Keys to the Big GamesWeek Five, Oct. 1Notre Dame vs. PurdueBy John Harris
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a. The Bonecrusher – The Minnesota run game had pretty much had its way with the Purdue defense last Saturday, and safety Bernard Pollard was a bit angry. In the second hald, a Gopher running back broke through a hole on the right side. Either he didn’t see Pollard, or couldn’t do anything about it, as the Bonecrusher put on a tackling clinic.
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With textbook form, Pollard ran through the ball carrier with such momentum that he picked up the poor Gopher and deposited him on his wallet. You didn’t have to wonder why he’s known as the Bonecrusher after that hit. Consequently, this week against Notre Dame, he’ll be a significant figure in the outcome of this game. Because of his versatility, Pollard is charged with stopping TE Anthony Fasano and being a primary run support player on RB Darius Walker.
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The Purdue star, though, will have to check a bit of his aggressiveness at the door and ensure that he’s reading his pass/run keys effectively, so as to not get burned on play action by QB Brady Quinn and Fasano. But, Notre Dame, in particular Walker, better know where he is at all times. As the Gopher RB found out late in that game, if you don’t have your head on a swivel, you might become another notch on #31’s belt. Walker has buried opponents this year with his consistent pounding, but with a physical presence like Pollard looking him up, it should make for an interesting day for the Irish sophomore. That’s right, folks, the Bonecrusher is in the building.---college football---
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b. A Cat with Nine Lives – With the loss of Taylor Stubblefield going into this year, the Purdue offense looked as though they might struggle. But, the graduation of Stubblefield, allowed other Boiler WR to step up and get more opportunities, mainly inside WR Dorien Bryant. The sophomore slot receiver leads the Boilermakers with 18 receptions, and even has 7 carries on the year, so it’s evident that the Purdue offensive staff is creatively finding ways to get the ball into #9’s hands. Playing in the slot, Bryant creates a ton of issues for the Irish secondary and linebackers. Although the Irish linebackers are a solid group, there’s no way that they can stay with Bryant in the passing game. If the dynamo gets loose, the Irish backers can’t get their hands on him, so if QB Brandon Kirsch gets time to throw, Bryant should be open for a nice, little catch and run.
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At that point, the Irish might need to roll safety Tom Zbikowski into Bryant’s area and at least give the Irish a chance to stay with him down field. This will be an interesting chess match to follow on Saturday, but no matter how Notre Dame chooses to ‘cover’ Bryant, he should get at least 8 to 10 touches. ---college football---
c. Sack Time, Part Deux – To say that the Purdue DE, Ray Edwards and Anthony Spencer, dominated the line of scrimmage last year, well, that would be about as accurate a statement as you could make. Although Quinn torched the Purdue secondary for 400+ yards, Spencer and Edwards made a statement as well. The duo had 4.5 sacks, the same number of tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles.---college football---
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About the only thing that they didn’t do was go into the stands and sell popcorn. But, if the Irish passing game is going to have the same type of success, OT Ryan Harris and Mark LeVoir are going to have to have the game of their life. However, the key is going to be, similar to last week for Minnesota, pounding on the dynamic duo in the run game as much, and as effectively, as possible. Last week, the Purdue DE combined for a total of one tackle for a loss and weren’t even able to get heat on Bryan Cupito. The Irish will mix in more pass than Minnesota, which still puts Harris and LeVoir one-on-one with Edwards and Spencer. If the Irish tackles keep them out of the backfield, Quinn should have another big day, but don’t expect this Boiler duo to be held in check for a second consecutive week.---college football---

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Conclusion – Although the Boiler offense is still trying to figure out its identity (run heavy? Spread option? Air attack?), the key to their success is QB Kirsch. The gutty signal caller was instrumental in the Purdue comeback last week, and should be again this week. Purdue won’t see a better running team than what they saw last week, and even in that vein, they did slow Maroney significantly in the second half. But, as much as you hate to say a loss is good for your team, Purdue may have gotten more out of their loss to Minnesota than had they escaped with a narrow victory. At home, expect them to get back in the W column. Purdue – 31 vs. Notre Dame – 28---college football---
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