Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Game Preview: Purdue Fifth-year senior Jeremy Gallon will step into a bigger role as the team's top target this season, and sophomore tight end Devin Funchess also has a chance to become a major part of the passing attack. Funchess won freshman All-America honors last year with 15 receptions and five touchdowns. He and incoming freshman Jake Butt give Michigan the talent at tight end to continue to push toward that more hard-nose style of moving the ball. The Wolverines' strength also lies at the line of scrimmage on defense this season. A full first and second group of defensive linemen give Michigan a similar look to the 2012 Irish defense. Balas said Hoke's team may still have a few questions to answer on the back end, but the front seven should make it very difficult for opponents to run wild. "I think they're going to be a lot better defensively than people give them credit for," he said. "If they can stop the run it's going to make things a lot 2013 Purdue Schedule Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 31 at Cincinnati (ESPNU) L, 42-7 Sept. 7 Indiana State (BTN) W, 20-14 Sept. 14 Notre Dame (ABC) 8 p.m. Sept. 21 at Wisconsin TBA Sept. 28 Northern Illinois 12 p.m. Oct. 12 Nebraska TBA Oct. 19 at Michigan State TBA Nov. 2 Ohio State TBA Nov. 9 Iowa TBA Nov. 16 at Penn State TBA Nov. 23 Illinois TBA Nov. 30 at Indiana TBA easier for the defensive backfield." Notre Dame won't have to face returning top tackler Jake Ryan, who will miss at least the first half of the season with a knee injury, but Michigan has the talent to create backfield pressure with the four rushers they'll be able to put on the field. Junior defensive end Frank Clark and true freshman Taco Charlton are both expected to be impact players. Hoke's team took a small step backward last season after surprising the country with a Sugar Bowl victory during his first year in Ann Arbor. Despite the hiccup in the win column in 2012, Michigan appears to be following the time-tested pattern back to its sturdy roots. The return both schools are making to a more traditional mentality creates the makings of some memorable matchups in the Notre Dame-Michigan series, while it lasts. ✦ 2013 Notre Dame Schedule Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 31 Temple (NBC) W, 28-6 Sept. 7 at Michigan (ESPN) L, 41-30 Sept. 14 at Purdue (ABC) 8 p.m. Sept. 21 Michigan State (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Sept. 28 Oklahoma (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 5 vs. Arizona State^ (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19 Southern California (NBC)7:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at Air Force (CBSSN) 5 p.m. Nov. 2 Navy (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at Pittsburgh (ABC/ESPN) TBA Nov. 23 Brigham Young (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 30 at Stanford (FS1) TBA ^ Shamrock Series at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas