Purdue football rush ends breakdown: Can Boilers replicate last season’s pass rush?

WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue football’s dynamic pass rush duo is no more.

Kydran Jenkins and Nic Scourton were the Boilermaker version of Bebop and Rocksteady. Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire.

Or insert your own intimidating tandem.

Point is, between the two on the outside, Purdue generated 17.5 sacks, accounting for exactly half of the Boilermakers’ season total.

Jenkins is now heading the defense in the middle and Scourton is playing for Texas A&M. That doesn’t necessarily mean Purdue can’t replicate that quarterback pressure in 2024.

More: Purdue football inside linebacker breakdown: Jenkins, Karlaftis bring ‘nastiness’

“You never replace a Nic Scourton, but we’ve got guys we feel can go out and produce and that’s our job as coaches to put those guys in position where they can produce,” defensive coordinator Kevin Kane said.

Purdue’s edge rushers

Who is back: Will Heldt, sophomore (12 tackles, 1 TFL)

New faces: CJ Madden, sophomore (3 tackles at Georgia); Shitta Sillah, senior (80 career tackles, 12 TFL, 6.5 sacks at Boston College); Trey Smith, redshirt freshman (transfer from Illinois); Jamari Payne, freshman; Albert Schwartz, freshman; Logan Jellison, freshman; Jireh Ojata, senior (53 tackles, 17 TFL, 9.5 sacks, 4 blocked kicks last season at Franklin College)

Highway to Heldt

It’s a unique situation Purdue has in the outside linebacker/rush end group.

Heldt, who primarily was a special teams guy a year ago as a true freshman, is the most experienced in this system. Everyone else came to Purdue this season via the transfer portal or is a freshman.

“As the only guy returning in the room from last year, I feel a little bit of a responsibility to lead,” Heldt said.

Purdue Boilermakers defensive lineman Jireh Ojata (99) chases down the rusher during the spring football game, Saturday, April 13,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/purdue-football-rush-ends-breakdown-235629629.html

Author : Journal & Courier

Publish date : 2024-08-08 23:56:29

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