Notre Dame’s next opponent: Purdue University

Fighting Irish take on Boilermakers as season heats up

Defense: 31, 36 and 28. No, those weren’t last night’s Powerball numbers. They’re the amount of points the Purdue defense has been lit up for. And that’s not necessarily a promising stat going into a game against the high-octane offense of Notre Dame. 

The defensive line, in particular, has struggled this season. They’ve combined for a whopping four sacks and have given up over 180 rushing yards per game. And it doesn’t get much stronger with the secondary, which is giving over 250 passing yards per game.

Names you’ll hear on Saturday:

Jason Werner, LB: Purdue’s best defensive player. Already has 27 tackles, a sack, an interception and six tackles for loss.

Ralph Bolden, RB: Versatile back that can catch (127 receiving yards) almost as good as he runs (421 rushing yards).

Keith Smith, WR: Has 17 catches for 222 yards to lead the Purdue receivers. No doubt he has the ability to challenge the Irish secondary this weekend. . 

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Nster.com