While looking at the 2021 Notre Dame schedule before the season started, I did not think the meaningful games would start until week 4 when the Fighting Irish traveled to Chicago to take on Wisconsin. Opening the season on the road vs. Florida State on prime time was a game to worry about, but following up with home games against a MAC team in Toledo and then a bottom half B1G team with Purdue didn’t really get the heart rate up. Boy was I wrong. With the feeling after both games, you would think Notre Dame is 0-2 and not 2-0. The Florida State game was a nail-biter, followed by a performance vs Toledo that gave Notre Dame fans ugly flash backs to the 2009 UConn loss. Notre Dame has one more week to right the ship before the 5 game stretch of ranked teams starts.

A lot of the questions coming into the season have been answered. Jack Coan has taken the QB position to different level, and Kevin Austin has been the number one receiver that Irish fans have hoped for. Unfortunately, not all of the preseason question marks have been covered – the O-line cannot keep anyone out of the backfield and the defense, while great at times, cannot stop giving up the big play. It is wild to think that the two biggest things which needed to be fixed in order to make sure the season is a success are the two things Notre Dame has been known for year after: a great offensive line and a solid defense.

As confusing as the two performances have been this year, I do believe that Notre Dame took the steps needed this week vs Purdue to get the win. Now, will Notre Dame do enough to show that the first two weeks were a fluke and that this season will be great? That question might have to wait until the 5 large tests that follow this game. One of the biggest things I am looking for Saturday is for the running game to finally get going. The Irish have too much talent in the backfield with Karen Williams and Chris Tyree to be stagnate for a third week. I am guessing we will see both QBs like we did last week in Coan and freshman Tyler Buchner, but I don’t see that as a bad thing. They both have different things that they bring to the field; Coan can extend the field and get the ball downfield to the play-makers in Austin and TE Michael Mayer, and is a shown winner. Buchner keeps the defense guessing with his arm and legs, and he was the spark the Irish offense needed to get some running game going last week. I hope they don’t need him to spark the run game this week, but I do see him getting the chance to show off what he can do with his legs again. As for the defense, cut out the big plays and things are all well…easier said than done. Any time a new defensive coordinator comes in like Marcus Freeman, no matter how highly touted they are, there will be growing pains. Notre Dame has the playmakers on defense at all 3 levels in my eyes to be a great defense. Whether that be Isaiah Foskey on the defensive line, JD Bertrand at the linebacker position or the freak of nature All-American Kyle Hamilton in the secondary. They need to make the tackles and cut out the big plays and Saturday will be a whole lot better than the first two games.

Like I said in the first part of this blog, Purdue is a bottom half B1G team. Purdue does have enough talent to pull off the upset if the Irish fall behind, but the Irish are still far more talented. If Notre Dame can keep Coan upright, get the run game working and cut out the big plays when Purdue has the ball, then after week 3 the Fighting Irish should still be undefeated.