Penn State Football vs Purdue: keys to success for the Nittany Lions

Key to success on defense #2 – get plenty of pressure on Aidan O’Connell

To go hand in hand with the secondary, the pass rush is going to have to do its job in slowing down Purdue’s pass-heavy offensive attack.

Getting more sacks is something this team needs to improve upon from last year, and they’re going to need it to be immediate as they will have plenty of opportunities to rush the passer in week one.

Aidan O’Connell attempted more than 40 passes in a game on six separate occasions last season, three of which he attempted over 50. Don’t expect there to be any change in that volume from a year ago, as the Boilermakers’ rushing attack does not project to be very good.

Ideally, Penn State’s pass rush is able to sack O’Connell at least three or four times, but forcing him to speed up his decision-making process and perhaps flee the pocket would be helpful too. The Nittany Lions accumulated three or more sacks in a single game just four times last season, one of which was against a far inferior Villanova team.

If the secondary can avoid getting beat deep multiple times and the pass rush can get consistent pressure on O’Connell, the Boilermakers could struggle to score many points against this Penn State defense.