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    • How Purdue Football is solving its problems ahead of the Oregon showdown
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    How Purdue Football is solving its problems ahead of the Oregon showdown

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    WEST LAFAYETTE – One of the many issues that hurt Purdue football through its tough first six games was its inability to thoroughly tackle ball carriers.

    Purdue ranks eighth out of 133 FBS teams in rushing defense, allowing 5.6 yards per carry, while the opposition has combined for 1,373 yards and 19 touchdowns.

    The outlook once again seemed bleak until the Boilermakers recorded 10 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, in a 50-49 loss on the road to Illinois on Saturday.

    While Purdue ultimately allowed 556 yards and 7.6 yards per play, there were subtle differences in the way it fought and took down ball carriers. The Boilermakers finished with five sacks and forced a turnover for the second straight game.

    More: Purdue’s new QB play caller combination woke up the Boilermakers offense. Will they stick to it?

    Small glimpses into a defense that has struggled with open-field tackles in recent weeks.

    “That was just confidence and it shows that we can play with anyone if we do what we have to do,” linebacker Kydran Jenkins said.

    Sophomore linebacker Hudson Miller, who made three tackles last Saturday, believes better performances are in store as No. 2 ranked Oregon comes to West Lafayette in a short week.

    “The effort is getting better and better and that’s not something you have to coach on,” Miller said. “Coach (Ryan Walters) and (defensive coordinator Kevin Kane), these are guys we want to play for and win for. Going out there, I think the effort improved, the desire to improve and we went out and played hard.”

    More: Purdue football coach Ryan Walters discusses the team’s resolve ahead of the game with Oregon

    Whether Purdue’s defense can make a big leap remains to be seen against an Oregon team that averages 34.5 points and 305 yards passing per game with quarterback Dillon Gabriel. It has also converted 48.5% of its third-down conversions.

    The stage is set for an explosive offense against a defense trying to find its identity to begin a climb towards bowl eligibility Friday night at Ross-Ade Stadium.

    Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at [email protected]on Twitter Ethan A Hanson and Instagram on ethan_a_hanson.

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