So, our Boilers are favored by three touchdowns...Their opponent is 0-4...That same opponent is last in the nation in offense and last in scoring offense...They're also one of the worst rushing defenses and are allowing more than 33 points per game to be scored on them. So, is it fair to say it should be an easy win at home for Purdue.
Not at all. Why?
The Irish defense is fourth in the nation in pass defense...not a good thing for a pass-heavy offense. Sure, one might argue that the above stat only shows that their opponents don't have to pass due to the leads they build up. Regardless, stats are stats. Notre Dame's offense scored twice last week...a flurry of points for a team that hadn't generated any prior to last week's game. So, you could say they have some momentum. They also have a coach that at one time, was arguably the best game-planning offensive coordinator in the football world. There's plenty still to be bothered by.
Also note:
-Purdue has only played one opponent that's strong than UND according to the Sagarin Index (CMU- 113, UND-114).
-Purdue has a knack of losing to UND teams that aren't very good.
-Purdue lost to UND with a tight end playing quarterback.
-Joe Tiller has been known to go away from his team's strengths during certain contests.
-Notre Dame's last TWO recruiting classes have been top-10, nationally. Further, three years ago, their transitional class was still stronger than Purdue's (according to Rivals.com). So the talent is in the stable, despite what your eyes might have told you the previous 4 weeks.
-A Purdue win would put the Boilers in the national spotlight for the first time this season as they would be preparing for another undefeated opponent. So looking ahead is something that needs to be guarded against.
I strongly dislike Notre Dame, its head coach & its starting QB...but I am not for a minute about to believe this is an easy "W" for my alma mater. Hopefully, this week's practice has been as business-like as the Tuesday presser with the Boilers indicated. Purdue coaches and players alike wouldn't allow the press to bait them into any bulletin board material for the Irish.
More to come later...