturday. The Boilermakers have 18 different defensive players who have recorded at least 0.5 tackles for loss on the year.
"I think our defensive line has been able to play hard and has been the backbone up front, where it's not necessarily been one guy," Brohm said. "Just a bunch of guys playing hard, and we are able to rotate and keep them fresh. We got to continue to build on making plays there."
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.