By Chad Husted
Assistant Sports Editor
It didn't prove to be enough to get the win, but Purdue's (2-4, 0-2 Big Ten) defense played well enough to keep the Buckeye (6-1, 3-0) offense out of the endzone for all of its 16-3 loss in Ohio Stadium. They also held Wells to 94 yards, the first time he hasn't achieved 100 yards rushing this season.
"It's pretty hard, when you go on the road in this environment, to play that well on defense and say we're disappointed in anything the defense did," coach Joe Tiller said. " I thought (Ohio State was) strong enough physically, with their speed on the outside, they were going to score against us. We were hoping it'd be one or two scores, but to have none is pretty amazing."
The only touchdown for either team came in the first quarter. Junior kicker Chris Summers had his punt blocked, with Ohio State linebacker Etienne Sabino returning for the score. Ohio State entered the red zone two more times, but came away with only field goals.
Kerrigan, a sophomore defensive end, harassed Pryor continually, totaling six tackles as well as two sacks on the freshman quarterback. According to Kerrigan, the key to containing Pryor was a focus on assignments and knowing what formations he ran out of.
"They definitely had a great game plan and did a nice job of keeping him in the box," Ohio State senior tackle Steve Rehring said about Purdue's containment of Pryor. "We didn't execute as well as we could have and I think that had a lot to do with how well their defense played."
Defensive coordinator Brock Spack went so far as to compare Kerrigan with past Purdue greats like Anthony Spencer and Chike Okeafor.
"Those guys were powerful guys," Spack said. "This guys a little longer, he's 6-foot-5, and he's really strong. He's hard to handle and he's going to be a really good player."
Pressure by Kerrigan and senior defensive tackle Ryan Baker allowed Purdue's linebackers to make plays as well. Senior Anthony Heygood led the team with 12 tackles, while Carlino, a freshman making his second start, was second with seven.
"Chris plays well," Heygood said. "He's a freshman guy, he doesn't exactly have his weight yet, and he doesn't always know what he's doing, but he's really tough. He'll get down in the run game and he'll hit somebody."
The defensive play in the second half was a departure from previous games, where Purdue has allowed opposing offenses to dominate after halftime. The difference was intensity, Kerrigan said.
"I think we came out with more intensity this second half and we had a little more focus, and that really transitioned to not have a second half letdown like we've had in previous weeks."
Published by the Purdue Exponent on Oct. 10, 2008
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