'They've Been the Backbone of our Defense': Purdue D-Line Continues to Show Consistency
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — With the loss of star pass-rusher George Karlaftis by way of the NFL, Purdue's defensive line lacked star power heading into the 2022 college football season.
But with a 10-point lead over Nebraska and less than five minutes to play before halftime, Kydran Jenkins and Branson Deen combined for back-to-back sacks to force a punt. The three-and-out would allow the offense to take advantage of a short field and later punch the ball into the end zone from the goal line.
Where the defensive line maybe lacks name value, it makes up for it with consistency and a deep rotation. Through seven games, the Boilermakers have 10 different players with at least 0.5 sacks. In a narrow 43-37 win over the Cornhuskers on Saturday, the team registered all four of its quarterback takedowns in the first half, tying its season-high for a single game.
"They've been the backbone of our defense, in my opinion," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said after the game. "There's quite a few of them, not just one or two, it's quite a few guys. I think they just got to continue to work hard, and a few may emerge as spectacular players when it's all said and done. But they're constantly improving, and without them, we would've had a longer night."
Purdue's 16 sacks on the season are tied with Indiana for the fifth-most in the Big Ten conference among teams that have played seven games. The Boilermakers have combined for nine sacks in its last three games, which have all come in conference play.
At times, the pass rush just wasn't there in the early part of the season. The team could only take down opposing quarterbacks three times in its first three games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents. The meager number just wouldn't cut it, as Purdue gave up game-winning drives in losses to both Penn State and Syracuse.
But since the pair of early defeats and a one-score victory over Florida Atlantic on Homecoming night, the team has ramped up the pressure.
The Boilermakers were constantly disrupting quarterback Casey Thompson in the first half of Saturday's game inside Ross-Ade Stadium. Senior Jalen Graham, in his second game back from an early-season injury, came screaming off the edge to strip the ball away from the Cornhuskers, which resulted in a loss of 14 yards.
The near takeaway made it impossible for Nebraska to kickstart its drive, going three-and-out in its own territory and conceding the ball to Purdue with a punt. Sixth-year senior quarterback Aidan O'Connell would take the offense 80 yards down the field, capping the nine-play drive with a touchdown pass to redshirt junior wide receiver TJ Sheffield, giving the Boilermakers a 7-0 lead with 5:54 left in the first quarter.
Facing a deficit all night long, the Cornhuskers were unable to reliably turn to its ground attack. Junior running back Anthony Grant entered the game as the Big Ten's fourth-leading rusher, averaging 107.8 rushing yards per game.
But his efforts were stymied on Saturday, as he could only muster 35 rushing yards on 11 carries. His longest run went for just nine yards, and Purdue still has yet to allow a 100-yard rusher on the season.
Stopping the run allowed the Boilermakers to turn their pass rushers loose. Before Jenkins and Deen registered their respective sacks, redshirt senior defensive end Jack Sullivan notched his second quarterback takedown of the season as the Cornhuskers faced third down.
"We love getting an opportunity to get a pass rush," Sullivan said. "It's kind of what we live for. You need to stop the run so you can get the third-down opportunities and second-and-longs, all that type of stuff. Pin our ears back and go rush the quarterback."
The defensive performance allowed Purdue to take a 27-13 lead into the locker room. And while the sack numbers fizzled out in the second half, a 14-point lead was enough cushion to prevent a Nebraska comeback.
Through success or failure, the Boilermakers have a closely-knit unit up front that has been anchoring their defense throughout the 2022 season.
"It's a great group to be a part of, and we all love to rally around each other and support each other," Sullivan said of the team's defensive line. "Try to get pressure and create some havoc back in the backfield."
Related Stories on Purdue Football:
- Purdue Football Outlasts Nebraska in 43-37 Firefight: Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell threw for 391 yards and four touchdowns in a shootout with Nebraska's Casey Thompson. Wide receivers Charlie Jones and TJ Sheffield each caught a pair of scores while running back Devin Mockobee ran for 178 yards. CLICK HERE
- Live Blog: Purdue football was back at home for a matchup with Nebraska inside Ross-Ade Stadium. Relive the action with the updates from Saturday's live blog. CLICK HERE
- Photo Gallery: Purdue football won its fourth game in a row on Saturday, taking down Nebraska inside Ross-Ade Stadium. The team now sits with a 5-2 overall record, including 3-1 in Big Ten matchups this season. CLICK HERE
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.