Notre Dame vs. Purdue: Keys to an Irish Win

Notre Dame takes on annual foe Purdue in West Lafayette this weekend. After consecutive nail biters, many Irish fans just hope the game won't be decided in the final seconds. From a talent perspective Purdue doesn't figure to present the same challenge as Michigan or Michigan State. But talent may not mean much when a porous Irish defense faces a potent, balanced offense. Two weeks ago the Irish defense struggled in the Big House. Last week they gave up 30 points and 459 yards (including 354 yards passing) despite being on the field less than 26 minutes. In many ways it is inexplicable how much the Irish defense has underperformed. Entering the season the defensive line was a known weakness. To date they have proved to be a critical liability. Additionally, an athletic linebacker corps has been ineffective in co-defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta's blitzing schemes, and the deep and talented Irish secondary-the supposed strength of this unit-has been repeatedly victimi...