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Purdue QB
Drew Brees
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Each week during the season, Joel Buchsbaum spotlights key college games. This week, he
previews Purdue at Notre Dame. He breaks down each team, provides a scout’s
perspective on top players and picks a final score.
| Purdue vs. Notre
Dame |
Saturday, Sept. 16
at South Bend, Ind. |
Last year Notre Dame’s season began to unravel when the Fighting
Irish lost to the Boilermakers 28-23 in a game in which poor clock management and
confusion cost them dearly in the fourth quarter. This year the Irish are at a critical
juncture coming off a heartbreaking defeat in which they lost to Nebraska in overtime and
lost their quarterback, Arnaz Battle (broken wrist), and their best defensive lineman,
Grant Irons (separated shoulder), possibly for the season. No other Irish quarterback has
any experience, and at presstime the team had not even decided who its No. 2 quarterback
was going to be. The Irish will probably use practice this week to decide who will start
against Purdue. If Notre Dame can win this one after beating Texas A&M and almost
beating Nebraska, the Irish will be in a very good position to go to a bowl game and save
Bob Davie’s job.
Under head coach Joe Tiller and his wide-open passing offense, Purdue has become a Big
Ten pretender/contender and has high hopes of finally becoming a serious Rose Bowl
candidate in Drew Brees’ last year.
Quarterbacks — Purdue’s big edge is at quarterback, with
Brees being a gifted passer and a smart, savvy, tough player who sees the field well,
makes good decisions and has the great intangibles pro teams look for in a quarterback.
With a big game vs. the Irish and a run at the Rose Bowl, Brees will have a good shot at
the Heisman Trophy. However, some scouts view him as a product of Tiller’s brilliant
offensive scheme, and while they admire his great intangibles, they question how well he
throws the ball downfield. They also feel he is a player who will have to participate in a
game like the Senior Bowl to prove he is worthy of a first-round pick. Big edge:
Purdue
Running backs — While the Irish may be hurting in other areas,
they are in very good shape at running back. The best of those backs could be sophomore
Julius Jones, who looks a lot like his older brother, Thomas, who had a great year in 1999
for Virginia and was the first back picked in this year’s NFL draft. Tony Fisher is
good enough to start for most teams, including Purdue. The Boilermakers figure to go with
a combination of sophomores Montrell Lowe, a shifty scatback, and Steve Ennis, a bigger,
more powerful back. Edge: Notre Dame
Receivers — Purdue’s Tim Stratton is a very good
receiver, but despite weighing 252 pounds, he is not much of a blocker from his TE
position. Notre Dame’s Jabari Holloway is a fine all-around player who could be a
high draft pick if he picks up his intensity one more notch this year. Holloway’s
backup at tight end, Dan O’Leary, is not as athletic or gifted, but he has the size,
hands and intangibles to have a shot at the NFL. Both teams are replacing a lot of
veterans outside, but Purdue returns its top deep threat in Vinny Sutherland and recruited
very well in this area. Notre Dame’s Joey Getherall is an exciting little player who
does not always catch the ball as well as coaches would like. Edge: Even
Offensive linemen — The Boilermakers are led by three senior pro
prospects at the three most important positions. Their best blocker, Matt Light, starts at
left tackle. Their second-best blocker, Chukky Okobi, is the center. Brandon Gorin will
line up at right tackle. Notre Dame also has a veteran group led by senior OGs Mike Gandy
and Jim Jones. Gandy has a chance to be special if he starts to play up to his athletic
ability. Jones made himself a player in the weight room, where he is the team’s
bench-press champion. He also really improved his speed. Edge: Purdue
Defensive linemen — Notre Dame’s best pass rusher up front
was probably Irons at defensive end. With Irons out, the rest of Notre Dame’s
defensive linemen are going to have to step it up a notch. Purdue will probably have to
rely heavily on its linebackers to rush the passer. In this game, however, the key will
probably be how well the Boilermakers play the run and defend against Notre Dame’s
option. Edge: Purdue
Linebackers — The Boilermakers’ best pass rusher and
defensive player is OLB Akin Ayodele, who is a big-play maker and very explosive coming
off the edge. He probably will play more like an end than a linebacker and will be a
rusher on passing downs. Jason Loerzel is a talented all-around player who is coming off
an injury-filled year. The Irish need more big plays and plays for no yardage out of their
LB corps, led by Anthony Denman. Edge: Purdue
Defensive backs — This should be Notre Dame’s most improved
area now that FS Tony Driver has returned from the offense and CB Brock Williams is back
in the university’s good graces. Last year Notre Dame used Driver at tailback before
suspending him at the the end of the season. He has all the physical tools to become a
big-time safety and an All-America candidate and has impressed people by being a man on a
mission this year. Williams started in ’98, but he was suspended the entire ’99
season for violations of team rules. Purdue’s unproven secondary must jell for the
Boilermakers to become a legitimate Rose Bowl contender. Sophomore SS Ralph Turner and
junior-college CB Ashante Woodyard, a ’99 redshirt, are supposed to be big-time
talents. Edge: Notre Dame
Special teams — The Boilermakers have a big-play return man in
Sutherland and much better speed on special teams than they had last year. PK Travis
Dorsch must bounce back from an erratic sophomore year and do a much better job of kicking
off grass. Notre Dame has a lot of gifted return men, starting with Jones (who returned
one kickoff all the way vs. Nebraska and almost broke another), Driver and Getherall (who
brought a punt back for six against the Cornhuskers). However, per usual, the kicking game
could be the team’s Achilles’ heel. The fact that this game is in South Bend is
a big plus for the Irish, but they must get production out of the QB position regardless
of where they play. Edge: Notre Dame
Prediction: Purdue 27, Notre Dame 20
Also see: PFW's College Top 10 and College Notepad |
