Early Season Game Turning Point For Irish
By: Bob Berry
9/10/99

     Coming off a disappointing and heartbreaking loss to a tough Michigan
football team last week, the Irish now must face another tough game that
looks like it could be the turning point in this season. As Notre Dame heads
to West Lafayette this weekend, they will be up against a highly talented
and underrated Purdue Boilermakers team. For the second week in a row, the
Irish face a nationally ranked team on the road. Whether or not the Irish
can rebound from last week's loss at Michigan is crucial in determining the
success of this season. A second straight loss could send Notre Dame heading
down a road with many losses considering the tough upcoming schedule they
face. However, a win against Purdue could turn this team around, giving them
confidence as they head back to South Bend for five consecutive home games
in Notre Dame Stadium. A place where the Irish have not loss since 1997.
     The Notre Dame versus Purdue rivalry has really come about over the
last few years. In 1997, Purdue broke through at Ross Ade Stadium with an
upset win over the Irish. It was that game that stood as the breakthrough
game for Purdue's football program. A series that had been dominated by the
Irish in recent times until 1997. Last year in South Bend, the Irish made a
miracle comeback late in the game by intercepting two Drew Brees passes and
turning them into 10 late points to pull out a last minute stunning victory
over the Boilers. This year both teams look to improve on last years game in
South Bend. This meeting marks the first time since 1980 that both Notre
Dame and Purdue are ranked in the top 25 going in to the game. A matchup of
top 25 teams is not all you will see this Saturday when these two teams take
the field. Notre Dame and Purdue also presents one of the best quarterback
matchups of the year between Notre Dame's Jarious Jackson, and Purdue's Drew
Brees.
     It will be tough to find a better quarterback matchup anywhere this
season in college football. Both Jackson and Brees are also two of the most
exciting players to watch, both bringing multiple talents to the field.
Jackson brings to the Irish offense an ability to scramble and pick up
significant yards on the ground, as well as throw successfully down field.
His outstanding athletic ability may be his best asset as Jackson has found
great success this season running the football with his great athleticism.
Brees on the other hand has his success putting the ball in the air, and
doing so quite often. Brees is currently setting all kinds of passing
records at Purdue, and is always looking for more. Under head coach Joe
Tiller, Brees is given the opportunity to throw the ball on nearly every
play, and has become an early season Heisman Trophy candidate. While Purdue
will have to focus on stopping the run as well as the pass, Notre Dame's
main focus on defense will be limiting Drew Brees and his wide open offense.
     There are going to be several things to look for in this game that will
prove to be keys to the game. For Notre Dame on offense, they must keep
Purdue's defense off balance much like they did last week with outstanding
variety in the play calling. With Jarious Jackson suffering from a bit of
turf toe from last week, his health is a concern, but also look for backup
Arnaz Battle to see some quality playing time. Getting Battle in the game is
also a key for the Irish. Battle's ability to run the option play is much
better than Jackson's, and he also brings more speed running the ball. With
Battle in the game, look for offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers to use the
play action pass to throw deep against the Purdue defense. When Battle
plays, Purdue's defense will be expecting the run so look for some play
action to keep the defense off balance. This may result in some big plays
for the Irish offense. Look for sophomore tailback Tony Fisher to have
another solid game as he should see most of the carries from the tailback
position. Fisher's speed to the outside that has been evident in the first
two games will also loom large in this game. Raki Nelson seems to be finding
his niche as the leader in Notre Dame's receiving core. Look for Nelson and
emerging sophomores David Givens and Javin Hunter to make most of the pass
receptions. The last thing the Irish must do on offense is to protect the
ball much better than they have in the first two games this season. Turning
the ball over against Purdue and putting the ball in the control of their
explosive offense will not bode well for the Irish. With the injury of Joey
Getherall look for explosive freshman Julius Jones to see kick and punt
return duty. Jones was one of Notre Dame's top recruits in the offseason,
and has big play capability.
     Defensively for the Irish they must contain Drew Brees. In order to
limit Brees's effectiveness, the Irish will have to come up with more
pressure than they did last week against Tom Brady. Lamont Bryant was really
the only Irish player to put any kind of consistent pressure on the Michigan
quarterbacks as he came up with the only two Notre Dame sacks of the game.
If Brees is allowed the kind of time that Brady was, it will be a long
afternoon for the Irish secondary. Look for defensive coordinator Greg
Mattison to have some blitz packages ready for Brees to try and disrupt his
rhythm. Brees is the most dangerous quarterback the the Irish will face this
season, and he has the ability to beat a team if he is giving all day to
throw the football. As Notre Dame did last year, they will have to put
steady pressure on Brees and force some turnovers. It was two crucial
interceptions late in the game last year that allowed for Notre Dame to pull
out a thrilling victory. Notre Dame's defense failed to cause any turnovers
last week against Michigan, and it may have decided the game. The Irish lost
the turnover battle three to nothing against the Wolverines. If the Irish
lose the turnover battle this week, it will be extremely difficult to come
away from Ross Ade Stadium with their second win of the season.
     In this the third game of the season for the Irish, I look for this to
be the turning point for the team. Coming away from this game with a win
will give this Irish team a chance to achieve something special this year.
Notre Dame has the strength of schedule this year to make a run at a
national title if they can finish with one loss. While that seems far away
at this point, winning against Purdue will put them in good position to hold
serve at home, and then head to Knoxville which could be a matchup of top 10
teams. However, the national championship should be the farthest thing from
the minds of the Irish right now as they prepare for Purdue. If Notre Dame
can protect the ball and put some pressure on Drew Brees, I look for Notre
Dame to win this game just because they are deeper and more talented than
the Boilers. Come this Saturday, you will see two teams looking to use this
game to determine the course their seasons will take. The question remains
for the Irish. Will this game put them back on course for a great season, or
will they be hit by a train and be sent backwards?