Purdue Football: Defensive Line Depth? DEFENSIVE LINE DEPTH!

I was looking for something new to write about, and after perusing the Maryland tape for a 3rd time, I realized that the recent injection of recruited and transfer talent on the defensive line is paying dividends. One thing that has frustrated me over the years about Purdue’s defense is the unwillingness to put guys on the field. Brohm has stated he wants is “best” on the field, as much as possible, but that hasn’t always worked well for the defense. I agree that having your best four players on the field is important, but when those best four are gassed during crucial 4th quarter drives, or come into the a game beat up because of a heavy work load, the overall performance of your “best” suffers.

I know I talk too much about Clemson on a Purdue blog, but please indulge me yet again. One of the staples of Clemson’s defense under Dabo Swinney (and Brent Venables and Wes Goodwin) is defensive line rotation. This season, Clemson is featuring 5 defensive tackles and 5 defensive ends. The bar for Clemson on the defensive line is “ready to play” not “best 4”. If you’re ready to play, you’re going to play. You may be a situational player, or only see 5-10 snaps, but you’re going to get on the field. Clemson’s “best” tend to be at their best at the end of games because they’re rested, and the offensive linemen are not.

In addition to keeping their players rested for a key defensive series, Clemson is also more insulated against injury. In fact, they’ve yet to line up their preferred defensive front this season because of injury, and they’re still 2nd in the nation in run defense, 36th in sacks, and 7th in tackles for loss. Some of that is attributable to the depth of talent on the roster, but that talent also plays in every game. When a guy in the front 4 has to miss time, the next man up is ready to go, and the guy that’s going to rest the next man up is ready go as well.

I’ve been itching for Purdue to deploy more of its defensive line depth, and on Saturday, my wish was granted.

Drive 1 - 1st Snap

From Bottom to Top

#44 - OLB/DE - Kydran Jenkins

#58 - DT - Branson Deen

#90 - NG - Lawrence Johnson

#99 - DE - Jack Sullivan

These are Purdue’s starters, and ostensibly, Purdue’s “best” 4 linemen. This is their best overall line in terms of run stuffing and pass rushing. Deen and Jenkins bring the pressure and Johnson and Sullivan specialize in stuffing the run.

Drive 2 First Snap

From Bottom to Top

#96 - DE - Khordae Syndor

#58 - DT - Branson Deen

#91 - NG - Cole Brevard

#44 - OLB/DE - Kydran Jenkins

After Maryland walked the ball down the field and into the end zone on their first drive, Purdue went to the bench for extra pass rush, swapping out Sullivan for Syndor. They also brought in fresh nose tackle Cole Brevard. This drive ends in a Purdue interception.

Drive 3 First Snap

From Bottom to Top

#99 - DE - Jack Sullivan

#90 - NG - Lawrence Johnson

#50 - DT - Sulaiman Kpaka

#46- OLB/DE - Scotty Humpich

The third drive starts out with Sullivan and Johnson back on the field, but Sulaiman Kpaka and Scotty Humpich make their first appearance in the game to spell Dean and Jenkins. This is the 3rd Maryland drive, and Purdue has started 3 different defensive lines on each drive. They’ve already used 6 players (3 defensive tackles, 3 defensive ends).

Drive 3 - 5th Play

From Bottom to Top

#5 - OLB/DE - Nic Caraway

#58 - DT - Branson Deen

#91 - NG - Cole Brevard

#96 - DE - Khordae Syndor

Maryland found some traction with their passing game on the first 4 plays of this drive. Subsequently, Purdue went with an entire line switch on the 5th play. The next 3 plays include Caraway forcing a throw away because of his pass rush, and Deen stuffing a 3rd down quarterback run short of the sticks. The Boilermakers hold Maryland to a field goal. Purdue has used 7 defensive linemen, including 3 different OLB/DE (which is, in theory, the pass rush position for this defense).

Drive 4 - 1st Play

From Bottom to Top

#96 - DE - Khordae Syndor

#90 - NG - Lawrence Johnson

#58 - DT - Branson Deen

#44 - OLB/DE - Kydran Jenkins

We’re now 4 drives into the game, and we’ve yet to see the Boilermakers start a defensive series with the same 4 defensive linemen. After sitting 2 drives, Jenkins is fresh and back in the game. Syndor is a better pass rusher than Sullivan (Sullivan is the better run defender) and is getting more playing time because Maryland is looking to throw the ball. It’s nice to have options. This drive ends in a 3 and out with Jenkins providing significant pressure on 3rd and long.

Drive 5 First Play

From Bottom to Top

#99 - DE - Jack Sullivan

#91 - NG - Cole Brevard

#50 - DT - Sulaiman Kpaka

#5 - OLB/DE - Nic Caraway

After a Purdue 3 and out, the Boilermakers take the field with a totally new set of defensive linemen. Quick turnarounds is where defensive line depth is crucial. Your big guys just got off the field, and they need time to recover. Having the ability to put 4 fresh bodies on the field is a luxury we haven’t seen in the Brohm era.

Drive 5 3rd Play

From Bottom to Top

#44 - OLB/DE - Kydran Jenkins

#58 - DT - Branson Deen

#91 - NG - Cole Brevard

#99 - DE - Jack Sullivan

After 2 successful Maryland plays net a first down, Purdue calls timeout. They have 3 remaining and there is only 2:18 left in the half. You can’t take them with you to halfime. When they return from the timeout, they’e got 2 fresh defensive linemen on the field in Deen and Jenkins. Brevard is the only non-starter on the field.

Drive 5 - 5th Play

From Bottom to Top

#44 - OLB/DE - Kydran Jenkins

#90 - NG - Lawrence Johnson

#58 - DT - Branson Deen

#96 - DE - Khordae Syndor

Maryland throws an incomplete pass on 1st down, and Purdue subs in Syndor for Sullivan and Johnson for Brevard. This pays off big on the next play with a fresh Syndor coming off the edge for a sack. The Boilermakers are able to play it safe on 3rd down and get off field despite giving up a 12 yard pass.

Drive 6

#44 - OLB/DE - Kydran Jenkins

#58 - DT - Branson Deen

#99 - DT - Jack Sullivan

#46- OLB/DE - Scotty Humpich

Purdue’s offense goes 3 and out again, and the defense is back on the field for the 6th drive of the 1st half. Would have loved to see Purdue’s offense protect their defense and not put them back on the field, but such is life.

This is Purdue’s pass rush package. They drop the nose guard, move Sullivan to something that looks like defensive tackle, and bring in Humpich as an extra edge rusher. I love this utilization of talent. If you’e got guys with specific talents on the roster, you need to utilize them, even if it’s just in specific situations, like the end of half/game.

Deen draws a hands to the face penalty on 1st down, moving Maryland back 15 yards. On 2nd down, Humpich flushes the Maryland QB up into the pocket. Cory Trice, unfortunately, blows one of the more simple coverages in college football, allows a Maryland receiver to get deep against a defense designed to keep receivers from getting deep, and then gets carried for 10 yards into the end zone instead of tackling the Maryland receiver (calm Drew, clam, remember your blood pressure). I felt like I was watching a replay of the Penn State game. I said a few bad words...maybe more than a few if I’m being honest.

Overall

Purdue has defensive line depth, and they’re using it to their advantage. They’re regularly playing 2 defensive ends, 3 outside linebacker/defensive ends, 2 nose guards, and 2 defensive tackles. This is even more impressive because DT/NG Damarjhe Lewis was scheduled to see big minutes this year, but suffered a season ending injury in fall camp. Prince James Boyd Jr. didn’t see any action in the 1st half against Maryland, but he’s another defensive lineman that has regularly seen the field. All-in-all, counting Lewis and Boyd Jr., Purdue has 11 defensive linemen on the roster that they are comfortable playing. That’s something I didn’t think I would be able to type during the Brohm era at Purdue.

Good defense starts with a good, deep defensive line, and if anything, Purdue’s defensive line is only going to get deeper over the next few seasons. Defensive line recruiting is better than it’s ever been for Purdue with Mark Hagan scooping up talent. This is the defensive line I’ve always wanted at Purdue, and you can see it paying off on the field.