Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 26, 2026 37 GAME PREVIEW: PURDUE BY JACK SOBLE PURDUE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE On the heels of a 2-10 season in 2025 that very much represented an improvement from the disas- trous 1-11 campaign in 2024, Purdue is still in the early stages of an arduous rebuild. As is often the case with rebuilding teams, Purdue's offensive line does not look great. The situation is made worse by the absence of fifth-year left tackle Joey Tanona, whom Notre Dame fans may remember as a signee in the 2022 class. He medically retired shortly after enroll- ing but revived his career with the Boilermakers, starting all 12 games in 2025. Tanona was set to reclaim his job as the lone returning starter up front, but has not played yet this season due to an ankle injury. Without Tanona, no Boilermakers offensive line- man (minimum 19 snaps) has a Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade over 61.1. Most sit around 50, which is below average. That's why despite facing Indiana State and Wake Forest, Purdue ranks 106th in the country with 3.79 yards per carry. How do we know the Boilermakers have strug- gled with offensive line play? They've allowed 6.0 tackles for loss per game (tied for 107th nation- ally). For reference, Notre Dame's struggling run game has allowed just 2.0 tackles per loss per game (tied for seventh). When Purdue has had success, it's been with junior running back Fame Ijeboi, a transfer from Minnesota who carried 38 times for 201 yards (5.3 yards per attempt) and 4 touchdowns in his first two games with the program. His elusiveness rating (a PFF advanced stat designed to measure rushing performance independent of blocking) of 238.0 is second among backs with 30-plus carries, and his PFF rushing grade of 91.8 is first by far. Ijeboi is extremely shifty and will make you look ridiculous as a defender if you're not careful. How- ever, he and the Boilermakers have not faced a defensive front close to Notre Dame's caliber. The Irish entered Week 3 at No. 10 in college football with 2.02 opponent yards per carry because their defensive front is, technically speaking, really frea- kin' good. Advantage: Notre Dame PURDUE PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE It's been a productive start to the season for Pur- due senior quarterback Ryan Browne, a returning starter who lived at the bottom of the statistical barrel last year. Browne's yards per attempt have improved from 6.4 in 2025 to 9.1 through two games in 2026. His touchdown-to-interception ratio has improved from 9:10 to 4:0. His pass efficiency rating has im- proved from 115.3 to 172.5. It's important to note that Browne's numbers looked much better before the meat of Big Ten play began last season, but he did lightly torch Notre Dame before the Irish got their act together in the secondary. Browne is not mobile, which means the Irish should expect him to get the ball out quickly. His wideouts have shown some promise, primar- ily senior Asaad Waseem and fifth-year Xavier Townsend. Notre Dame hosted Townsend for a transfer visit, an indication that the Irish respected his ability. Townsend is Browne's primary target on underneath throws (13 receptions for 105 yards), while Waseem is a weapon downfield (12 catches for 1072 yards and 1 touchdown). Additionally, sixth-year veteran Chauncey Mag- wood was a major factor in Week 2 against Wake Forest, catching 5 passes for 77 yards in the over- time loss. Senior tight end George Burhenn hasn't been super productive so far, but Purdue believes he has All-Big Ten potential if healthy. Decent group? It could be. Enough to beat a Leonard Moore-led secondary? Probably not. Browne has not faced excessive pressure (21 times in 2 games), though again, Notre Dame will be the best pass-rush unit he has faced. The guard spots have been trickier to figure out than the tackle spots, meaning it's a big game for Francis Brewu and Armel Mukam to create interior pres- sure. If Purdue wants to be respectable in Big Ten play, Browne and the passing game have to be a big part of it. But throwing on the Irish will be tough for the Boilermakers, as it is for everyone. Advantage: Notre Dame On PaPer Fifth-year left tackle Joey Tanona (No. 79), who began his career at Notre Dame, is the Boilermakers lone returning starter on the offensive line but was sidelined the first two games of the season by an ankle injury. PHOTO COURTESY PURDUE ATHLETICS