Saturday Blitz
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Is Purdue football a serious contender in the Big Ten West?

By Dante Pryor

Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm and the Boilermakers take the field for the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette.Cfb Purdue Vs Wisconsin
Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm and the Boilermakers take the field for the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette.Cfb Purdue Vs Wisconsin /
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Purdue safety Cam Allen (10) brings down Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) with Purdue linebacker Jaylan Alexander (36) in overtime of the Music City Bowl, Thursday, Dec 30, 2021, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.Cfb Music City Bowl Purdue Vs. Tennessee
Purdue safety Cam Allen (10) brings down Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) with Purdue linebacker Jaylan Alexander (36) in overtime of the Music City Bowl, Thursday, Dec 30, 2021, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.Cfb Music City Bowl Purdue Vs. Tennessee /

How good is the defense without George Karlaftis?

Purdue’s defense was solid last season, finishing 48th in the country in total defense. The Boilermakers stayed healthy for the most part last season, and its best players played like it. Brad Lambert improved what a porous defense in 2020 was. It also helped that George Karlaftis stayed healthy for an entire season.

Don’t be fooled by the numbers; Karlaftis was fantastic for the Boilermakers last season. He faced double and sometimes triple teams, which freed up other players in one-on-one matchups. Kydran Jenkins and Damarcus Mitchell combined for 9.5 sacks last season. That said, the Boilermakers did struggle against the elite teams in the conference.

They did well against teams like Minnesota and Illinois but gave up big yards against Ohio State and Tennessee. Where the Boilermakers struggled, last season was against the run. Purdue surrendered 150 or more rushing yards five times last season.

Karlaftis and Mitchell are gone, but this is a veteran group with upperclassmen all over the two-deep. Jenkins returns, and anchor’s what should be an above-average pass rush. Lawrence Johnson and Brandon Deen lead a good rotation amongst their three-down linemen.

Brohm doesn’t need this group to be elite, just good enough to limit explosive plays and give the ball back to the offense.

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