Saturday afternoon, the 24th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the 2-1 and unranked Purdue Boilermakers in this in-state rivalry matchup inside of Notre Dame Stadium. Last season, the Irish held the Boilermakers to seven points in West Lafayette, but this is a different Notre Dame defense and a different looking Purdue offense than last season. It's put up or shut up time for the Chris Ash defense, and all eyes will be on this side of the ball this weekend. Let's dive into the three biggest storylines, two biggest position battles and one player to keep your eye on for the defense against the Purdue offense.
Three Biggest Storylines
This defense has been a major let down this season under Ash. This game, these storylines and the overall keys to success are more about the defense playing to the Notre Dame's standard than they are about matching up against Purdue. These three storylines are a testament to what we need to see from this defense on Saturday to know they're headed in the right direction moving forward.
1. Play With Relentless Aggression - Through two weeks, we've watched this defense play more passively than I've seen a Notre Dame defense play in quite some time. They're playing more "fit ball" than football and it's reflecting on the box score and on the score board. Through two games, this defense has given up 812 total yards of offense, 565 of those yards came through the air. They're playing a passive zone coverage, the safeties aren't playing anywhere close to as aggressive as they played last season. The defense ranks dead last in the country in tackles for a loss (4.0) and are tied last in sacks generated on the season (1.0). These are products of passive play and this defense needs to get back to their identity of playing fast, violent and downhill football.
2. Fix The Coverage Structure - This is not the same pass defense we saw last season despite being told this defense wouldn't change drastically under a new defensive coordinator. They're running significantly more zone coverage compared to last season, and the experiment needs to come to a close. It's beneficial for any defense to have the capability to mix up their coverages, but when the changes have been this drastic, that leads to secondaries giving up 565 passing yards in two games. Last season, Notre Dame had the No. 4 passing defense in yards per game allowing 169.4. This season, after two games, they ranked No. 126 in the country allowing 282.5 yards passing yards per game. They're gearing up to face a Purdue offense that ranks No. 33 in the country in passing yards per game (271.7), it's time to go back to what worked so well a season ago.
3. Tackle, Tackle, Tackle - In two games this season, Notre Dame's defense has a total of 21 missed tackles against Miami and Texas A&M. This is another product of playing passively and not taking the fight to your opponent. Missed tackles, especially in crucial moments, have plagued this defense through two games and have resulted in big plays. Mario Craver's 86 yard touchdown to open the scoring for the Aggies comes to mind. Regardless, it's time to move forward and this defense will have to tackle with significantly better fundamentals than what they did in the first two games this season.
Two Key Battles
1. Notre Dame's Nickel Corner vs Michael Jackson III - Opposing slot receivers have given Notre Dame's secondary, specifically the nickel corner, fits through the first two games. In week one, against Miami, Malachi Toney caught six passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Last Saturday, Mario Craver, Texas A&M's slot receiver caught seven passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. Out of the 565 passing yards Notre Dame has allowed in two games, 289 of those yards came from slot receivers. For reference, in 16 games last season, Notre Dame's nickel corner Jordan Clark allowed 308 total receiving yards. Whether it's DeVonta Smith, Karson Hobbs or a third option, they'll be going against Purdue's leading receiver in terms of receptions in Michael Jackson III. The play of Notre Dame's slot corner has to elevate and the coaches will have to put them in better positions to succeed.
2. Notre Dame's Pass Rush vs Purdue's Pass Protection - Last week, Purdue's offensive line gave up 31 pressures and 12 hits plus sacks on the quarterback against USC. Notre Dame has a grand total of 34 pressures and six hits plus sacks on the quarterback this season. If the Irish can't generate a pass rush against this Purdue offensive line, then it's unlikely we will see this unit generate a pass rush against any remaining team on their schedule. It's now or never for this pass rush, and I'm expecting a big performance out of some players. They will have to do a better job creating negative plays and sacking the quarterback on Saturday or this could be a very long season.
One Player To Watch: Defensive End Boubacar Traore
This is a defensive player that Notre Dame has to find a way to get going. Boubacar Traore is one of, if not your most, gifted pass rusher off the edge and has recorded the only sack of the season. He's long, extremely twitchy and plays with great speed off the edge. Ash and defensive line coach Al Washington will have to turn him loose against Purdue's offensive line, a unit that's reeling after giving up 31 pressures and 12 hits plus sacks on the quarterback against USC a week ago. Traore is back to full health and has played 89 total snaps this season which is fifth on the team despite coming back from a knee injury suffered in September of 2024.
This goes back to the first storyline in this article: the Notre Dame defense has to play significantly more aggressive in their upcoming matchups and that starts up front. Traore is a player who can take over games defensively. Purdue's quarterback Ryan Browne can make plays when given time in the pocket. Traore, along with the rest of the Fighting Irish defensive line, will have to do their part in disrupting his rhythm and getting Browne uncomfortable in the pocket.
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