Thoughts, observations from rewatching Notre Dame’s win over Purdue
The astonishing stat quickly became ubiquitous on the Notre Dame interwebs.
The Irish allowed more 60-plus yard plays in Marcus Freeman’s first eight quarters as defensive coordinator (four) than they did in Clark Lea and Mike Elko’s four combined seasons in the job (three). It was a break in character for a usually stout unit and a coach universally held in high regard.
Sunday was a step — a few steps, perhaps — toward being the plucky defense everyone envisioned. Notre Dame allowed just six plays of 10-plus yards in Saturday’s win over Purdue, and none longer than 32. Purdue’s longest first-half gain was 11 yards. It averaged just 4.4 yards per play.
The Boilermakers scored their lone touchdown on a six-play, 75-yard march that included two 30-yard gains. Running back King Doerue uncorked a 31-yard run when cornerback Clarence Lewis missed a tackle at the line of scrimmage. Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer connected with receiver David Bell for a 32-yard catch on a downfield throw — the lone chunk play for the All-Big Ten pass-catcher.
Elsewhere, Purdue wide receiver Jackson Anthrop’s 22-yard catch-and-run on a screen happened when safety Houston Griffith missed a tackle.
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