Game Recap: Notre Dame 23 Purdue 12

 As far as debut games go, I think that the 23-12 victory over Purdue was a perfect start for the Kelly Era.  I wouldn't have complained if it was 35-7 at the half (like Weis) or a shutout (like Willingham), but we saw competent, solid play in all phases of the game.  The defense tackled, the offense blocked and the special teams were special in a good way.  There were still some shadows of the Weis Era lingering in the Stadium, as the whole sequence following Michael Floyd's fumble -  the safety to the Marve run to Cierre Wood fumbling the kickoff return - had me ready to turn to the heavy stuff in the liquor cabinet.  However, a funny happened on the way to the collapse: The team calmly rallied, it made the stops it needed to and then set up the field goal to make it a two-score game.  Not flashy, but not bad for an afternoon's work.

We will start with the defense, which played a great game overall.  The defensive line was consistently great, with Ethan Johnson, Ian Williams and Kapron Lewis-Moore running roughshod over the Purdue offensive line throughout the afternoon.  Danny Hope rolled Marve out on most of the game, and he had to, as any time his quarterback was sitting in the pocket he was doomed.  Johnson had two sacks, Ian Williams had a pick and KLM was a couple of inches away from a fumble return touchdown.  Kudos also go to the backups, as there was not a large drop of quality when the starters took a breather.  If Kelly can build up depth over this hellish six-game stretch to start the season, it'll pay off big time in November and beyond.

The linebackers provided a mix of great plays and a few missed assignments and tackles.  Carlo Calabrese was an absolute rock in the middle, tackling surely and generally looking like and doing all the thing a linebacker should do.  Manti Teo started off a little iffy, over pursuing and missing some tackles, but by the second half he was sniffing out screens and dominating the middle of the field like the team needs him to be.  Darius Fleming was lost to cramps for a majority of the game and some of the outside containment by his fellow outside linebackers was less than ideal (to put it lightly, especially on Marve's touchdown run, a flashback to QBForce's last year), but the Boilermakers could never get their run game going and Marve always seemed to have players swarming around both him and his targets.  Solid effort all around, but there is some work to be done going forward.

The secondary was fantastic in run support, led by Gary Gray, who was just cutting the ball carrier down anytime they went outside.  Darrin Walls also contributed around the line of scrimmage and added a pick on a brilliant play where he baited the ball right into his arms.  A couple Boilers got open deep in the second half, but overall Hope didn't really test the back end of the Irish defense.  Jamoris Slaughter tweaked an ankle and Zeke Motta filled in admirably next to Harrison Smith, but I'd say while we don't have enough evidence yet to decide whether the secondary has improved dramatically from last season, things are trending in the correct direction.

Overall, good work by the defense, making stops when they needed to and really dominating for stretches.  I'm not sure Purdue had the best game plan, but it's entirely possible the constant pressure (not constant blitzing; two different things, Jon Tenuta) just made things look that confused.  Marve's touchdown run on fourth and short is really inexcusable, but I'm sure the team will be reminded of that as they watch highlights of Denard Robinson sprinting all over Ann Arbor.

On offense, again, solid but not spectacular.  Dayne Crist never made the big mistake, but also seemed a bit hesitant to go after the big play, which is fine for anyone's first career start.  He missed Floyd in the endzone a couple times, but connected on a perfect slant to TJ Jones and would have had a second touchdown to his name if St. Michael hadn't dropped the ball at the goal line.  You can tell his reading of the run options built into the offense is going to be a work in progress, but that was a great first start, as it is perfectly clear the guy has a cannon attached to his right shoulder.  There's no reason to think that Crist won't steadily improve over the course of the season as the playbook is opened up more and more. 

Helping him out was a very good effort by the offensive line, especially the two new tackles.  When asked to pick the best defensive player the Irish would face this season, I took Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones.  While I'm sure Jones will have another very good season, I would feel very comfortable right now if I'd selected Ryan Kerrigan, an absolute monster coming off the end.  But after some early struggles containing him, Taylor Dever and Zach Martin really did a nice job of helping to contain a veteran front seven.  The interior of the line was, as expected, huge in run blocking, as Trevor Robinson, Chris Stewart and new starter Braxston Cave were pulling beautifully on some of Armando Allen and Cierre Wood's big runs. 

Also helping out in the running game were the receivers, particularly Floyd, who was taking defensive backs out of the play like MoSto used to in 2005.  Floyd didn't have a huge day - although he did have one highlight reel catch where he was interfered with and still came down with the ball - but I'm not concerned with the archangel, even with the goal line drop.  TJ Jones looked like a natural out there and Theo Riddick fit in nicely, although much like Crist running the ball, he's still got some learning to do as he transitions from tailback to receiver.  Kyle Rudolph was Kyle Rudolph, blocking well and providing a safety net for Crist whenever he needed it.  Allen and Wood provided a really productive one-two punch at tailgate, combining for 150 yards on just 25 carries and scorching Purdue for a bunch of long runs.  The red zone efficiency was not up to Kelly standards on Saturday, but as everyone becomes more comfortable in the offense, I would like to believe that number will start ticking up.

On special teams, special love to David Ruffer for going 3-for-3 on field goals and notching a touchback and to Bennett Jackson, who was great in coverage.  Overall, it was a nice, quiet, steady day in the kicking game, with both Wood and Allen ripping off a highlight-worthy return just to spice things up.  I don't think a single Notre Dame fan would protest if every day went like Saturday with the special teams unit.

The above is a pretty glowing review, but all things considered, I think the team deserves it.  There is still a whole lot to improve and some mental errors to correct, but that sort of vanilla, no-nonsense victory was just what the doctor ordered after a couple of seasons of barnburners and overly-exciting fourth quarters, especially when most of the time it was not the fun kind of excitement.  It'll be interesting to see where Purdue ends up this season as they continue to season their new backfield, but I think Notre Dame played a solid team and was a mental lapse at the goal line away from leading 27-3.  The spread was eleven, they won by eleven and everyone in blue and gold got to go home happy.

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Looking ahead to Michigan, you can't help but be really excited for the two spreads to face off, especially when you factor in the bitter taste the majority of this Irish team still has in their mouth after last season's collapse in Ann Arbor.  The Wolverine offense looked fantastic on Saturday, and while that was aided by some ridiculously poor tackling and pursuit angles taken by the UConn defense, when you have Denard Robinson-type speed, you force a lot of people to take poor pursuit angles.  RichRod's spread started out like gangbusters last season before fizzling out, so it'll be interesting to see how it holds up with a guy who appears to be a worthy heir to Pat White's throne running things.  Saturday is a loaded day for big games, and it's fun that Notre Dame vs. Michigan is on the list.