Notre Dame Football’s Defensive Front Knows What Purdue Will Ask of It

Purdue brings the most productive offense Notre Dame’s defensive front has seen this season. Boilermaker quarterback Ryan Browne has completed 74 of 101 passes for 1,024 yards in three games against Indiana State, Wake Forest, and UCLA, and running back Fame Ijeboi has 55 carries for 248 yards and six touchdowns.

Boubacar Traore was asked what that matchup asks of the front.

“We just need to be good with our lanes ’cause this guy, he’s a really good quarterback. He can throw the ball. He can obviously run,” he said.

The Irish work on that during the week. Traore was asked about the pre-snap work under first-year defensive line coach Charlie Partridge.

“Whenever we game plan, we talk about what formation they’re going to be in before plays come, so that helps a lot,” Traore said. “So I mean I feel like going through that every week helps all the guys get in the right places so they see the play before it actually happens.”

The front is coming off a game in which Michigan State ran 27 times for 44 yards and finished with just 167 total yards. Notre Dame had four sacks and six tackles for loss. Francis Brewu said much of the work behind those numbers never shows up in the box score, from knockback at the line to holding up against double teams.

“Those are all things we can do to help affect the game that doesn’t necessarily benefit us in a statistical way, but it makes a big difference if we’re getting that penetration or we’re holding onto doubles,” Brewu said. “It allows other guys on the team to eat.”

With Jason Onye out since the opener against Wisconsin, more of the interior snaps against Purdue fall to Brewu who hasn’t missed a beat filling in for Onye. His teammates have taken notice too.

“I mean he’s a force,” Traore said of Brewu. “He’s a force to be reckoned with. I mean him up the middle, I mean he’s great against the run, even greater against the pass. I mean he has an arsenal of pass rush moves that makes him hard to block, and it’s just, I mean, it’s great to have him on the side of me to rush with me.”

Browne has been sacked six times in three games already this season. To add to Browne’s sack total, the Irish defense will need to continue to play aggressively – something Brewu listed as one of the strengths of the line thus far this season.

“I think something we’ve been able to do well is play aggressive. You know, we try to play as aggressive as possible,” he said. “We’re nowhere near our ceiling and we’re working and practicing as hard as we can every day to improve on everything.”

Traore also talked about what he wants people watching on Saturday to take away from this group.

“Just showing that we play together. I mean whenever we celebrate after making a big play, I feel like that just shows everybody that’s watching that, yeah, this team’s together. They play for each other, and that’s just kind of what I like for other people to see,” Traore said.

The way the Notre Dame defensive line has been playing this season, there should be plenty more celebrating from the unit Satruday afternoon. While Purdue might have the best offense the Irish have faced so far this season, the Purdue offense also hasn’t faced a defense anything like what they will have to contend with this weekend.