Mike Scherer: Purdue defense needs to play more "confident"

Halloween may have come and gone, but it is still spooky in West Lafayette. Riding a seven-game losing streak, Purdue is set to host the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes in Ross-Ade Stadium this Saturday.

The potent offensive attack of the Buckeyes is headlined by star freshman quarterback Julian Sayin and his two-headed monster at wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.

Ahead of Sayin and company coming to town, Purdue has been taking steps in the right direction defensively. After giving up 44 points per game across losses to USC, Notre Dame and Illinois, defensive coordinator Mike Scherer’s unit is surrendering a modest 21.7 points per game over its last four. That includes limiting Michigan’s offense to 21 points in Saturday’s defeat in Ann Arbor.

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“We did some good stuff, but we have to play more confident on defense. I think we’re starting to play better, guys starting to trust themselves and what their ability is. I think there’s plays that are out there still to be made, and it really goes into the confidence of the guys on the field,” Scherer said on Monday.

“As a play caller, I have to be confident and call an aggressive game, which I feel like most times we did, but then also the players on the field, they’re good enough, they’re in the right positions, they know what they’re doing. Now, it is a matter of confidence and believing in our skills and what we can do and we will play even much better than we did.”

While the results have been better as the year has progressed, Saturday presents an entirely different challenge for Scherer and his defense. The Buckeyes own one of the top offenses in the nation, which feels like an annual tradition, averaging 36.6 points and 437.5 yards per game, both ranking in the top 30 nationally and top five in the conference.

That starts with quarterback Julian Sayin, who has burst onto the scene as an instant impact freshman and perhaps the top wide receiver tandem in all of college football, in Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith. That pass catching duo in particular has caught the attention of Scherer.

Smith and Tate have combined for 1,436 yards and 16 touchdown and strike fear into opposing defensive backs on a weekly basis. That is something Scherer is hoping to avoid on Saturday afternoon.

“They have great players, really good players. Two of the best wide receivers in the country, as everybody knows. But we have to play confident. If you don’t play confident against them, you show up and you say, ‘Those are the best two guys in the country. Oh my god.’ That’s what they want. Then the deep pass opens up and then when you’re running backwards because you think it’s a deep pass, and they stop, then the short 10-15-yard pass opens up as well.”

Sayin has also been a breakout star for the Buckeyes after a year of sitting behind Will Howard, who headed to the NFL after bringing a national championship to Columbus last season. The redshirt freshman signal caller has been as efficient as any quarterback in the country, leading the nation in completion percentage (80.7%), and third in passing touchdowns (24) to just three interceptions.

Oh, and he is also the odds-on favorite for the Heisman Trophy, according to BetMGM.

“The biggest thing for him is his improvement over the course of the year. He’s become a lot better quarterback from game one to now,” Scherer said of Sayin. “He does a really good job of knowing where his eligible receivers are and getting rid of the football, even if it’s pressure, whatever it is, he gets rid of the football. Even in the dirt, same thing, he’s not giving up negative plays. So he’s a really smart quarterback.”

Purdue has been prone to allowing big yardage totals through the air this season, particularly against USC, Illinois, Notre Dame and Rutgers. Ohio State is as potent as any of them. Scherer is challenging his guys, to play confidently against perhaps the best offense they will have played to this point in the season.

“So there has to be a confident approach in it. And we think they’re great players. They are the two best receivers in college football. There’s no question about it, but we need to stand up and play confident defense, not just show up and say, Oh, they’re really good. And I think through that, it’ll give us an opportunity to cover them,”

“I want our guys to show up and be confident in the game plan and how we’re going to approach covering them and go make plays. If not, good luck,” Scherer said.

That is the challenge for Purdue in its hope to contain an explosive offense and do what many perceive as the impossible. Take down the top-ranked Buckeyes in Ross-Ade Stadium… again.