Notre Dame is off to a 2-0 start but there have been some troubling areas for the Irish offense. With Purdue coming to town the Notre Dame offense gets another shot to get its offense on track in all areas of the game. Purdue will challenge Notre Dame and we'll quickly find out if the Irish are making positive strides.
We continue our coverage of the Notre Dame/Purdue matchup by taking a look at how the Fighting Irish offense stacks up against the Boilermaker defense.
Notre Dame Rush Offense vs Purdue Rush Defense
Advantage: Purdue
I can't believe I'm actually writing this, but Purdue's run defense has been far more impressive than Notre Dame's ground game through two games. Purdue held Oregon State to 77 rushing yards a year after the Beavers averaged almost 200 yards per game on the ground.
Notre Dame hasn't exactly played a pair of stout run defenses either, which makes the start to the season even more disappointing from a run game standpoint. In the above video we break down the matchup and what Notre Dame can and must do to get its ground attack on track.
Notre Dame Pass Offense vs Purdue Pass Defense
Advantage: Notre Dame
Notre Dame's pass game has been quite dynamic through two games, averaging over 340 passing yards per game. The Irish pass catchers have been outstanding and quarterback Jack Coan, when given time, has been very good. Of course, him having time has been an issue at times.
Purdue has one of the nation's best pass rushers in George Karlaftis. Keeping him from taking over the game is a must for Notre Dame. In the video above we break down the pass game matchup.
Notre Dame Scoring Offense vs Purdue Scoring Defense
Advantage: Notre Dame
Despite having a porous offensive line the Notre Dame offense has scored at a good level and has moved the ball quite well. The Irish offense has been outstanding in the red zone, but turnovers and its third-down offense hasn't been up to par, along with its four turnovers in two games.
Purdue's numbers look great but it beat an Oregon State team that just isn't that good and it dominated a UConn team that could very well be the worst FBS team in the country. UConn has yet to score a point in its two games against FBS teams. The point is Purdue hasn't been tested and its numbers don't quite match up to its talent or potential.
We break all that down in the video above.
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