Three things were readily apparent after the Notre Dame game on Saturday:
1. The team improved and might have had its best performance all around.
2. We were still decidedly beaten by Michigan St.
3. We are on the "3:10 to 0-8" train.
It was nice to see us run the ball with some authority at times. We were falling forward and had a few big runs by freshman and sophomore backs. A few decent passes also by Clausen. Still overall subpar pass protection, although improved.
The biggest factor right now, is that we are giving the opposing offense a short field. Fumbles, bad punts, and poor coverage on kickoff returns gave Michigan St a short field and resulted in scores. The Irish have not given up an 80 yard drive all year (when the opposing team starts at the 20 yard line).
One bright spot is that our defense is playing very well against the pass, holding QBs to right at 50% passing, and very few deep pass plays. The problem is that teams are running the ball more on us, so those passing stats are a little skewed of course. Its nice to think that if we can get a lead and force the other team to pass, I think our pass defense is better than in the past.
We play this weekend at 11am Central time, which Notre Dame rarely does. We typically play in primetime slots on ESPN, ABC, or NBC, at 3pm or 7pm. Purdue is going to score near 40pts, and I think its going to be a very very difficult game to win. More difficult to win than Michigan St, most certainly. I hate to say it, but the Irish are heading for 0-8 without a pretty unlikely upset.
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