Data Driven: Purdue-Rutgers

Each week after Purdue football games, we’ll take a closer look back at the game through PFF data and analytics. Today, Purdue’s 27-24 loss to Rutgers.

(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:

RT Bakyne Coly all 52
C Bradyn Joiner all 52
RG Hank Purvis all 52
LT Joey Tanona all 52
LG Jalen St. John all 52
QB Ryan Browne 43
WR Michael Jackson III 39
WR EJ Horton Jr. 39
WR Nitro Tuggle 35
RB Devin Mockobee 34
TE Christian Earls 25
TE Christian Moore 24
WR Jesse Watson 17
WR Arhmad Branch 14
RB Malachi Thomas 12
QB Malachi Singleton 9
WR Corey Smith 7
RB Antonio Harris 6
TE Rico Walker 5
OT Jude McCoskey 2

Grades and notes:

• The top three grades? The running backs. Antonio Harris led with an elite grade on very limited snaps, and Antonio Harris and Devin Mockobee followed with nearly identical grades
  • Note: this is the second straight week where tailbacks led the way on the final report card
• The wide receiving corps stands out, as Purdue’s four lowest-graded offensive players come from the wideout room
  • A poor day for Corey Smith, who played just seven snaps but dropped a pass
• As a whole, Purdue graded very well in pass protection
• On the flip side, the run blocking left a good deal to be desired
  • The two tight ends, Moore and Earls, graded as Purdue’s top two run blockers
• A poor grade for Ryan Browne, his second worst of the season
• Malachi Singleton did grade notably better than Browne, but snap count and situational factors must be factored in

Ryan Browne’s passing chart:

• Clean: 9-15, 75 yards, TD (poor grade)
• Under pressure: 2-5, 42 yards (good grade)
• Not blitzed: 9-15, 119 yards, TD (good grade)
• Blitzed: 2-5, -2 yards (poor grade)
• Play action: 6-14, 41 yards, TD (poor grade)
• No play action: 5-6, 76 yards
• Screen: 4-4, 17 yards
• No screen: 7-16, 100 yards, TD

• Browne’s average depth of target: 11.3 yards
  • This looks more like his data from the Ball State and Southern Illinois games than it does recent weeks
• Five of Browne’s 20 pass attempts went 20+ yards downfield
• Zero “big-time throws” and two “turnover-worthy passes” for Browne
• Browne’s best grade came in the short passing game, defined as 0-9 yards past the line of scrimmage
• Three drops for Purdue wide receivers, per PFF, which theoretically could have taken his completion percentage from 55% to 70%
  • The drops: Horton, Jackson, Smith
• Singleton note: two short passes and a throwaway

Running game:

• Purdue ran for a whopping 7.8 yards per carry, as there were no sacks to adjust yardage for
  • Significant context: five of Purdue’s carries added up to 154 yards
  • If you take away the five explosive runs, the total drops below 2.8 yards per carry
• Purdue forced Rutgers to miss 11 tackles: six by Mockobee, four by Harris (on just two carries!), one by Thomas
• Only 94 of Purdue’s 217 rushing yards came after contact
  • This is the lowest percentage of yards coming after contact all season
• Purdue took a balanced approach to rushing direction, with a near even left/right split
• Only two scrambles by Purdue’s quarterbacks

DEFENSE

Defensive snap counts:

DB Hershey McLaurin all 76
S Tahj Ra-El all 76
LB Mani Powell 75
CB Tony Grimes 74
CB Hudauri Hines 73
LB Charles Correa 66
DB Smiley Bradford 60
DE CJ Nunnally 60
DT Ian Jeffries 56
DE Breeon Ishmail 54
DT Jamarrion “Chops” Harkless 53
DT Demeco Kennedy 28
LB Alex Sanford 27
DE CJ Madden 20
DT Marcus Moore Jr. 19
DE Trey Smith 17
LB Sanders Ellis 1
S An’Darius Coffey 1

Grades and notes:

• With six pressures, including a sack, CJ Nunnally took home top honors. The Akron transfer has emerged as a bright spot on the defense
• Right behind him? Ian Jeffries, with his second straight nice grade
• Some ugly tackling grades, particularly by Purdue’s linebackers, as the Boilermakers missed 15 tackles a week after turning in 16 misses
  • Multiples: McLaurin (4), Correa (3), Powell (3), Grimes (2)
• Aside from the missed tackles, Purdue did grade fairly well in run defense
• The pass rush graded nicely, as well, led by Nunnally
• The pass coverage, on the other hand… Not so nice
• PFF’s analysis: 225 of Rutgers’ 359 pass yards came when targeting Hudauri Hines
• Only two pass breakups by Boilermaker defenders, though McLaurin’s prevented an early touchdown on a fourth and goal
• Very little rotation in the defensive backfield
  • Only 18 players saw the field for Purdue’s defense, two of those playing just one singular snap

Athan Kaliakmanis’ passing chart

• Clean: 14-19, 245 yards (great grade)
• Under pressure: 5-8, 114 yards, TD (mediocre grade)
• Not blitzed: 13-19, 186 yards
• Blitzed: 6-8, 174 yards, TD (good grade)
• Play action: 7-10, 174 yards, TD (great grade)
• No play action: 12-17, 185 yards
• Screen: 202, 13 yards
• No screen: 17-25, 346 yards, TD