Notre Dame football: Expect another crazy ending in South Bend
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team takes on Purdue at home on Saturday, and we could be in for another dramatic ending in South Bend.
The Notre Dame football team has been through a lot over the first two weeks of the season, beating Florida State on the road in overtime, and then barely hanging on against Toledo last Saturday. It has been interesting to see how inconsistent this team has been, and rightfully so, as they had to replace 14 players who went to the NFL last offseason.
One thing that was supposed to be solid this season was the defense, as new defensive coordinator, Marcus Freeman looked to have them pointed in the right direction all summer long. However, through the first two games of the season, the defense has been atrocious at times, allowing way too many big plays, and letting teams hang around long enough to make each ending a heart-stopper.
On Saturday, you can likely expect more of the same from the Irish.
Notre Dame football should move to 3-0 on Saturday
Purdue is the best team they will have played so far this season, as they have an elite playmaker in David Bell and a quarterback who can flat out sling it. Jack Plummer is completing nearly 74 percent of his passes this season, and against this Notre Dame secondary, he should find the holes he needs to move the ball.
On the other side of the coin, Notre Dame’s offense is going to move the ball at will against Purdue, especially if they can get some blocking upfront. Jack Coan has had his moments so far in South Bend, including being replaced at times by Tyler Buchner against Toledo, but he is good enough to beat Purdue this weekend.
The truth is, these two teams are pretty evenly matched, and while I believe the Irish will win, it is going to once again go down to the wire. The Irish are talented on both sides of the ball, but so is Purdue, and this is not some MAC school that is going to shock Notre Dame, but a Big Ten school that can score in bunches.
The truth is, Purdue is a solid Big Ten team, but one that has not really been tested so far this season. Losing Horvath is a big blow for this offense, but Plummer will keep them in it long enough to make this a close one at the end. However, when all is said and done, the Notre Dame faithful will leave Notre Dame Stadium smiling.