Data Driven: Illinois

Each week after Purdue football games, we’ll take a closer look back at the game through PFF data and analytics. Today, Purdue’s 43-27 loss to Illinois.

(Editor’s note: PFF data is just one organization’s interpretation of the happenings from Saturday’s game. It is not to be taken as gospel).

OFFENSE

Offensive snap counts:

Bakyne Coly 77
Bradyn Joiner 77
Joey Tanona 77
Ethan Trent 77
Ryan Browne 74
Nitro Tuggle 69
Michael Jackson III 66
Christian Earls 53
Devin Mockobee 50
Hank Purvis 45
Corey Smith 43
Jalen St. John 32
Jesse Watson 29
Arhmad Branch 23
Chauncey Magwood 14
Antonio Harris 12
Malachi Thomas 11
Rico Walker 5
Christian Moore 5
Malachi Singleton 3
Jaheim Merriweather 2
Jude McCoskey 2
John Randle Jr. 1

Grades and notes:

• Among those with a significant number of snaps, Joey Tanona came away with the top mark
• All of Purdue’s running backs graded well, especially in pass blocking, an area which produced some ugly scores early on this season
• On the offensive line, the right side really struggled, with Bakyne Coly coming away as the lowest-graded offensive player
• Without George Burhenn in the lineup, Christian Earls didn’t have a great day at tight end, per PFF. Christian Moore didn’t either on limited snaps, while Rico Walker did grade nicely.
• This was Browne’s lowest grade of the season, replacing USC in that regard
• Not much stands out at wide receiver aside from notably low grades from Nitro Tuggle and Jesse Watson
  • Purdue’s wideouts totaled four drops per PFF: two to Tuggle, one to Watson, one to Jackson
• Purdue used Malachi Singleton on three special plays where he replaced Browne

Ryan Browne’s passing chart:

• Clean: 27-42, 270 yards, TD
• Under pressure: 2-7, 21 yards (low score)
• Not blitzed: 22-35, 188 yards
• Blitzed: 7-14, 103 yards, TD
• Play action: 10-20 yards, 84 yards (mediocre score)
• No play action: 19-29, 207 yards, TD
• Screen: 5-7, 34 yards
• No screen: 24-42, 257 yards, TD

• Browne’s average depth of target: 8.1 yards. This number has remained stagnant, essentially, since Purdue began facing power conference opponents
• It’s notable how little Illinois felt the need to bring pressure. Over 70% of Browne’s dropbacks did not see a blitz. When Illinois did generate pressure, Browne struggled
• One “big-time throw” and one “turnover-worthy pass” for Browne
• Browne’s best grade came in the short passing game, which differs from what we’ve seen to this point
• For most of the season, Browne actually graded better when pushing the ball downfield. In this game, his worst grade came in the intermediate passing game
• After not using play action much against Notre Dame, Purdue returned to frequent usage in this one. Something tells me that was an indication of how Purdue felt about its ability to block Notre Dame
• Not helping matters, Purdue’s wide receivers dropped three passes: Branch, Watson and Walker

Running game:

• Adjusting for sack yardage, Purdue ran for 7.1 yards per carry per PFF, by far the best of the season
• Purdue tore off three runs of 15+ yards. This hasn’t been a strength of Purdue to this point
• Purdue forced five missed tackles
• A nice balance of rush direction, but Purdue did look to attack the edges of the defense quite a bit
• Nearly an even split of zone and gap blocking schemes by Purdue’s O-line, with a slight preference to zone
• Five scrambles by Purdue’s quarterbacks

DEFENSE

Defensive snap counts:

Charles Correa all 65
Myles Slusher all 65
Mani Powell 63
Tahj Ra-El 59
Hudauri Hines 58
CJ Nunnally 56
Traveon Wright 54
CJ Madden 47
Demeco Kennedy 44
Alex Sanford Jr. 38
Jamarrion Harkless 35
Ian Jeffries 34
Smiley Bradford 28
Josh Burney 18
Ryan Turner 13
Breeon Ishmail 10
Trey Smith 10
An’Darius Coffey 9
Breylon Charles 6
Sanders Ellis 2
Chalil Cummings 1

Grades and notes:

• Top honors went to CJ Madden in large part due to a great run defense grade
• Right behind him? Chops Harkless, who made his presence felt on the interior
• The run defense grades pop off the page, as Purdue avoided any eye-opening negative grades. Tahj Ra-El graded impeccably there
• 10 missed tackles for Purdue. It’s had two weeks with nine and two weeks with 15 this season
• While the run defense grades impressed, the pass defense grades did not
  • None of the defensive linemen/edge rushers graded well in pass rush
  • Myles Slusher had a solid grade in pass coverage, but he was alone there
• Really rough grades for Traveon Wright, Ra-El and Smiley Bradford in coverage
• Purdue didn’t record a single hit of the opposing quarterback
• Rough day for Wright, who started after Tony Grimes couldn’t play. He finished with the worst grade on the defense

Luke Altmyer’s passing chart

• Clean: 15-16, 333 yards, TD (elite grade)
• Under pressure: 4-6, 57 yards
• Not blitzed: 12-14, 283 yards, TD (elite grade)
• Blitzed: 7-8, 107 yards
• Play action: 8-10, 288 yards, TD
• No play action: 11-12, 102 yards
• Screen: 4-4, 17 yards
• No screen: 15-18, 373 yards, TD