Tracking Purdue defense | Dealing with another spread offense

• Purdue is seeking its third straight victory
• The Boilermakers must deal with another dual-threat quarterback in AJ Bush, Jr.
• Defense has generated six tackles for loss in two Big Ten games
• Linebacker Markus Bailey has collected at 10 tackles in the last two games

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Tracking Purdue’s defense after five games and heading into Saturday’s matchup at Illinois:

ONE TAKEAWAY

Don’t talk to Nick Holt about statistics, especially total yards allowed.

He doesn’t want to hear it or even think about it. The bottom line, in Holt’s intense world of defense, is getting off the field and points given up. There are other factors – turnovers, tackles for loss and third-down efficiency – but Holt doesn’t concern himself with those yards.

Purdue allowed 582 against Nebraska. That came two weeks after giving up 608 total yards in a three-point loss to Missouri. They also struggled in the first half against Northwestern but did clamp down on Boston College’s traditional offense.

He said total yards allowed is an overrated statistic but isn’t happy about giving up 100 rushing yards to a quarterback, in his case Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez.

“We should never give up 100 yards to the quarterback,” Holt said.

That theory will be tested Saturday against the Fighting Illini, who feature dual-threat quarterback AJ Bush, Jr. He gained 116 yards on the ground in the win over Rutgers after missing the previous two games with a hamstring injury. He rushed for 139 yards in the season-opening win over Kent State.

The bigger challenge for the Boilermakers is dealing with another spread attack. The one they face Saturday has rushed for at least 212 yards in the first five games and is averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

DAVID BLOUGH:Purdue quarterback motivated to face Illinois again

GAME WEEK:Purdue at Illinois

TRACKING PURDUE OFFENSE:Stretching the field

CARSEN EDWARDS:Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year favorite. Hard part is next

From a numbers standpoint, Purdue didn’t fare well against the Huskers. But Holt’s unit made enough stops – seven straight possessions after the opening touchdown drive - to allow the offense to score 27 straight points and build a 20-point lead in the third quarter.

But Nebraska’s offense found a rhythm, reeling off touchdowns on three straight possessions in the second half. Saturday won’t be the last spread attack the Boilermakers will face, but they’ll need to figure out ways to slow this offense down.

“We’ve got to make sure we have the right personnel out there,” Holt said. “There were times we would like to get other kids out there. It’s hard to substitute and people are going fast. But when people spread you out, we’ve got to be able to get lined up to all the formations and cover down.

“When people are spreading us out and throwing the ball, we’ve got to get a pass rush. When you don’t, it’s a long day. We have to do some things schematically to formulate and get a pass rush. We do that sometimes; we have to keep doing it more and some of our players have to keep getting better at rushing the passer.”

TRENDING UP

Points allowed: Limited Boston College and Nebraska to an average of 20.5 points in the last two games compared to giving up 30.3 in the first three games.

Third-down efficiency: Holding opponents to 30.4 percent, ranking second among Big Ten teams.

TRENDING DOWN

Fumbles: No recoveries in the first five games.

Tackles for loss: Generated just six in two Big Ten games.

3 QUESTIONS

• Did Holt make any personnel adjustments during the open week?

• Can the Boilermakers keep the Illini under 200 rushing yards?

• Will linebacker Markus Bailey record his third straight game with 10 or more tackles?

LOOKING AHEAD

After the open week, the Boilermakers should bring plenty of energy to Saturday’s game. It’s unrealistic to ask this defense to completely shut down a spread attack, but it’s not out of the question to see this group repeating the performance it had against Nebraska when it had stretches of solid play. The defense is showing improvement each game. The upside for this group remains its biggest strength, but it’s imperative to see a bigger step forward coming out of the open week. 

SATURDAY'S GAME

Purdue (2-3, 1-1) at Illinois (3-2, 1-1)

Time: 3:30 p.m.

TV: FS1

Radio: WAZY (96.5)