WEST LAFAYETTE − Dillon Thieneman was coming off an All-American season where, as a freshman, the Purdue football star became a household name.
Three games into his sophomore season, Thieneman wasn’t living up to the expectations based off how well he played a season prior.
On Saturday, Thieneman was not in his normal free safety position lining up 20-plus yard beyond the line of scrimmage.
An injury to safety Antonio Stevens vaulted sophomore Joseph Jefferson into the lineup and the Boilermakers saw it a better fit to swap Thieneman into Stevens’ old role and let Jefferson play deep.
“I had to step up and step into a different role, so I just played down in the box more,” Thieneman said after Saturday’s 28-10 loss to Nebraska.
More: With Purdue football’s offense undermining other progress, Ryan Walters had to act
The end result was Purdue’s best defensive performance since a 49-0 victory over Indiana State on Aug. 31.
Thieneman and Jefferson tied for the team lead with nine tackles apiece. Nebraska’s offense still totaled 418 yards, but was held scoreless until the final minutes of the third quarter. The Huskers tacked on two offensive touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Purdue head coach Ryan Walters commended the play of both safeties after Saturday’s setback.
“DT (Thieneman) will tell you the last sort of three games he hadn’t really played like himself,” Walters said. “Joe Jefferson is an aggressive guy whose got some range. He’s also a younger and inexperienced guy. The thought was there’s a lot of moving parts as you move closer to the wall. If you kick Joe back adn move DT down, DT can process what is going on in front of him at a fast rate. It also put him involved in plays where he’s supposed to make them early so that would get him going.
“I thought DT played well. I thought Joe made some splash plays and he’s a physical player, a guy that pulls the trigger. He made a few mistakes as well and we’ll correct those. You expect those from a first time starter.”
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue football moved Dillon Thieneman up, helping improve defense
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