'I've Got Thick Skin': Purdue DC Kevin Kane Blocking Out Negativity After UCLA Loss
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Kevin Kane is rolling with the punches right now. After Purdue allowed UCLA's offense to pile up 645 yards in a 52-38 loss on Saturday, the defensive coordinator knows there's plenty of noise about the Boilermakers' 1-2 start. He's doing his best to ignore it and focus on putting his defense in position to win games.
Scrutiny and criticism rained down on Kane over the weekend following Purdue's loss to UCLA. The poor defensive performance, coupled with a 4th-and-15 conversion from Wake Forest that allowed the Demon Deacons to steal a win from the Boilers, has left fans frustrated.
There's nothing Kane can do about the criticism coming from outside the program, which is why he's simply ignoring it.
"I've got thick skin, so I'm not too concerned about what's being said about me," Kane said. "Sure, it sucks, but guess what? We've gotta play better. I understand it. ... The outside noise is exactly that, it's outside. It's not in this room."
UCLA rushed for 369 yards and four touchdowns on Saturday, averaging 7.7 yards per carry. The Bruins also finished the game with 20 explosive plays, an area where Purdue has struggled for years.
Through three games, the numbers aren't pretty for Kane's defense. The Boilermakers are allowing a Big Ten-worst 207 yards per game on the ground. Their one forced turnover — a pick-six by Don Saunders against Indiana State — is tied for second-lowest in the nation. They have allowed 36.3 points per game, the worst average of any Power Four program through Week 3.
Stats | Averages & totals | Big Ten rank (national) |
|---|---|---|
Run defense | 207.0 | 18th (125th) |
Pass defense | 239.7 | 16th (106th) |
Total defense | 446.7 | 18th (126th) |
Scoring defense | 36.3 | 18th (128th) |
Opp. 3rd down % | 54.05% | 18th (135th) |
Opp. red zone % | 100% | T-13th (T-109th) |
Forced turnovers (total) | 1 | 18th (T-129th) |
10+ yard plays (total) | 48 | 18th (T-125th) |
Over the last two weeks against Wake Forest and UCLA, Purdue has allowed 1,056 yards and 90 points.
Purdue still has nine games on the schedule and Kane says he's seen some positives from his unit. With so much of the season remaining, he believes there's time to turn things around.
"I look at it as our guys are playing hard, and now we've gotta go out there and execute the calls and just go play," Kane said. "We've got to continue to tackle and do things better."
Kane trying to instill confidence in players
All throughout the offseason and fall camp, Purdue talked about playing an "attacking" and "aggressive" style of defense. The Boilermakers have already compiled 20 tackles for loss, showing they're getting into the backfield to some degree.
But Purdue hasn't been able to sustain that success. They're still surrendering too many explosive plays and opponents are converting third downs more than 50% of the time. Those are killers, especially against Power Four opponents.
Despite the numbers, Kane firmly believes that the Boilers have done some positive things defensively. With that, he's trying to instill more confidence in the guys taking the field regularly.
"You show them what they are. Through our first three games, there's a lot of great things that have happened through these first three games that show them what they can do and what they are able to do," Kane said. "The first game was the first game. Wake Forest, we played a great four quarters, and in overtime, we have to continue off what we did in those first four quarters. Obviously, this weekend was not the standard of what we need to be. But we show them through the course of this game, there were a lot of positives."
Purdue faces a much more challenging task this weekend in Notre Dame, a team that ranks No. 3 in the country and is averaging 40 points per game. The Fighting Irish have a balanced offensive attack, led by quarterback CJ Carr and running backs Nolan James Jr. and Aneyas Williams.
Kane knows it's going to be a challenge to keep the Fighting Irish offense in check on Saturday afternoon inside Ross-Ade Stadium.
"I think the quarterback is playing at a very high level. He's confident in the system," Kane said. "The offensive line is probably the best one we've seen up to this point, in my opinion, in terms of their athletic ability and their length.
"They're just a season offense, and they understand where they've gotta go with the ball and how to get there. They're going to pose a challenge, but it's a fun one to prepare for."
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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