Notre Dame vs. Purdue preview

Another weeked and another huge game for the Irish

Saturday night’s matchup between Notre Dame and Purdue will mark the 8181st meeting between the two storied football programs. Last year, the Fighting Irish smacked the Boilermakers in South Bend 38-2, but it won’t be that easy this time around.

When Notre Dame has the ball:

Unfortunately, the injury bug has bitten the Irish.  Superstar Mike Floyd will be sorely missed and it’s still unknown - as colleague Brian Clarke noted in his blog - what the status of Armando Allen Jr. is. Allen has clearly stepped up his game this year and has been running with a full head of steam. If he can’t play, Weis said we can count on seeing Robert Hughes and Jonas Gray on the field; two backs that have seen limited time this year.  

Clausen is another star whose status is uncertain. Weis is almost positive he’ll play, but how affective will he be with his injured foot? Look for a lot of short dump-offs to the running backs to get Clausen into a groove. And don’t sleep on Kyle Rudolph. There isn’t a linebacker in the country that can cover the agile tight end. He and Golden Tate will be the go-to-guys for the offense now that Floyd is gone. 

Also, look for more wildcat formations from the Irish offense. They found success with it against Michigan State and I wouldn’t be surprised if they implemented more of it this week, especially to give Clausen some time to rest. 

When Purdue has the ball:

This game is clearly hanging on the shoulders of defensive coordinator Corwin Brown.   The offense has been carrying the Irish all season, while the defense has been miserable (aside from the Nevada game). Purdue’s offense under new head coach Randy Hope is nothing to sleep on either.

The Boilermaker’s success begins with their quarterback, Joey Elliot. He has a live arm and has the ability to escape the pocket, as he proved with two rushing touchdowns last week. He also has an extremely talented running back to hand the ball off to in Ralph Bolden. If the Irish decide they want to tackle like they did against Michigan State, Bolden could easily rush for 200 yards.   

​
Nster.com