Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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40 SEPT. 14, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: PURDUE Kydran Jenkins, is an All-Big Ten-caliber player who moved to off-ball linebacker (where he should help the run defense more). The interior defensive line is a concern, with experience but not much upside in seniors Cole Brevard and Jeffrey M'Ba. Both posted Pro Football Focus run defense grades under 60 last season. Notre Dame's strong (literally) interior offensive line in left guard Sam Pendleton, center Ashton Craig and right guard Billy Schrauth should be able to handle Brevard and M'Ba and climb to the second level, opening up holes for Love, Price and Leonard. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. PURDUE PASS DEFENSE This is the No. 1 reason Purdue went 4-8 last year. The Boilermakers finished dead last in the Big Ten with 7.8 yards per attempt allowed, and al- though they added reinforcements in two transfer additions, one of them — former Georgia defen- sive back Nyland Green — might not play due to injury. The other, former Colorado defensive back Kyndrich Breedlove, can't fix everything on his own. Neither can sophomore safety Dillon Thiene- man, although at times he can come awfully close. Thieneman might be one of the five best safeties in college football, with ball production numbers right up there with Watts. He picked off 6 passes, defended 2 more and forced 2 fumbles, along with a team-leading 106 tackles last season. Thieneman combines Watts-level ball skills with ferocious, technically sound tackling that can jar the ball loose if Notre Dame isn't careful. Leonard needs to know where Thieneman is on every snap, because Purdue probably can't win this game with- out forcing multiple turnovers. If the Irish prevent Thieneman from making a massive impact, the passing game should cook against a relatively weak Purdue secondary. Leon- ard's flashes should become more consistent, and Notre Dame's outside receivers in graduate student Beaux Collins and graduate student Kris Mitchell should win their matchups. Collins' start to the season has been particularly promising, with 5 catches for 62 yards in Week 1. The Irish may or may not have sophomore Jor- dan Faison, who started at field receiver against Texas A&M. He missed Week 2 versus Northern Illinois and might miss Week 3 at Purdue, but it shouldn't affect the outcome either way. Advantage: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS The teams were certainly special for Notre Dame in Week 1, graduate student kicker Mitch Jeter in particular. Jeter's Irish debut was the perfect concoction of consistency and clutch, going 3 of 3, including a game-clincher from 46 yards out. Australian graduate student punter James Rendell averaged 42.8 yards per punt with no touchbacks in his first football game ever, and he should continue to improve as he grows more comfortable with American football. The threat of preseason All-American kickoff returner Jayden Harrison remains, even if he didn't do much in his first game with Notre Dame after transferring from Marshall. On the Boilermakers' side, true freshman kicker Spencer Porath has yet to attempt a field goal, but he went 7 of 7 on extra points in Week 1. Purdue also features an Australian punter in Mis- sissippi State transfer Keelan Crimmins, a junior who has averaged 41.2 yards per punt so far in his career. Notre Dame's experience at kicker makes the difference here, and as long as the Irish continue to feature regular contributors who love getting after it on special teams, they'll have the edge in the third phase in most games. Advantage: Notre Dame COACHING Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman si- lenced many critics, at least for now, with his man- agement and motivation at Texas A&M. Masterful work from coordinators Mike Denbrock (offense) and Al Golden (defense) helped the Irish craft game plans that gave them the best chance to win on both sides of the ball. You'll be hard-pressed to find a team with a better combination of play callers, and that's freed Freeman up to do what he does best. Purdue head coach Ryan Walters is in a tough spot, with an overall roster that should be bet- ter than his 4-8 debut team but two stars (Burks and Scourton) who left via the transfer portal. A schedule that (per the Week 2 Associated Press Top 25) includes the Nos. 2, 5, 7 and 8 teams in the nation doesn't help matters, either. He's viewed as an up-and-comer, but he has an uphill battle. Advantage: Notre Dame INTANGIBLES Wherever Notre Dame goes, Irish fans follow. While this fan base is unique in its national nature, a game just more than two hours from South Bend should feature plenty of road fans. And Freeman made sure to point out that his team fed off the traveling contingent in College Station, Texas, in Week 1. Purdue will treat this game like its Super Bowl, so Notre Dame has to be careful not to overlook the Boilermakers on the road. If the Irish take this one seriously, it shouldn't be close. Advantage: Notre Dame Safety Dillon Thieneman is already one of the top safeties in the nation despite being just a sophomore. Last year, he racked up 106 tackles and 6 interceptions. PHOTO COURTESY PURDUE