Purdon’t

Man, Purdue is bo-ring. We know this. We also 'know' that they're not very good. Of course, I said that last week about Pitt's pass defense, and we were owned for a half and barely squeaked out a win. But, I'll say it again, Purdue is looking more like Purdon't. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA. Get it? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Purdue University no # GE 45T 9-22-85
This train is going nowhere.

Record: 2-1 against the 181st most difficult schedule according to Sagarin. Yep, there's a loss in there, and a squeaker of a win. Against the 181st SOS. 181!

Wins vs: Middle Tennesee State (27-24) and SE Missouri State (59-0)
Loss to: Rice (22-24)

The SEMizzou game was their last one, so they'll come in very rested, and ready to go. That said, they struggled with the Middle of the State of Tennessee and a Side Dish of Carbs. This shouldn't be close (which means it probably will be).

Offense

The Boilermakers boast a Top 10 Rushing Offense, and a bottom half (of the FBS) Passing Offense at 73rd. Running the ball is their bread and butter, where they're racking up 259 yards per game at a clip of just about 5.6 yards per carry. Pretty impressive. Then again, 181st SOS! This will be the first time this season that Purdue meets a DL anything remotely like ND's Top 25 unit. While Bolden scares me this year, as he did last year, he should be shut down if we can keep him contained on the edge. This should force Purdue into a less comfortable down and distance and force their passing game. Not a strength for them, and not a strength for us (relatively), but I don't see them putting up a ton of yards.

Where Purdue is good is putting points on the board. They are 33rd in the country in Scoring Offense (again, against no one, but still...) and they score 83% of the time in the red zone. While not world-beating, that's a rate that ND can't even sniff right now. ND is at 57% right now, btw.

Defense

Purdue is 19th in Scoring D with a really solid (181st SOS!) average of 16 ppg against. Even against that weak schedule, that's pretty good. They thrive against the run, holding their opponents to 2.8 yards per carry, good for 18th in the country. This is largely due to a pretty big middle of the DL, including one-time-ND-recruit Bruce Gaston anchoring the middle. He's a big muchacho and he's playing pretty well, especially for a young guy.

Purdue struggles a bit against the Pass though, ranking 60th and giving up 213 yards per game (6.5 per attempt). And their stats are very much padded due to the I-AA game where they performed much better against the vaunted aerial attack of the SE Mizzou State Redhawks (unranked in the FCS). Against Rice and Middle Tennessee, they gave up 286 yards per game and 7.2 per attempt. Much different story, when looking at 'real' competition. (SERIOUSLY 181ST!)

I don't expect ND to just air it out, but I do expect Purdue to make ND throw the football to win. Just like all of us, they've seen the fumbles and INTs that happen when we're forced to pass. If Purdue has a shot in this game, it's through Turnovers, so they'll give Tommy as many opportunities as possible to do just that.

Net Net

The Irish are taking on another team that appears inferior on paper and hasn't played anyone yet. This means they're hungry for victory, they've likely saved a lot of scheming for ND, and are likely healthier and more rested than the Irish with the blowout followed by a BYE week. If ND plays relatively clean ball and can match the energy of the Boilermakers, it shouldn't be close.

I guess we'll see if this team has the focus and killer instinct required to squash a subpar program on the road on Saturday. All the stats say this should be a whomping, but the only one that matters is the score Saturday. Go Irish.

About The Biscuit

Unabashed Notre Dame fan. Always right. Including when stating that you're wrong.
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