WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Barry Odom was forced to make a difficult decision on Sunday morning. After Purdue suffered a 34-29 loss to Maryland and dropped its third straight game, he parted ways with defensive coordinator Kevin Kane.

Purdue's defense has struggled through a majority of the season, ranking 124th in points allowed, 99th in run defense, 116th in pass defense, 123rd in yards allowed and 131st in opponent third-down conversion rate. No aspect of the Boilermaker defense has been good.

Saturday's loss to Maryland was the final straw for Kane, as the Boilermakers surrendered 27 points in the second half. Purdue surrendered five explosive plays that led to touchdowns, which made the difference in the game.

"I've never believed in a knee-jerk reaction. I believed we were missing in some areas," Odom said during his press conference on Monday. "I'm not pointing the finger at Kevin; it's all of us. We needed a lift in that area. For whatever reason, we hadn't gotten back to the level of playing like we did against Illinois and Minnesota. Defensively, we did not have the level of play.

"You are what you are, but if you take five plays away from [the Maryland game], we're in a different situation. But, if we also score touchdowns instead of field goals, we break the game wide open early."

Odom's decision to hire Kane was unpopular from the start. He was the defensive coordinator under Ryan Walters in 2024 and was responsible for the worst defensive season in program history. It didn't look any better in his second stint in West Lafayette.

"I hate that it didn't work out," Odom said. "He's a really good man and our kids enjoyed playing for him."

Odom stands behind decision to bring Kane back

Purdue's defensive struggles began early in the season. The Boilermakers surrendered multiple explosive plays to Indiana State in the season opener. The following week, Wake Forest converted a 4th-and-15 in overtime, ultimately leading to a Demon Deacons victory. In Week 3, UCLA piled up 645 yards in a 52-38 win.

There were some signs of hope in early October, when Purdue defeated Illinois and Minnesota in back-to-back weeks. The Boilers held the Illini to 17 points and limited the Golden Gophers to just 13. It looked like the defense might be turning a corner.

In the next three games, Washington, Penn State and Maryland all scored 31 points or more.

Although it didn't work out, Odom doesn't regret his decision to bring Kane back to West Lafayette. He was optimistic about what the Boilers could accomplish defensively.

"I was hoping and planned on that Kevin and I would be here for a long time together," Odom said. "It didn't work out. I'm not going to make an excuse ... it didn't work here, and I feel responsible because I didn't help him enough."

When pressed about the decision to bring him back after the disastrous 2024 season, Odom stood firm.

"I didn't have anything to do with it previously," Odom said. "I don't know all of the details that went into that when he was here before."

Purdue has three games remaining on the schedule against three quality teams in the Big Ten: Iowa, Wisconsin and Indiana. Odom won't reveal who is calling the defense until the game agianst Hawkeyes ends.

For now, all we know is that Odom and the entire defensive staff will put together the game plan for Saturday in Iowa City, hoping to see a better outcome than the one Purdue has experienced the last three games.