As Notre Dame prepares for Wisconsin, lets take a final look back at Purdue.
The defense had their best performance of the season against the Boilermakers. Even though it’s not necessarily in their DNA, it was surprising that Purdue didn’t try to stretch the field more against the Fighting Irish defense.
The reason for that might’ve been Purdue’s inability to make an impact with the running game. The Boilermakers gained 57 yards on 25 carries and their “short pass as an extension of the run” didn’t make a significant difference in the Fighting Irish’s defensive scheme.
Once again, JD Bertrand led Notre Dame in tackles with 12. Bertrand has had double-digit tackles in all three games this season.
The offense struggled at times. On paper everything looks fine but in reality there were struggles. Coan’s accuracy was off as he finished 15-30. The same could be said for Kyren Williams. Seeing a running back with 91 yards on 12 carries sounds good until you realize that it’s really 11 carries for 40 yards with a 51 yard run thrown in the mix.
All in all, the Fighting Irish did look better on Saturday. It was such a change from the first two games that, the main headline wasn’t the fact that Brian Kelly tied Knute Rockne for all-time wins at Notre Dame.
Kelly might be one of the most underappreciated coaches in the country. He has 105 wins at the most scrutinized football program in the nation.
