'We’re Going to get it Right': Purdue Secondary Looks to Reset During Bye Week
MADISON, Wis. — The Purdue secondary was supposed to be a strong point on defense during the 2022 college football season, and at the start of the year, it was.
Through their first seven games, the Boilermakers registered 10 interceptions and ran two back for touchdowns. Even while being torched through the air in a narrow 43-37 victory over Nebraska on Oct. 15, the team took the ball away twice.
It was enough to hold off the Cornhuskers in Ross-Ade Stadium and mark a four-game win streak.
But the poor performance in the back end was a sign of things to come as Purdue traveled to Camp Randall Stadium for a game against Wisconsin on Saturday. The defense came out flat in a hostile environment and was quickly put on the back foot. By the time the unit forced a punt, the Boilermakers were behind three touchdowns.
Purdue enters a bye week with a sour taste in its mouth, forced to swallow a 35-24 loss that was much more of a beatdown than the final score would suggest.
But the team knows it's presented with an opportunity to reset in the secondary by getting players healthy and evaluating issues that are beginning to fester on the defensive side of the ball.
"Well, like always, we've got a lot of work to do," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said after the game. "I didn't think our secondary played good before then either, once again. So that's disappointing. So we've got to look at it, analyze it, and figure out ways maybe we can try to help them.
"The depth is a concern, so we've got to get whoever else is up next ready to play. Figure out a way to protect them occasionally and coach as well as we can. But we've got a lot of things to improve and fix, and a lot of new guys to maybe work with."
The Badgers were near flawless on their opening possession, going 76 yards in just six plays and reaching the end zone on a 29-yard pass to redshirt freshman receiver Skyler Bell.
Junior quarterback Graham Mertz completed two of his first three passes, which went for a combined 56 yards through the air as Wisconsin took advantage of play-action passes during its early play script.
Facing first-and-10 deep inside Purdue territory, Bell found himself wide open behind the defense on a busted coverage by senior safety Cam Allen. The Boilermakers were down by a touchdown within the first three minutes of play.
"It's very disappointing," Brohm said. "We're better than that, in my opinion. So we've got to get a lot better, the entire secondary, and figure out a way to help them. So obviously, whatever we're coaching and the plan that we have when we take the field isn't working."
On defense, stopping the run was part of a winning formula. Before facing off against Wisconsin, the team hadn't allowed a single 100-yard rusher on the season. But as Purdue loaded up to stop the ground game, it left defensive backs vulnerable over the top.
Mertz was effective in his limited passes, throwing for 203 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday while averaging 15.6 yards per completion.
“Obviously before, we were fitting the run right, so we just have to work on fitting the pass right,” Purdue junior safety Sanoussi Kane said. “And that’s just a collective effort of us as defensive backs and coaches, but we’re going to get it right.”
After giving up an early score, sixth-year senior quarterback Aidan O'Connell made matters worse for the Boilermakers by tossing a pick-six on his second pass of the game.
The offense followed with a nine-play, 66-yard drive with nothing to show for it as fifth-year senior kicker Mitchell Fineran missed a 26-yard field goal attempt. The Badgers capitalized by marching down the field for their second consecutive offensive touchdown.
With 2:38 left on the clock in the first quarter, Purdue trailed 21-0. The deficit became insurmountable as Wisconsin controlled the game with a balanced offensive attack while hanging on to its lead.
"They came out and ran the ball, threw the ball on the perimeter on some one-on-one routes, and we were too far off," Brohm said. "They moved the pocket a little bit, and we leave a guy wide open in the end zone."
Running backs Braelon Allen and Isaac Guernedo were integral pieces in Wisconsin's ability to carve through Purdue's defense. The duo combined for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just 23 carries.
Allen — who ran the ball 16 times for 113 yards — was the first 100-yard rusher the Boilermakers have allowed in 2022. His longest run of the game was a 41-yard scamper that eventually led to a touchdown.
The Badgers finished the game with 381 total yards, recording 29 runs compared to 21 pass attempts.
"For us to win, we have to be able to take them out of what they want to do," Brohm said. "And when you get down 21-0, it's hard to do that and that's why we lost."
Starting cornerbacks Cory Trice and Jamari Brown were unable to finish the game against Wisconsin, and the team has been without safety Chris Jefferson for the past two weeks.
Now sitting at 5-3 on the year and 3-2 in Big Ten play, Purdue enters its bye week before returning to action against Iowa on Nov. 5 at Ross-Ade Stadium.
"It's definitely important, just for us to get healthy," Kane said. "A lot of guys are banged up, and there are guys playing banged up. So, just for us to get healthy, just do some self-scout and focus on what we've gotta do for the next four games."
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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.