Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 SEPT. 14, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: PURDUE BY JACK SOBLE PURDUE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Purdue's running game should actually be solid this year, and it showed why in its tune-up game against FCS opponent Indiana State (the Boiler- makers had a bye in Week 2). Junior Devin Mocko- bee and senior Reggie Love III, a transfer from Illinois, led a rushing attack that gained 248 yards on 31 carries — an average of 8.0 — against the Sycamores. Yes, Indiana State is Indiana State, but most be- lieved Purdue could move the ball on the ground before the season began. The foundation of its offense is the O-line, although it could be without senior Corey Stewart, a transfer from Ball State who is listed as the first-team left tackle. Senior center Gus Hartwig was an All-Big Ten honorable mention last year, and he's joined by returning juniors Marcus Mbow (right tackle) and Mahamane Moussa (left guard). Mbow posted the seventh-best Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade (85.2) of any offensive tackle in Week 1, so the Boilermakers should have some success run- ning off the right side. As for the quarterback run game, senior Hud- son Card isn't a superb threat on the ground, but the Irish do have to account for his legs. Card totaled 363 sack-adjusted rushing yards last season on 72 carries, an average of 5.0 yards per attempt. Because the Notre Dame pass defense is so im- penetrable, and its own defense is projected to be problematic, Purdue's best chance to win will be grinding the game out and running the football. The Irish will have to buckle down and defend the run to prevent any chance of an upset. Can they do it? Yes. Two brick walls at defensive tackle in gradu- ate students Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills are outstanding at preventing blockers from reaching the second level, where Notre Dame's five talented linebackers can do their jobs. Texas A&M averaged 3.8 yards per carry against the Irish. Expect perhaps a slightly higher number, but a similar result. Advantage: Notre Dame PURDUE PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE We'll start with the positives from Purdue's pass- ing game. Quarterback continuity is chief among them, with Card returning after a not-great but not-bad year in West Lafayette, Ind. He averaged 6.5 yards per pass attempt and was sacked 21 times, slightly more than one might expect given Purdue's reputation up front. Card did finish well, throwing 6 touchdowns and no interceptions in his final two games of 2023 (both wins). He passed the test against Indiana State, connecting on 24 of 25 throws for 273 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. Second, the Boilermakers like sophomore tight end Max Klare a great deal. He picked up right where he left off after suffering a season-ending injury five games into last season, during which he caught 22 passes for 196 yards. He led the team with 5 catches for 71 yards and a touchdown against the Sycamores. Klare is Purdue's top receiving threat, but that's by default. The Boilermakers' top three wideouts from last year — Deion Burks (Oklahoma), TJ Shef- field (UConn) and Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen (South Florida) — are all gone. Junior Jahmal Edrine, who brings 39 catches for 570 yards and 6 touchdowns from Florida Atlan- tic, should help. He caught 4 passes for 59 yards against ISU. But sophomore Jaron Tibbs and fresh- man Shamar Rigby, the other two starters, are inexperienced and unproven. Contrast that to Notre Dame's secondary, which proved a lot in its dismantling of Texas A&M's pass- ing game on national TV in Week 1. According to Sports Info Solutions (SIS), Notre Dame allowed the lowest passer rating and the sixth-lowest yards per attempt in the entire coun- try — certainly the lowest yards per attempt of anyone who faced a Power Four opponent — in Week 1. Aggies signal-caller Conner Weigman consis- tently found himself under duress (15 pressures on 31 drop-backs) or with no one open. Junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison was particularly superb, but sophomore Christian Gray had the game-winning pass breakup and safeties Adon Shuler, a sophomore, and Xavier Watts, a graduate student, both picked off passes. Does any passing game in the nation have the advantage over Notre Dame's pass defense? That's a question for November (USC) and, the Irish hope, December. Purdue definitely doesn't. Advantage: Notre Dame Sophomore tight end Max Klare led the Boilermakers with 5 receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown in Purdue's season-opening 49-0 win over Indiana State Aug. 31. PHOTO COURTESY PURDUE On PaPer