Last Minute Purdue

The Talking Irish staff, much like the Fighting Irish, enjoyed our trip to Ireland but are happy to be back home for Purdue.  Notre Dame will be in the friendly confines of South Bend while we will be comfortable at Shamrock Jack’s.

Not unlike last week against Navy, the keys and game plan for an Irish win over the Boilermakers is relatively simple.

Control the line of scrimmage.  Although Purdue will put up more size, speed, strength and talent than the Irish saw last week on both lines Notre Dame will win this battle.  If the running backs can get past the D-line they will encounter a subpar linebacker crew.  Sticking with three down linebackers (Prince Shembo and Ishaq Williams) will play a more pivotal role at the line.

Complete the short passes.  Especially to backs (running and slot) and tight ends, picking on Purdue’s soft spots at linebacker.  Why challenge the Boilermakers’ talented cornerbacks?

Neaten up the Special Teams.  Missing extra points and not handling punts can take the wind out of our sails real quick.  Although the Boilermakers’ special teams looked even worse last week, watch out for their kickoff return game, which led the nation last year.

Force Purdue quarterbacks (whoever is on the field for the Boilermakers at the time) to feel uncomfortable and don’t let them be athletic or confident.

Even though I have seen some ESPN staff (who at best dislike Notre Dame) put the Irish on upset alert, I like a 20+ win today in South Bend.

Also Note:  Purdue committed FIVE turnovers in their win last week against Eastern Kentucky.  If they do that against the Irish, Notre Dame will win by 40+.

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Purdue Preview

The Purdue Boilermakers should offer a better challenge for the Fighting Irish this weekend for the home opener in South Bend than the Navy Midshipmen did for the opener in Dublin.  Even though the Boilermakers will be a more formidable opponent, I do predict that the Irish will be 2-0 after this Saturday. 

Purdue comes into the season with optimism and for more reasons than having a head football coach named Hope (16-21), now entering his fourth season with the team.  The Boilermakers won their final two games and three of four games last season, including a 26-23 win over Ohio State and finishing with a 37-32 Little Ceases Pizza Bowl Win (Purdue’s first bowl appearance since 2007) over Western Michigan.

Offensively, like the Irish, Purdue has three options at quarterback, where unlike the Irish who want to select on QB and stay with him, Purdue will plan on playing multiple quarterbacks during a game and possibly have two of them on the field at once.  Senior Caleb TerBush won seven games as a starter last year and will probably be the “starter” for Purdue this season. Sixth year senior Robert Marve will definitely see the field after several successful ACL surgeries as he is an athletic talent who can run Purdue’s offense.  Third option Robert Henry, who is also returning after ACL issues, may also line up at receiver and/or running back.

Purdue has a solid offensive line but it does lack depth, which could definitely favor the Irish as they have depth on the offensive line and will be able to keep fresh legs on the field throughout the game to wear down the Boilermakers along the line of scrimmage.  Their running backs and receivers will be a step up from Navy, but nothing too dangerous except against the inexperienced Irish secondary, which will be an issue all season.  Let’s hope that Notre Dame uses these first two games to learn, grow and develop as much as possible in a short period of time.

Defensively, the Boilermakers are experienced across the front line running a 4-3 led by defensive tackle Kawann Short.  Unlike the Irish, Purdue has two strong and experienced cornerbacks that defend the pass well.  I do, however,  like this game to be an opportunity for Tyler Eifert to dominate and for Golson to develop confidence in his (short to medium ) passing game. 

Their high point is their kick return game as sophomore Raheem Mostertt, who led the nation last year with an average of 33.5 yards per kick return, including four for over 70 yards and one touchdown (99 yards).

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Off and Running

The season is underway and we are off to a very good start (okay, a good start).  Sure, the Irish won by 40 points and dominated 95% of the game, but before we put ourselves in the top 10, remember that it was an undersized, under matched Navy squad.  Of course, there was not much more Notre Dame could have done to look better and they did what they were supposed to do.  But we need to keep things in perspective and stay grounded. 

Let’s start with the offense.  Golson played well for a redshirt sophomore with great expectations starting his first collegiate game.  Overall, he protected the ball and showed confidence in his line, running backs, receivers and apparently himself.  He took his first sack like a pro, which came from an unblocked defender coming in from his blindside at full speed.  He showed poise in the pocket (he may have been overthinking that a bit) and his potential for escape ability.  Areas for improvement include sturdier snaps, cut down on his over reliance on Eifert (he had a very poor pass to Eifert in the end zone in double coverage), and gain Kelly’s confidence to take the shackles off and allow him to run.

The offensive line looked as dominant as they should have.  After last season’s debacle of too many off sides and holding penalties, they looked much more disciplined.  Although the Midshipmen were bigger along both lines than they have been in the past, they were no match for the Irish size and strength.  The holes were big, well defined and stayed open for the backs to have an easy and productive day.

We saw a number of wide receivers take the field, giving them an opportunity to get collegiate game experience even if they did not dominate or even catch a pass.  Golson will benefit from fresh and diverse receivers not only this season but throughout his career.  I look forward to seeing who steps up from game to game throughout the season.

The running backs delivered as hoped for and as expected possibly leaving more questions than answers.  Answers - George Atkinson is and will be something special.  His combination of size and speed will serve him and the Irish well.  Theo Riddick will have a successful senior season thanks to his experience and abilities.  Cam McDaniel got  a lot more touches then I had expected.  I am not sure if that was because the game was in hand and Kelly wanted to rest and protect Atkinson and Riddick, or if Kelly really does see potential in McDaniel and plans on using him in a significant role this season.  Either way, Cam looked solid and should be able to contribute on the offensive side of the ball.  The big question that will most likely expand against Purdue as a similar outcome is expected is will the success of Riddick, Atkinson and McDaniel significantly cut into Cierre Wood’s playing time when he returns.  My prediction: Yes.

The defense did an excellent job defending Navy’s option and controlled the line of scrimmage as expected.  The secondary was definitely suspect and even exposed at times by an inferior passing attack (Navy for some reason did not take advantage of this obvious weakness).  Much like the opportunity for Kelly to work in several players on the offense, he was able to give significant time to players who may need to contribute this season for more than mop-up detail.  We saw a lot of Tony Springman, Chase Hounshell and Kona Schwencke along the line well as a mix of linebackers and defensive backs.  Being able to regularly rotate in effective players will offer fresh legs with little to no drop off in ability.  The highlight of the day was Stephon Tuitt returning a fumble for a touchdown. Everyone, even those of us who have heard about his speed and athleticism, had to be impressed by how easily he outran Navy pressures down the field.

Although the Irish missed an extra point into a swirling headwind, they performed well and should improve as the season continues.  There was an obvious improvement in the punt return game as there was no chance of it being any worse than last year.

As we move on to Purdue, there has to be cautious optimism along with excitement that the Irish will start the season 2-0 with impressive play by both experienced upperclassmen and newcomers with great potential.  Traditionally, I get to watch the replay on Sunday for a more in-depth breakdown but since the Talking Irish staff is in Ireland for the week, we will not see it until Thursday night.  We will prep for a Purdue preview during our transfers and on our flight home.

Some early things to look and hope for in the upcoming weeks based on what we saw firsthand in Dublin, is the team’s confidence and sense of teamwork.