Getting Back on Track: What No.24 Notre Dame Needs Against Purdue

Liam Farrell
Sep 19
4 min read

The No. 24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish have put themselves in a rough position for playoff contention by starting 0-2 but are looking to get their first win of the year against their in-state rival.

Photo by Purdue Athletics

As disappointing as the beginning of the year has been, the Fighting Irish get another crack to etch their first win of the season against the Purdue Boilermakers. Last season when all hope was lost after the Northern Illinois game, the Irish were able to bounce back against the Boilermakers to the tune of a 66-7 victory.

After going 1-11 last year, Purdue made the switch to Barry Odom to resurrect their football program. After starting 2-0, the Boilermakers stumbled against the USC Trojans last week, due to many self-inflicted mistakes.

Here are three key storylines to look for in tomorrow's in-state matchup.

Depleted Secondary

The Notre Dame backend, which got torched for 360 yards against Texas A&M, will be put into a tough situation against Purdue. Captain Adon Shuler has to miss the first half because of a targeting penalty against the Aggies last week, and there are two other injury concerns for the Fighting Irish. All-American Leonard Moore is listed as questionable along with nickel Devonta Smith, who didn't play in the game against the Aggies after tweaking his ankle pregame.

This will mean the Irish will have to lean on Tae Johnson to fill in the secondary along with Luke Talich or Jalen Stroman. In terms of the cornerbacks, Karson Hobbs absolutely needs to play better than he did a week ago in the nickel role, and if Moore is unable to play, true freshman Mark Zackery IV will be thrown into the fire.

Purdue is quite talented on the outside as well, specifically with transfers Michael Jackson III and Nitro Tuggle who provide downfield speed for the Boilermakers. Purdue dropped back to pass 39 times last week, and with an injury riddled unit, the Boilermakers will undoubtedly be inclined to move the ball in the air, much like the Aggies did a week ago.

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Pressuring the Quarterback

Another key in this game lays on the defensive side of the football, which is to pressure the quarterback. The Irish did not have a single sack last week against the Aggies, and only have one all season long.

The ability to only rush four and create pressure through that scheme has evidently not worked, so it is up to defensive coordinator Chris Ash to figure out a new game plan. There has been much discourse about the apparent struggles Ash has had while transitioning in this role, and ultimately, Ash is at the end of the leash only three games into this season. It truly is mind boggling the mismanagement of talent on this year's defensive roster and there is absolutely no reason as to why this unit is playing so poorly.

Much of the struggles in the secondary have been because opposing quarterbacks have had plenty of time in the pocket. If the Irish can pressure the QB and play complementary defensive football, things can be trending in the right direction. This week especially, Notre Dame must be able to create havoc, as the Boilermakers' quarterback Ryan Browne has already thrown four interceptions this season.

Energy and Concentration

The first five minutes of this game should be able to tell you about the head coaching work of Marcus Freeman. Freeman has been known to get the most out of his players and find a way to motivate them to play at another level.

In a similar way to last season, the Irish are at an all-time low with two heartbreaking losses crumbling this team's expectations and any potential wiggle room they could have down the line. This means that the Irish have to play absolute perfect football for 10 games in a row, but, as always, things need to be taken one game at a time.

In this one, look at the body language of the players early on. Look to the sidelines and see where the energy level of this program is. If Freeman has his players locked and loaded, the energy and intensity should be the same as the Miami or Texas A&M game from the past two weeks. The Irish need to figure out a way to reset, block out the noise, and play to their true potential. This all starts tomorrow.

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