Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Game Preview: Purdue On Paper By Andrew Owens Purdue Running Game Vs. Notre Dame Run Defense Boilermaker backs Akeem Shavers and Ralph Bolden have graduated, so the running duties belong solely to junior Akeem Hunt this season. Hunt boasts excellent speed (he's also the team's kick returner), but at 5-9, 184 pounds he has to prove he is durable enough to last an entire season. Protecting Hunt is an offensive line with three returning starters from a year ago. Fifth-year senior quarterback Rob Henry held the starting role in 2010 and led the Boilermakers in rushing with 547 yards. He will likely try to follow the formula of Temple quarterback Connor Reilly, who totaled 65 yards on the ground in the season opener and consistently moved the chains with his legs. Although they trailed most of the game and thus relied on the passing attack, the Boilermakers gained merely 65 yards rushing in the season-opening 42-7 loss to Cincinnati. Looming for Purdue this week is an Irish defense that is stout against the rush with a talented front seven. Senior nose guard Louis Nix III is used to having to deal with double- and triple-teams, and he faces an experienced interior offensive line this week. Advantage: Notre Dame Purdue Passing Game Vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense Henry's career at Purdue has come full circle. An injury and an academic issue with the team's veteran quarterbacks propelled him into the fire as a redshirt freshman in 2010. He missed all of 2011 after tearing his ACL during fall camp and did not reclaim the starting role in 2012. Instead, he was used intermittently as a running back, wide receiver and quarterback. This year, the position is all his, but it began with a rocky start in the lopsided loss to Cincinnati in which Junior running back Akeem Hunt is the Boilermakers' top returning rusher after compiling 335 yards and 8.0 yards per carry in a reserve role last season. photo courtesy purdue media relations Henry threw for 161 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Leading receiver Antavian Edison has departed, but seniors Gary Bush and O.J. Ross return after combining for 97 catches, 814 receiving yards and nine touchdown grabs a year ago. The Irish defense held a pass-happy Boilermaker offense to 198 yards through the air in the 20-17 Notre Dame win in 2012. Expect Notre Dame to employ a similar strategy against Purdue that it used in the season opener against Temple: Don't worry about