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✦ News & notes made an extraordinary play on his diving interception that help cut Notre Dame's deficit to 34-27. The three-man rotation at inside linebacker with fifth-year seniors Carlo Calabrese and Dan Fox plus junior Jarrett Grace was "considerably better from week one to week two," according to Kelly, who believes they will continue to improve. The athletic skills of freshman Dog linebacker Jaylon Smith, who has been thrust into the fire, provide huge optimism. "Occasionally you're going to be put in some compromising positions," Kelly said of Smith's development. "He's a young man that makes up for some of those mistakes with the way he plays." The overall secondary, though, struggled against the Wolverines. It was particularly not the finest hour for the starting cornerbacks, senior Bennett Jackson and sophomore KeiVarae Russell — two consistent mainstays in 2012, but Kelly believes both will bounce back well. "They have got to go out there and compete, and they have got the ability to do it," Kelly said. "We've got to get it out of them." Drastic lineup changes are not the answer to Kelly. Other players can be rotated in during the course of an arduous, physical season, but the nucleus is expected to stay intact. "By and large, what you see is what you got, and we need to continue to get better," Kelly summarized. Troy Niklas: Heir To A Tradition Last weekend, junior Troy Niklas became the first Notre Dame tight end in 27 years to catch a touchdown pass in the first two games of a new season. In the opener against Temple he snared a 66-yard touchdown — the third longest reception by a tight end in school history Junior running back Amir Carlisle's father, Duane Carlisle, serves as Purdue's director of sports performance. photo by bill panzica Miscellaneous Notes • Notre Dame junior running back Amir Carlisle, whose 132 yards rushing and 6.9 yards per carry lead the team, is the son of Purdue's director of sports performance, Duane Carlisle, who works directly with its strength and conditioning program. The younger Carlisle's transfer from USC at the end of the 2011 season was precipitated in part by the move to the Midwest by his father. • Boilermakers defensive coordinator Greg Hudson is a 1990 Notre Dame graduate who was a reserve linebacker under Irish head coaches Gerry Faust and Lou Holtz. Hudson also was the linebackers coach at Florida State when the Seminoles defeated Notre Dame 18‑14 in the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl. • This will be Purdue's eighth night game in Ross-Ade Stadium — and the fourth against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish won the three previous meetings in 2005 (49‑28), 2009 (24‑21) and 2011 (38‑10). Purdue is 1-6 in home night games. • This will be the 85th meeting between the in-state rivals who have played each other every season since 1946. Only Navy, which will face Notre Dame for the 87th time this season, has played the Fighting Irish more often. Notre Dame leads the series 56-26-2 and has won five straight, last losing during the 3‑9 season in 2007 (33-19). The Irish are 22-5 against Purdue since 1986, highlighted by the series record 11-game winning streak under Lou Holtz from 1986-96. • Notre Dame freshman quarterback Malik Zaire, who has been battling mononucleosis the past few weeks, has been cleared this week by the team medical staff for cardiovascular work and throwing the football, but is not yet able to partake in contact. Zaire was one of 14 freshmen (there are 23 on scholarship) who made the trip to Michigan last week, but he did not dress for the game. Senior Luke Massa, who began the year at receiver, remains the No. 3 quarterback behind classmates Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix. ✦ Page 13 — and last week he grabbed six passes in the second half for 76 yards, highlighted by a 20-yard score in which he adjusted to catch a low throw, navigated through traffic and kept his balance while diving into the end zone after a hit. The previous tight end to catch a touchdown in each of the first two games was senior Joel Williams in 1986. Since then, 11 other Fighting Irish tight ends have played in the NFL, including first-round picks Derek Brown (1992), Irv Smith (1993) and Tyler Eifert (2013), and the recent streak of second-rounders Anthony Fasano (2006), John Carlson (2008) and Kyle Rudolph (2011). Before then there have been College and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Dave Casper (1971-73), Walter Camp Award winner and first-round pick Ken MacAfee (1978), first-round choice Tony Hunter (1983) and Pro Bowl performer Mark Bavaro (1985). Cautious in his appraisal of the 6-6½, 270-pound Niklas this August, head coach Brian Kelly no longer sees a reason to quell his enthusiasm. "He has a great opportunity to be one of those great tight ends at Notre Dame," Kelly said. "He can dominate at the line of scrimmage in the run-blocking game and can vertically be an asset to any passing game." Niklas actually started seven games last season at tight end while Eifert was flexed out wide, and finished with five catches for 75 yards and a score, similar to his numbers at Michigan. His role was mainly as a blocker after moving over from defense, but his skills are expanding. "What we saw was a guy that can catch the ball on those linebacker matchups at five to seven yards and get you 10 to 12," Kelly said. "That's what tight ends are born to do, and he's starting to show that." ✦