Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 14, 2024 39 GAME PREVIEW: PURDUE NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. PURDUE RUN DEFENSE The Irish could have abandoned the run game in Week 1 against Texas A&M. They were hit at the line of scrimmage on half their rushing attempts (17 of 34) that night, per SIS. But to offensive coor- dinator Mike Denbrock's credit, they kept pushing until they eventually broke through. What the offensive line lacks in experience, it makes up for in nastiness, and it should only get better from Game 1 against a difficult defensive front. The Irish also have two running backs in sophomore Jeremiyah Love and junior Jadarian Price who can, have and will break a big one on any given play, as well as an elite rushing quarterback in senior Riley Leonard. Together, the three of them rushed for 198 yards on 34 carries with 2 touchdowns, one each for Price and Love. That's 5.8 yards per carry, and defenses not knowing where the ground attack is coming from on any given play is a boost for Notre Dame. Is Purdue well equipped to stop that ground attack? It's difficult to say, because the Boilermak- ers' defensive front looks different than it did last season and we can't learn much from a matchup with Indiana State. It was a middle-of-the-pack run defense last year, placing eighth in the Big Ten with 3.9 yards per carry allowed. Some changes include the loss of edge rusher Nic Scourton, whom Notre Dame fans know well from his new school, Texas A&M. The other edge rusher, Senior Kydran Jenkins, who moved from edge rusher to linebacker after last season, notched 4 tackles with 2 for loss and 1 sack in his first game at his new position. PHOTO COURTESY PURDUE Todd D. Burlage: Notre Dame 41, Purdue 13 With an early first bye week coming Sept. 7, the only Purdue sample we have so far this season comes from its 49-0 rout at home over FCS Indiana State Aug. 31. Led by sturdy 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior quarterback Hudson Card, the Boilers piled up 248 rushing yards and 335 passing yards in the wire-to-wire tune-up. Card went 24-of-25 passing for 273 yards with 4 touchdowns and 0 inter- ceptions in the season opener. Can Card replicate that kind of performance against arguably the best pass defense in country? No chance. An old-school in-state rivalry that dates back to 1896 and includes 85 games resumes this weekend with Notre Dame rolling to its fourth straight win at Ross-Ade Stadium. Steve Downey: Notre Dame 31, Purdue 7 If it feels like it has been a long time since the Boilermakers beat the Fight- ing Irish, that's because it has been. Purdue hasn't taken down Notre Dame on the gridiron since a 33-19 win at West Lafayette in 2007. Since then, the Irish have won eight straight by an average of 12 points. The Boilermakers were impressive in their season-opening 49-0 win over Indiana State, racking up nearly 600 yards of total offense. However, this top- five Notre Dame squad is a much different animal. The Irish's defense was as good as advertised to open the season, while the offense showed its mettle with a clutch fourth-quarter drive for the go-ahead score at Texas A&M. Fac- ing a Purdue defense that ranked last in the Big Ten with an average of 30.4 points allowed per game, the offense will continue to take steps forward. The Irish win this one going away. Kyle Kelly: Notre Dame 27, Purdue 16 When we published our Football Preview, I picked the Purdue game as the one that could put Notre Dame on "Upset Alert." But after seeing Marcus Freeman get arguably the biggest win of his coaching career on the road at Texas A&M, I like the Irish to make it out of West Lafayette unscathed. Give me the Irish in a closer game then most might expect. Tyler Horka: Notre Dame 41, Purdue 17 Graham Harrell is a gifted offensive mind. Being in his second season coaching quarterback Hudson Card, a veteran with three years of experience at Texas prior to getting to Purdue, will be good for a couple touchdowns and a field goal at home. That feels like a lot against a defense as talented as that of Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish's own offense will do enough to make anything the Boilermakers do offensively feel like a footnote. Purdue is set to have a much better season than the 4-8 campaign Ryan Walters orchestrated in his first season at the helm there. But this is Notre Dame, a team that has historically had few problems with Purdue in a rivalry with extensive history. The Irish have not lost to the Boilermakers since 2007 and that streak will not snap in West Lafayette this week. Mike Singer: Notre Dame 38, Purdue 21 This will be a Super Bowl for the Boilermakers, and I really expect them to get up for this game and make it interesting for a bit, but the Fighting Irish will pull away and will win fairly comfortably. Notre Dame is just too good this season and will win by three scores. Jack Soble: Notre Dame 45, Purdue 10 This game is on the road, but I don't see Purdue having an advantage in any facet. The Boilermakers have a couple excellent defensive players in Kydran Jenkins and Dillon Thieneman — the latter might be the best defensive back on Notre Dame's schedule — but they can't stop the Irish by themselves. Notre Dame will roll, and a national audience will start to realize just how good this defense is. Staff Predictions