Notre Dame has become the celebrity of the college football world for the past week and not for the right reasons. After what looked like a program-defining win against Texas A&M in Week One, disaster struck for the Irish in the home opener. Before last Saturday’s game, MAC teams were 0-51 against AP top-five opponents. Northern Illinois went into South Bend and made it 1-51, outplaying the Irish from start to finish. The devastating loss removes all margin for error for Notre Dame going forward if it wants to sneak into the College Football Playoff. For now, the Irish set their sights on in-state rival Purdue in Week Three. Here are three ways Notre Dame can make a much-needed response to last week’s showing.
Lean into the rushing attack
The expectation after a conservative game plan in Week One was for offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock to push the ball downfield against NIU. The passing attack, however, sputtered behind the massive struggles of Riley Leonard. The senior quarterback went 20-for-32 with 163 yards and two interceptions. He has yet to throw a touchdown pass through eight quarters of football. To make things worse, recent reports have said that Leonard suffered a shoulder injury during the game. While he is set to play against the Boilermakers, the focus of the offense has to shift to the running game. The performance of sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love was one of the few bright spots from the upset defeat. Love rushed for 79 yards on 7.2 yards per carry with an incredible touchdown run highlighted by a hurdle over the final defender en route to the end zone. Junior running back Jadarian Price pitched in 24 yards as well but only received four carries, combining with Love for 15 total rush attempts on the game. Especially with Leonard hobbled, that number will have to go way up if Notre Dame wants to consistently move the ball. Establishing the rushing attack could also provide more opportunities for the wide receivers, particularly graduate transfer Beaux Collins, who has managed 107 receiving yards through the first two games despite how unreliable the passing attack has been.
Win in the trenches defensively
Considering the talent of Notre Dame’s defensive line, it is fair to say that the group has significantly underperformed so far this season. An interior of graduate students Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills should not be getting pushed around by NIU’s offensive line, but that was what happened all game. The Huskies rushed for 190 yards and converted six of 17 third downs. While that number is not staggering, every time they needed yards for a big conversion, they were able to get them, including on their final field goal drive that would prove to be the game-winner. RJ Oben was brought in through the portal to pressure the quarterback, but the graduate transfer has yet to log a sack or tackle for loss. The entire team has only generated one sack in two games. The defensive line will need to perform better to contain a Boilermaker offense that put up 49 points in its season opener while protecting its quarterback well, allowing only one sack.
Shut down the Purdue passing game
As mentioned, Purdue produced an offensive explosion to open up its season, albeit against FCS competition in Indiana State. Hudson Card, who transferred in last season from Texas, was near perfect on the day, completing 24 of 25 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Notre Dame’s secondary, however, is one of the best in the country and will need to play like it on Saturday. Between graduate safety Xavier Watts, the reigning defensive player of the year, and junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison alone, the Irish secondary should match up well with a young Purdue wide receiver corps that rotated frequently in Week One. Graduate safety Jordan Clark, who was one of the few good performers on the Irish defense last weekend, and sophomore safety Adon Shuler, who has flashed in the first two starts of his young career, will both contribute as well. Shutting down this Purdue passing attack will be paramount to a successful defensive outing from the Irish.
