Blue and Gold Illustrated

Sept. 15, 2014 Issue

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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GAME PREVIEW: PURDUE On PaPer BY DOUGLAS FARMER PURDUE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Last year, Purdue's run game struggled to replace its leading rusher, and dynamo Akeem Hunt aver- aged only 3.8 yards per rush despite his big-play potential. The Boilermakers finished second to last in the nation with an average of just 67.1 yards per contest on the ground. Hunt, a senior, still gets plenty of carries — 15 for 78 yards in the season opener versus Western Michigan, including one he broke for 38 yards — but classmate Raheem Mostert will likely finish his career on top of the depth chart. Against Western Michigan, Mostert carried the ball 22 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. Mostert won both the 60- and 200-meter races at the Big Ten's indoor conference meet, so if he can get past Notre Dame's first level he'll be off to the races. However, a weak 2013 Purdue offensive line lost four of its starters this season, making it even more of a liability. Notre Dame's front seven may be young, but it is also very talented, led by junior defensive line- After producing 128 all-purpose yards in the season opener versus Western Michigan, senior running back Akeem Hunt ranked 12th among active players in the FBS with 3,428 all-purpose yards in his career. PHOTO COURTESY PURDUE

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