Purdue's Defensive Line Graded Among Best in College Football After Week 1

The "attacking" philosophy of defensive coordinator Kevin Kane helped Purdue's defensive line grade out as one of the top units in college football in Week 1. The Boilermakers were the seventh-highest-graded defensive line following the first full weekend of games, per Pro Football Focus (PFF).

Purdue graded out at 88.0 in Friday night's game against Indiana State, which ranked No. 7 in college football. The Boilermakers defeated the Sycamores 44-19 to begin the year 1-0. The grade from PFF strictly includes the interior defensive line.

Veteran Ian Jeffries had the best night of any interior defensive lineman for Purdue on Friday, accounting for three tackles and one sack. Rodney Lora also accounted for a half sack.

The Boilermakers made life difficult for Indiana State's rushing attack, especially the running backs. The Sycamores accounted for just 66 yards on 24 attempts. Quarterback Elijah Owens was responsible for 60 of those rushing yards.

Head coach Barry Odom believed that Purdue made significant upgrades along the defensive line during the offseason. The Boilers returned Jeffries and TJ Lindsey and brought in Lora, Wisdom Simms and Curt Neal, all adding experience up front.

Purdue's biggest goal entering the season is to pressure the quarterback and stop the run game at the line of scrimmage. It's only been one week, but the Boilers did that well in the trenches.

Here's the complete top 10 of PFF's defensive lines from Week 1:

Colorado — 95.5
LSU — 95.4
Tennessee — 93.7
Temple — 91.7
Alabama — 90.3
West Virginia — 88.7
Purdue — 88.0
Maryland — 87.6
Vanderbilt — 87.5
Western Kentucky — 87.1

Purdue's defensive line must keep that energy high heading into Week 2. The Boilermakers play a talented Wake Forest team on Saturday. The Demon Deacons are coming off a Week 1 performance in which they rushed for 203 yards on 33 carries. Quarterback Gio Lopez also threw for more than 300 yards in a 38-16 victory over Akron.

Don Saunders also gets high grade

Purdue's Don Saunders (right) ties up Tyler Nansel (right). | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In his Purdue debut, transfer defensive back Don Saunders also made a strong first impression. He was among the highest-graded cornerbacks for the first week of the season, grading out at 93.5. That put him at No. 9 in the country.

Saunders was responsible for three tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. It was the first pick-six for Purdue since Nov. 26, 2022, against Indiana.

During fall camp. Saunders received high reviews from his teammates and coaches about the impact he was having. He was regarded as the top defensive back on the field in August, and he showed everyone why in his first game with the Boilermakers.

Saunders was one of five Big Ten players who ranked in the top 10 among cornerbacks for Week 1. He was joined by Rodrick Pleasant (UCLA), Donovan Jones (Nebraska), Devin Sanchez (Ohio State) and Andrew Marshall (Nebraska).

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