Tennessee football vs. Purdue: Five Boilermakers to watch for against Vols

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Oct 23, 2021; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers defensive end Kydran Jenkins (44), Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Kieren Douglas (43) and Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Jaylan Alexander (36) celebrate after a defensive stop during the game at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports /

Senior. Scouting Report. Linebacker. Jaylan Alexander. 2. player. 848. Pick Analysis

6’1″ 240 pounds

While Branson Deen anchors the defensive line and Cam Allen anchors the secondary, Jeff Brohm will need his linebackers to step up more than ever given all these absences. They will need to stop the run in addition to making lots of big plays to help out the team.

Jalen Graham could be key on the outside on this front, as he has four tackles for a loss, a sack, two interceptions including a pick-six, a forced fumble and six pass deflection. In the middle, Kieren Douglas really helps makes things go with three tackles for a loss, an interception and two pass deflections. Both of these guys have appeared in every game.

Jaylan Alexander stands out among all these guys, though. For the year, Alexander leads the team in total tackles with 94 and solo tackles with 59, but that’s not all he does. He also has eight and a half tackles for a loss, a sack, three pass deflections and a forced fumble, so he’s a physical linebacker who makes tons of plays in the run game.

As mentioned on the previous slide, Tennessee football’s whole offense depends on being able to establish the run. That means Josh Heupel needs to do whatever he can to neutralize Alexander, and that’s easier said than done. If Alexander gets going, he could shut down UT’s offense.

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