The Ugly Numbers Behind Purdue's Explosive Play Problems
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Illinois' wide receivers probably thought about starting a Waffle House franchise in the middle of Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Everyone wearing an orange helmet was open down the field all day long, resulting in a 390-yard performance from quarterback Luke Altmyer in the Illini's 43-27 win over Purdue.
Saturday was an awful outing from Purdue's secondary — a word coach Barry Odom used in his postgame press conference — but it's also been an issue all season long. The Boilermakers have been one of the worst teams in containing explosive plays this year.
Illinois connected on seven plays of 20 yards or longer against Purdue on Saturday. With that performance, the Boilermakers now rank last in the Big Ten in 20-plus-yard plays allowed this season.
Here's a look at just how ugly it has been for the Boilers:
Explosive plays | Number allowed | Big Ten rank (national rank) |
|---|---|---|
10+ yards allowed | 67 | 15th (T-71st) |
20+ yards allowed | 25 | 18th (T-100th) |
30+ yards allowed | 12 | 18th (T-100th) |
40+ yards allowed | 10 | 18th (T-133rd) |
50+ yards allowed | 4 | 18th (T-110th) |
Purdue has played three explosive offenses in its last three games in USC, Notre Dame, and Illinois. However, the secondary has been a non-factor in any of those games.
After Saturday's game, Odom said that he believed the defensive line and linebackers did some good things throughout the game, winning the line of scrimmage at times against Illinois. A lot of that success, though, was negated by those big plays.
"Any defense I've ever been a part of, if you give up explosive plays, you're not going to play good defense," Odom said. "I thought, at the line of scrimmage, we did some good things. We had some (tackles for loss), we played aggressive, but it doesn't matter if you get them in 3rd-and-7 and give up 50 (yards) on a bomb. It's never going to work."
Purdue's defense now worst in Big Ten
To say Purdue's defense has struggled over the last three games would be putting it politely. In losses to USC, Notre Dame, and Illinois, the Boilermakers have surrendered an average of 500.7 yards and 44 points per game.
It's hard to win football games with those numbers.
After Saturday's loss to Illinois, Purdue's defense now ranks last in the Big Ten, allowing 397.6 yards per game. That average also ranks 104th nationally.
Purdue is also failing to force turnovers this season. Through five games, the Boilermakers have just one takeaway, a sack-fumble in a 56-30 loss to Notre Dame in Week 4. Purdue is now minus-7 in the turnover margin, which also ranks last in the Big Ten and 131st in the country.
With a pivotal stretch upcoming against Minnesota, Northwestern, and Rutgers, Purdue must find some answers defensively, and quickly.
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ODOM SAYS 'TALK IS CHEAP': Purdue coach Barry Odom was clearly frustrated following Purdue's loss to No. 22 Illinois on Saturday. He was brutally honest about the performance, too. CLICK HERE
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ODOM HONEST AFTER LOSS TO ILLINI: Purdue coach Barry Odom was visibly frustrated after Purdue's 43-27 loss to No. 22 Illinois on Saturday. He didn't pull any punches about the performance. CLICK HERE
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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