Irish Insider for Friday, September 3, 2010

Photo Illustration by Pat Coveney and Blair Chemidlin

Almost all coaches will saythat, over the course of anentire season, it’s importantto keep an even keel. They’llsay that that a team can’t letone win or one loss get themtoo high or too low.Purdue coach Danny Hope

is not one of those coaches.“There’s a

m i l l i o nth ings togain from awin,” Hopesaid in apress con-ference ear-l ier th isweek. “Wecan’t loseS a t u r d a y,we can’t.”I f Notre

Dame fansare smart th is Saturday,they’ll look at Hope’s viewand take the exact opposite.That’s not to say I’m predict-ing a loss — if you skip aheada few pages you’ll see thatI’m not — just simply that theBr ian Kel ly era at NotreDame will not be defined bythis one game.Of course some will make

grand sweeping remarks ,ta lk ing about yet another“Return to Glory” if the Irishwin big or a f i f th straightfailed coaching hire if theylose . Yes , George O’Learycounts.Neither would be correct,

though, and Irish fans onlyneed to look back five yearsfor ev idence, when then-coach Char l ie Weis wascoaching c irc les aroundPittsburgh’s Dave Wannstedtin both of their debuts. Now,Wannstedt has h is teamranked in the top 15 whileWeis i s out o f the co l legecoaching game.It’s important to remember

that, especially when a coachis br ing ing in changes aslarge as Kel ly ’s , i t ’ l l takesome time to adjust. DayneCrist can run option reads inpract ice al l he wants , butthere’s nothing like runningyour o f fense against adefense that’s not made up ofteammates.On the other end o f the

spectrum, a b ig Ir i sh winwon’t mean it’s time to startpr int ing the Nat ionalChampionship t-shirts. WhilePurdue is certainly a solidfootball team, they’re hardlyelite. A win against Purduewon’t necessarily mean thatNotre Dame is ready to com-pete against the el i te BCSteams of the college footballworld.

Even though i t may onlyend up being a blip on BrianKelly’s career radar, thereare certainly things to lookfor on Saturday that couldportend how the rest of the2010 season will play out.The biggest improvement to

look for Saturday won’t be inX’s and O’s, but in the team’sattitude from the minute itruns out of the tunnel untilthe final whistle blows.On media day a few weeks

ago, Kel ly sa id that h isbiggest goal of the seasonwas to make sure the teamwas better in November thanit was in September. AgainstPurdue, look for the Irish tobe better than — or at leastas good as — they are in thefourth quarter as they are inthe first.“At the end of the day, if

you do that, if you play hardand give everything you havefor four quarters, my experi-ence has shown me thatthat ’s go ing to be pret tygood,” Kelly said in a pressconference Tuesday.Many articles and projec-

t ions have po inted to LouHoltz ’s f irst year with theIrish as an example of how ateam can show improvementsin areas without necessarilywinning more games. TheIrish went 5-6 in 1986, thesame record that had gottenGerry Faust fired the previ-ous year, but only lost onegame by more than f ivepoints.Obvious ly, a sub- .500

record this season would beclassified as an unmitigatedfailure, but Irish fans wouldcertainly have to be pleasedif Kelly’s career trajectorymirrored that of Holtz’s dur-ing his time in South Bend.Kel ly has been the head

coach at Notre Dame for justunder eight months now, butwhat happens during fourhours on Saturday afternoonwill have more impact thananything he’s done since hetook the job. Saturday willmatter more than any pressconference or any practiceclip ever could.Even s t i l l , there wi l l be

plenty more games to comefor Kelly and the Irish. Asimportant as Saturday willbe, it’ll take a lot longer thana few hours to write the storyof Brian Kelly at Notre Dame.

The views expressed in thisco lumn are those o f theauthor and not necessarilythose of The Observer.

Contact Sam Werner [email protected]

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 2 Friday, September 3, 2010

A season-openeris only one game

Sam Werner

Sports Writer

COMMENTARY

Follow the game LIVE as we blog from thepress box at Notre Dame Stadium:ndsmcobserver.com/irish-insider

Since landing four recruits inthe last weekend of July, NotreDame’s recruiting effortshaven’t exactly stalled, but theycertainly are not the top itemon Irish coach Brian Kelly’s pri-ority list.With only two committed

recruits visiting campus thisweekend, that is unlikely tochange, Irish recruiting expertMike Frank said. Frank expectsthat trend to continue through-out the season.“I think the staff wants to try

and get more of the official vis-its not during the season,” saidFrank, who runs the onlineESPN affiliate Irish Sports Daily.“They would like to get them upfor the games of course, so theycan see that game experience.But part of the issue is you justdon’t get a lot of time to spendwith the players when you havea football game. You don’t getthe time to try to get to knowthe families or really develop a

relationship.”Defensive lineman Tony

Springmann and kicker KyleBrindza will watch the season-opener from inside Notre DameStadium this weekend.Springmann, measuring in at 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, willbring a blue-collar attitude tothe Irish.“Springmann is one of your

lunch-pail guys,” Frank said.“You build championship teamsaround lunch-pail guys. Youneed your great athletes whocan do a lot of things, butlunch-pail guys do the dirtywork and make it difficult foran offense.”The Fort Wayne, Ind., native

has committed to the Irish andwill join a 2011 class onlyincluding two other defensivelineman currently.“He is a guy who will be very

stout against the run,” Franksaid. “He plays a very physicaland aggressive brand of foot-ball.”Brindza will bring a cannon

leg to Notre Dame, possibly set-tling the annual battle for the

starting kicker position early.“He’s one of the best kickers

around,” Frank said. “He has amonster leg and can consistent-ly kick 50-yard field goals, andhe’s accurate.”Brindza will need to over-

come one challenge that facesall high school kickers.“There is obviously a change

when you move from kicking offa tee to not kicking off a tee,and some guys don’t quiteadjust to that,” Frank said. “I’dbe very surprised if he doesn’tend up as one of the best kick-ers in the country.”The slow week on the recruit-

ing trail does not foreshadowslow recruiting overall for NotreDame, which has alreadysecured four commitmentsfrom the ESPN 150.

For more on Irish recruiting,check out Mike Frank’s irish-sportsdaily.com. E-mail Mike [email protected] andtell him The Observer sent you.

Two commits visit ND for openerFOOTBALL RECRUITING

By DOUGLAS FARMERSports Editor

Contact Douglas Farmer [email protected]

When Manti Te’o returnedfrom Christmas Break inJanuary, he had two surprisesin store for his Irish team-mates.One — he had decided not to

take a two-year service mis-sion during his college career,as is customary in the Churchof Latter Day Saints, of whichTe’o is a member.Two — he was sporting a

Samoan tattoo, courtesy of hisnative Hawaii, covered his leftbicep.Irish fans and players alike

were overjoyed by the firstdecision, but it is the tattoo —a tradition in Samoan culture— that displays the true char-acter of Te’o.

The cultural value of a tattoo“It is very special to me,

because it represents every-thing that I stand for: my cul-ture, my home and my family,”the junior l inebacker said.“Everything that is importantto me I have here on my arm.”Te’o speaks of his culture

and family as often as he doesfootball. Not only does the tat-too represent the Samoan cul-ture, but he also sought per-mission from his parentsbefore putting the ink to skin.“Whenever you put some-

thing on yourself that is per-manent, you want to ask yourparents, especially if your par-ents are Samoan,” he said.“My dad is the Samoan patri-arch of our family, and he hasone … They were very sup-portive of it.”Once his teammates saw the

“tatau” — Samoan for tattoo— they quickly deemed it the“tightest” tattoo on the team,and some even consideredgetting a similar one. But toTe’o, while he does considersome of his teammates to beas close as brothers, the tattoois not for just anyone.“Sure, it’s a very nice tattoo,

but it represents more thanjust some body art. It repre-sents a whole culture, a whole

group of people,” said Te’o, anominee for the 2010 RotaryLombardi Trophy. “For some-body to get this, and not beSamoan, makes me wonder,‘Why are you getting it?’”

Values shine without a missionThe first of those two sur-

prises — not taking a two-yearservice mission — could carryeffects for years to come,especially the next three yearsfor Irish fans. When he firstarrived at Notre Dame, Te’owas considering taking hismission after his freshmanseason, but his time at NotreDame, and time talking withhis family, led to theChristmas Break decision.“When I went home over

Christmas I sat down with myfamily. I prayed a lot about it,”Te’o said. “I just felt that itwas the right thing to do tocome back and focus on foot-ball, try my best to help myteam win.”Even though he has

remained in northwestIndiana, Te’ois constantlyreminded ofhis family,culture andfaith, simplyby not seeingthem aroundhim.“It ’s not

that hard tor e m e m b e rwho you areand what youstand forwhen youlook around and there isnobody l ike you,” he said.“There was no other Samoan.”Now, with freshmen Justin

Utupo and Kona Schwenkejoining him on the footballfield, Te’o sees two Samoansthat remind him of the valueshe stands by.“Samoans are very prideful

people. We pride ourselves inour culture and our strengthof values that we live by, andhow we respect others,” hesaid. “Discipline. Honor. Allthose kind of values thataren’t real ly stressed in

today’s society. That is some-thing that I’m proud of, that Icome from a culture thatstresses loyalty, strength andhonor.”

Samoan values at Notre DameTe’o has found those values

among his Irish teammatesand coaches as well.From his defensive coordi-

nator, Bob Diaco, Te’o hearscriticism and advice that healways responds positively to.“He is interested in being

the very best that he can be,”Diaco said. “He has a nice,thick skin. He isn’t overly-sen-sitive to constructive criticism,so he comes out diligently totry to work on the thingsyou’re coaching from the daybefore. That is how a playermoves forward.”Te’o handles that criticism

so well because he has alwaysheard it, especially back athome, he said.“When it comes to the thick

skin, it is from knowing who Iam, knowing the kind of guy

that my parentsraised me tobe.”Among his

t e a m m a t e s ,Te’o has foundsuitable addi-tions to his fivesibl ings athome.“I have

fr iends herewho I am veryclose with.[Junior l ine-backer] Darius

Fleming is one of my very bestfriends. He is one of thoseguys that I can go to, no mat-ter what,” Te’o said, addingsophomore running backCierre Wood to that l ist aswell. “I know no matter whathappens, they’ll always havemy back, and I’ll always havetheir backs.”With Te’o’s parents and

four-year-old brotherManasseh coming into townfor both the Purdue andMichigan games, his NotreDame fr iends and Samoanparents will spend much time

together, but Te’o knows themeetings and meals will feelas i f everyone has alwaysknown each other.“My parents know that my

friends aremirror imagesof me, so whenthey see them,they aren’tshocked. Theyare very happyaround myfriends,” Te’osaid. “I com-pletely under-stand that myfriends have adirect impacton me, and I’llnever choose a friend, callhim my brother, if he is some-body that could be detrimentalto me in any way.”

Family on the fieldHaving those fr iends, or

“brothers,” on the field shouldhelp Te’o play even betterthan he did in his freshmanseason, when he finished with63 tackles.“When you are around peo-

ple you don’t really know andyou don’t real ly trust , youtend to not come out of yourshell,” Te’o said. “But whenyou trust somebody, you canbe you. You can do things, youcan act the way you want toact and you know they won’tbe offended.”That might not seem real

applicable to play on the field,but when he takes his positionSaturday, he wi l l knowFleming is less than 10 yardsto his side, along with nineother of his closest friendsnearby. Of those 11 players onthe field, Te’o will be leadingthem, in what Diaco called

“that spot.”“I’m just going to be me. I’m

going to make sure al l myteammates are ready, arealigned where they need to

be,” Te’o said.“That’s all it’sabout. It’s onme to makesure thatoffense doesn’tscore. At theend of the day,if we play ourhearts out andexecute onevery play,we’ l l be ableto look at thes c o r e b o a r d

and be happy.”

‘Just win’When Te’o explains the

meaning of his tattoo, themeaning of his family and therole of his friends around him,it is easy to envision him play-ing his heart out.But in al l of real i ty, that

won’t be enough for him. Onlyone result this year will satisfyTe’o: “I am just excited morethan anything, to get out thereand start a new season. Justwin.”Once this season plays out,

win or lose, Te’o has anothermission to continue, on his leftbicep. This t ime his teamwon’t be as surprised.“The tattoo’s going to extend

up here [onto the lower por-t ion of his neck] and thendown here [onto his upperchest],” Te’o said. “I’ll waituntil after the season becauseI have to go home to get it, butit’ll be as soon as possible.”

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERFriday, September 3, 2010 page 3

Tattoo’d Te’o

Contact Douglas Farmer [email protected]

Sophomore linebacker Manti Te’o displays his Samoan culture and values, on and off the fieldBy DOUGLAS FARMERSports Editor

“I am just excited morethan anything, to getout there and start anew season. Just win.”

Manti Te’osophomore linebacker

SARAH O’CONNOR/The Observer

Sophomore linebacker Manti Te’o tackles freshman receiver TJJones during the Blue-Gold Game in April.

“Sure, it’s a very nicetattoo, but it representsmore than just body art.It represents a wholeculture, a whole group

of people.”

Manti Te’osophomore linebacker

DAN JACOBS/The Observer

Senior running back Armando Allen, in blue, and sophomore linebacker Manti Te’o congratulateeach other after a collision between the two No. 5s during fall practice.

HEAD T The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 4 Friday, September 3, 2010

Irish Offense vs. Boilermakers Defense

Brian Kellyhead coach

1st season at Notre Dame

career record: 171-57-2

record at ND:0-0

against Purdue: 0-0

Notre DameFighting Irish

Record: 0-0AP: NR Coaches: NR

As Dayne Crist’s knee goes, sodoes Brian Kel ly ’s spreadoffense. The reviews of Cristhave been high for years, butthis is the junior’s first chance toshow some of his promise atNotre Dame.Helping Crist debut the highly-

ant ic ipated of fense is juniorreceiver Michael Floyd, a poten-

tial All-American. In only nine gameslast season, in some of which he onlyplayed limited time, Floyd managednearly 800 yards and nine touch-downs.Crist’s main target could also be

junior tight end Kyle Rudolph, anoth-er potent ia l s tar in the makingplagued by injuries the past two sea-sons.

Purdue’s secondary wil l have aproblem with jump bal ls againstFloyd and Rudolph, who at 6-foot-3and 6-foot-6, respectively, tower overthe Boilermakers defensive backfield,with only one player taller than 6-foot-1, and no seniors to provide vet-eran leadership.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Thanks largely to guard ChrisStewart ’s 351 pounds, NotreDame’s starting offensive line-men average 306.8 pounds,while only one Purdue defensivelinemen tops 271 pounds.With that size advantage, and

the experience and depth inNotre Dame’s backfield, holesshould be available.

Senior Armando Allen will be thefirst horse out of the stable for theIrish, and should get most of the car-ries. Following him, electric sopho-more Cierre Wood will look for theend zone every time he touches theball, and senior Robert Hughes willtake care of any short yardage orgoal line situations for Notre Dame.The l ine of defense the

Boilermakers will rely on are theirexperienced l inebackers , led bys ixth-year senior Jason Werner.Along with sophomore DwayneBeckford and junior Joe Holland,Werner will look to disrupt the Irishrunning game early to s top anymomentum before it begins.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Brian Kelly comes to NotreDame well-known for hispotent offenses. With offensivecoordinator Charley Molnar inthe press box, Kelly will have avoice in his ear pointing outmismatches to exploit.With weapons like Floyd,

Rudolph and Riddick, Kellywill have opportunities to

make the most of thosemismatches.Kelly’s preference for

fast-paced play couldalso leave Purdue play-ing catch-up early in thegame, which is all Kellyusually needs.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Nick Tausch converted14 consecutive fieldgoals last year and wasthe most consistentkicker Notre Dame hashad in recent memory.Ben Turk remainsunproven as a punter,replacing Eric Maust..Wood and Theo

Riddick both have big-playpotential every time theytouch the ball, so the Irishkickoff return game could bedangerous. Allen hasreturned punts previously inhis career, and has yet todazzle in the role.

EDGE: EVEN

Sept. 4

Sept. 11

Sept. 18

Sept. 25

Oct. 2

Oct. 9

Oct. 16

Oct. 23

Oct. 30

Nov. 13

Nov. 20

Nov. 27

Purdue

Michigan

@ Michigan St.

Stanford

@ Boston College

Pittsburgh

Western Michigan

@ Navy

Tulsa

Utah

Army

@ USC

2010 Schedule

ND PASSING

Returning LeadersND OFFENSEQB DAYNE CRIST

10-20, 130 yds., 1 TDRB ARMANDO ALLEN

142 rush, 697 yds., 3 TDWR MICHAEL FLOYD

44 rec., 795 yds., 9 TDWR DUVAL KAMARA

23 rec., 218 yds., 1 TDTE KYLE RUDOLPH

33 rec., 364 yds., 3 TD

PURDUE DEFENSELB JOE HOLLAND

42 solo, 3.5 TFL, 1.5 sacksLB JASON WERNER

61 solo, 14.5 TFL, 4.5 sacksDE ROBERT KERRIGAN

41 solo, 18.5 TFL, 13 sacksDT KAWAAN SHORT

31 solo, 4 TFLSS ALBERT EVANS

24 solo, 2 pass break-ups

Head-to-HeadND OFFENSEScoring: 30.08 ppg (32nd)

Total: 451.76 ypg (8th)

Rushing: 128.25 ypg (84th)

Passing: 323.50 ypg (5th)

Turnovers against: 14 (7th)

Fumbles lost: 9 (39th)

Interceptions: 5 (5th)

Sacks Allowed: 25 (67th)

T.O.P. for: 31:55 (12th)

PURDUE DEFENSEScoring: 29.08 ppg (89th)




Turnovers for: 24 (39th)

Fumbles rec.: 12 (27th)


Sacks: 32 (22nd)

T.O.P. against: 30:12 (67th)

Bob DiacoDef. Coordinator

Charley MolnarOff. Coordinator

ND RUSHING

NDSP

ECIALTEAMS

NDOFFENSIVE

COACHING

Irish fans have been waiting forthis game for eight months now.Nonetheless, nobody really knowswhat to expect this weekend, with anew coach, new quarterback andnew defensive scheme leading theway for Notre Dame.Fortunately, Purdue has more

questions to answer than the Irishdo, and a susceptible Boilermakersdefense will need to get used towatching Michael Floyd runningaway from them, a la last year’s sea-son opener against Nevada. Look fortwo Crist-to-Floyd connections in a

fan-friendly showcase.FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 31, Purdue 17

I may be in the minority, but person-ally, I’m just as excited to see the newIrish 3-4 defense as I am to watchDayne Crist run Brian Kelly’s spreadoffense. With the talent Notre Dameboasts in its front-seven, I have highhopes that Robert Marve will be hassledall afternoon. He’s talented and willmake a few plays, but I think a few ofhis throws will find the hands of Irishdefensive backs, too.For Notre Dame’s offense, I’d most

like to see a confident, disciplined unit— that means no early timeouts, and nopenalties. There are enough playmakers

there to put up the points necessary to beat the Boilers.FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 31, Purdue 13

The Irish are running a brand newsystem with a brand new quarterback.It seems likely that the offense won’tbe entirely prepared to run all that aBrian Kelly offense has to offer.For the first time in years, though,Notre Dame’s defense should be itsstrength, at least until Crist and Co.start to click. Ten out of the 11 defen-sive starters saw significant playingtime last season, and nothing canreplace experience on defense. Purduewill stuggle to move the ball, and Ihave a hard team seeing a Brian Kelly

offense scoring less than three times.FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 24, Purdue 10

DouglasFarmer

Sports Editor

Matt Gamber

Editor-in-Chief

Eric Prister

AssociateSports Editor

HEAD TO HEADThe Observer � IRISH INSIDERFriday, September 3, 2010 page 5

Boilermakers Offense vs. Irish Defense

Danny Hopehead coach

2nd season at Purdue

career record: 40-29

record at Purdue:5-7

against ND: 0-1

PurdueBoilermakers

Record: 0-0AP: NR Coaches: NR

Sept. 4

Sept. 11

Sept. 18

Sept. 25

Oct. 9

Oct. 16

Oct. 23

Oct. 30

Nov. 13

Nov. 6

Nov. 20

Nov. 27

@ Notre Dame

Western Illinois

Ball State

Toledo

@ Northwestern

Minnesota

@ Ohio State

@ Illinois

Wisconsin

Michigan

@ Michigan State

Illinois

2009 Schedule

Returning LeadersPURDUE OFFENSEWR KEITH SMITH

1-2, 15 yds, 1 TD

WR KEITH SMITH

91 rec., 1,100 yds, 6 TD

RB DAN DIERKING

3 rush, 4 yds, 0 TD

WR CORTEZ SMITH

17 rec., 177 yds., 2 TD

TE KYLE ADAMS

29 rec., 249 yds., 0 TD

ND DEFENSEFS HARRISON SMITH

39 solo, 6.5 TFL

LB BRIAN SMITH

34 solo, 5.5 TFL, 2 int.

DL IAN WILLIAMS

14 solo, 6 TFL

LB MANTI TE’O

29 solo, 5.5 TFL, 1 sack

LB DARIUS FLEMING

21solo, 12 TFL, 3 sack

Head-to-HeadPURDUE OFFENSEScoring: 27.83 ppg (58th)

Total: 391.33 ypg (53rd)


Passing: 255.25 (34th)

Turnovers against: 29 (109th)

Fumbles lost: 15 (107th)

Interceptions: 14 (73rd)

Sacks Allowed: 49 (20th)

T.O.P. for: 29:48 (67th)

ND DEFENSEScoring: 25.92 ppg (63rd)




Turnovers for: 19 (80th)

Fumbles rec.: 7 (98th)


Sacks: 19 (89th)

T.O.P. against: 28:05 (12th)

Gary NordOff. Coordinator

Donn LandholmDef. Coordinator

Junior quarterback Robert Marve willtry to both run and pass on Notre Dame,and will be a serious threat to do bothwell. The Miami transfer has a fifth-yearsenior receiver to fear in Keith Smith. Lastyear, Smith put up over 1,000 yards, andBoilermakers coach Danny Hope showeda tendency to get the ball in Smith’s handsin any way possible.Such a speedy threat could pose danger

for Notre Dame’s secondary, which wasliable to give up big plays repeatedly lastseason. The Irish defensive backfield lostits most consistent contributer, KyleMcCarthy, from last season, and is noweven more inexperienced, with seniorHarrison Smith the elder statesmen.Junior Jamoris Slaughter returns to

safety for the Irish, after bouncingbetween cornerback and safety last sea-

son. It will largely be up to Slaughterand Smith to insure Purdue’s KeithSmith doesn’t blow the top off thecoverage time and time again.Linebacker Manti Te’o will carry

the responsibility in covering Purduetight end Kyle Adams, and Te’oshould be able to handle the task.

EDGE: PURDUE

Senior running back Dan Dierkinghasn’t carried the load for theBoilermakers before, and may not doso yet with sophomore Al-TerekMcBurse behind him looking for play-ing time. McBurse shows more big-play possibilities, and combined withMarve, could gash the Irish offensefor a few long rushes.Notre Dame’s front seven is possibly

its strongest asset though, and itshould hold strong in defensive coor-dinator Bob Diaco’s “gap” defense.Five of the front seven started lastyear, and Kerry Neal has seen playingtime throughout his three years withthe Irish.Brian Smith may back up Neal on

the depth chart, but his veteran lead-ership will likely get on the field at

some point, and having a three-year starter in a back-up rolecannot be considered a bad thing.Add in the talented Te’o and

Marve, McBurse and Dierkingcould have trouble finding openholes, yet alone getting upfieldagainst the Irish.

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Notre Dame’s defense keptPurdue in the game last year,and followed that trendthroughout the season.Defensive coordinator Bob

Diaco preaches a “Best InAmerica” philosophy inwhich the defense is to func-tion as a unit. How that phi-losophy, and the 3-4 defense,

succeeds will dependon communication onthe field, so it is a bene-fit for the Irish to openthe season at home.Yet, Marve’s skills

could foil any gameplanDiaco comes up with.

EDGE: EVEN

Notre Dame seniorDavid Ruffer is on theteam for one reason, hiskick distance, but eventhat has been inconsistentat times during his career.The Boilermakers place

Al-Terek McBurse in placeto receive Ruffer’s kicks,and he could take one to

the end zone at any point.Purdue freshman Cody

Webster has not yet kicked anNCAA punt, so his first oneagainst the Irish will deter-mine better than anything elsewhat he is, or is not, capableof.

EDGE: PURDUE

PURDUE PASSIN

G

PURD

UESPECIALTEAM

S

PURDUE RUSHINGPURDUEOFFEN

SIVE

COACHING

It’s almost a shame that the Irishare facing Purdue to open the sea-son. A finely-tuned Brian Kellyoffense could probably put up wellover 40 points against a Boilermakerdefense that ranked 89th in thecountry in scoring defense last year.On the other hand, it’s probably agood thing that Purdue is the firstgame on the slate, because the Irishoffense that takes the field Saturdaywill definitely not be fine-tuned. Evenso, Notre Dame holds a undoubtedtalent advantage, and the players willbe eager to show off the change that

Kelly has brought to Notre Dame.FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 31, Purdue 20

Notre Dame defensive coordinatorBob Diaco said his defense is excitedto face what he sees as a challengingBoilermakers offense. But NotreDame’s offense, with juniors DayneCrist, Michael Floyd and KyleRudolph leading the way, will pres-ent an even bigger challenge toPurdue.Coupled with the atmosphere of the

new coaching era’s first game, NotreDame will prove hard to beat,although Purdue, led by junior quar-terback Robert Marve, will give theIrish a run for their money for three

quarters.FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 35, Purdue 24

Sam Werner

Sports Writer

Laura Myers

Sports Writer

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERpage 6 Friday, September 3, 2010

What are you most excited for off the field

this year?

I really want to do well in school this semester.

I’ve got a tough schedule so I want to do well

there.

What is your toughest class this semester?

My Foresight class. It’s a lot of reading, close to

100 pages.

Are you already behind on the reading?

Actually, I’m 100 pages ahead in that class ...

Just kidding [laughing].

What is your most enjoyable class this

semester?

Probably my Introduction to Psychology class.

It’s not in my major so it’s pretty relaxing.

What’s your favorite place to eat on

campus?

South, just because of the variety of food that

they have.

Saturday’s opener may beRobert Marve’s debut in aPurdue uniform, but thatwon’t stop him from being thekey to theBoilermakers’success, atleast on theoffensive sideof the ball.“It’s impor-

tant that wehave a pack-age puttogether forRobert thathe’s comfort-able with,”Boilermakerscoach DannyHope said. “We’ll go as ourquarterback goes - that hap-pens a lot. The opponent is inthe same boat.”Marve, who sat out last sea-

son due to NCAA regulationsafter transferring from Miami,was a highly touted highschool recruit and is regardedas a dangerous dual-threatquarterback. Though he has-n’t played since going 6-5 asthe Hurricanes’ starter in2008, the Irish staff knowswhat Marve can bring to thetable. Irish coach Brian Kellysaid he tried to recruit him toCincinnati , and defensivecoordinator Bob Diaco calledMarve “a fast player, a ruggedquarterback.”“When you watch him run

with the football, he runs withthe football with authority,”Diaco said. “He is elusive inthe pocket and can get to theperimeter. He has the speed to

contain rushers and peoplegiving chase, and he has thepresence to have the ball inhis hand and is prepared tothrow it down the field whileon the run.”Purdue will usher in new

starters at several other posi-tions, namely onthe of fensiveline and in thes e c o n d a r y .Though Marve’smobil i ty couldal low him tomake plays onhis own andprovide somerel ief for anuntested offen-sive line, the bigmen up frontwil l be cal ledupon to give

their quarterback some timein the pocket. “I think we’ve made a lot of

progress,” he said. “It’s a posi-tion where continuity reapsbenefits, and we’re just nowstarting to develop some conti-nuity on the offensive line.We’re about 6-foot-5 and somechange, about 320 [pounds],and we have some redeemingqualities.”Much has been made of the

Boilermakers’ inexperience inthe defensive backfield - espe-cially heading into a matchupwith what should be a potentIrish passing attack - but Hopesaid his young group has beena pleasant surprise in camp.“They’re much further along

than I could ever have imag-ined,” Hope said. “They’revery competi t ive. They’reaggressive. They run well .They have a knack for stickingclose to the receiver. They’ll

get snapped off a coupletimes, someone’s going to getopen - that ’s the way i t iswhen someone throws the balla lot.”While any team, Notre Dame

and Purdue included, hasunanswered questions head-ing into an opener, Hope saidpreparing for the challenge ofa showdown in Notre DameStadium has brought out thebest in his team.“I think there’s been a great

sense of urgency for our foot-ball team to prepare all sum-mer long because of the quali-ty of the opponent, the magni-tude of this game,” Hope said.“In the long run, I think it’s areal blessing in disguise forthis football team.”Though Purdue finished last

season with a 5-7 record, theBoilermakers did win four oftheir last six and nearly pulledoff a few upsets in Hope’s firstseason, which gives the sec-

ond-year coach confidence inthis year’s team.“We have the potential to do

very well,” Hope said. “It’s abig game on a big stage. Wehave a lot of young guys thathaven’t played in games likethis or haven’t played at all.So I’m excited to see how ourteam performs, really excit-ed.”

Transfer Marve leads youthful Boilermakers

Contact Matt Gamber at [email protected]

By MATT GAMBERSports Writer

“[Purdue quarterbackRobert Marve] is

elusive in the pocketand can get to the

perimeter.”

Bob DiacoIrish defensive coordinator

AP

Boilermakers quarterback Robert Marve — shown in 2008 at Miami, before transferring to Purdue— will pose a dual-threat to Notre Dame’s defense Saturday.

The Observer � IRISH INSIDERFriday, September 3, 2010 page 7

Multiple position battles come down to last day

The depth chart releasedMonday shows which playerswill be on the field forSaturday’s first snap, but manypositions are still up for grabs,and could remain battles for therest of the season.Starters and backups on both

sides of the ball were set inplace on the two-deep chart,but nothing was written instone. “If you’re afraid of competi-

tion, maybe you shouldn’t cometo Notre Dame,” Irish coachBrian Kelly said in a press con-ference Tuesday. Junior Braxston Cave, who

will startSaturday at cen-ter, said playersare still compet-ing on a dailybasis. “It doesn’t light-

en up at all,”Cave said.“Around herethere’s no relax-ing. And I thinkthat’s why thisteam has come sofar. Every dayyou’ve got a guyon your back, pushing you. Andthe moment you let up is whenhe slides in. So we’ve got tocome out here and bust it everysingle day.”Cave was neck-and-neck with

senior Dan Wenger for thestarting center job leading up tothe release of the chart.Coaches said performance in

practice, from big plays to fun-damentals, was key to who got

the starting jobs. “We notice simple acts that

they do well,” offensive coordi-nator Charley Molnar said. Of course, bad performances

were also noted. “I’m not going to let anything

slide in practice and hope that itdoesn’t happen in the game,”Kelly said. Cave, too, pointed to the

importance of practice.“There’s always someone

there pushing you,” he said.“When it comes to game time,the rotation is how it is, whatev-er the coaches want, but thepreparation in practice is thekey point.”Kelly preaches a philosophy of

“next man in,” to ensure thatany players on the field are at

full strength.This lessensthe pressureto be a No. 1or No. 2,coaches said,because manyplayers willplay. “You can

call usstarters, butwe don’t usethe termstarters,” jun-ior safety

Jamoris Slaughter said. “Justnext man in if anybody evergoes down. But if you want tocall us starters, you can.”Slaughter and senior Harrison

Smith will be the startingsafeties Saturday, with juniorDan McCarthy and sophomoreZeke Motta as backups. All fourwere vying for what anyone butSlaughter would call the start-ing spots, but the more experi-

enced backs ended up in front. “I wouldn’t necessarily say it

was a battle, it was just comingout every week,” Slaughtersaid. “There were no set posi-tions when we first got here,but they knew who knew mostand who was most experienced,which was me and Harrison,and they just went off that andwent off our production ofSpring all the way throughnow.”Another defensive battle is in

place at the outside linebackerposition, where senior KerryNeal overtook classmate BrianSmith, who has started therefor the last two years. But the“next man in” strategy is inplace there, as well, Kelly said. “We’ve got two seniors in Neal

and Smith,” Kelly said. “They’reboth going to play.”On offense the biggest ques-

tion was where the manyreceivers would land — butreceivers coach Tony Alfordsaid the decisions were nothard. “I don’t think they’re difficult

decisions,” Alford said. “You putthe guys on the field who canmake plays. So I don’t look at itas a difficult situation. What yousee in practice is hopefully whatyou’re going to get in the game.If you’re not doing it in practiceyou’re not going to do it in thegame.”Junior Michael Floyd and

freshman TJ Jones will start onthe outsides, and sophomoreTheo Riddick will be in the slotposition. Jones was selectedabove senior Duval Kamara, butsaid his spot is anything butsecure. “Any day it could change,”

Jones said. “So I’ve got to give

my all every day. It’s a competi-tion day in and day out.”Jones, who enrolled in the

Spring semester, rose to prac-tice with the first team in Springpractice, but was in a real com-petition with Kamara in the fall. “[Starting] was definitely a

goal I was working towards,”Jones said. “That was the firstgoal and now that I’ve got thatit’s to keep that job this year.” Part of the reason that Jones

won the spot, Kelly said, is thatKamara is still adjusting to thenew position after being shuf-fled between all three receiver

spots.“To be quite honest with you

[Kamara] hasn’t had a chanceto settle into that position yet,”Kelly said after Wednesday’spractice. The competitions are ulti-

mately good for the team, Jonessaid.“It pushes everyone to get

better,” he said. “You neverknow, you could be third oneday and start the next day. Younever know.”

By LAURA MYERSSports Writer

Contact Laura Myers at [email protected]

COURTNEY ECKERLE/The Observer

Junior center Braxston Cave lines up for a snap last season. Cavebeat out fifth-year senior Dan Wenger for the starting position.

“Every day you’ve gota guy on your back,

pushing you. And themoment you let up iswhen he slides in.”

Braxston Cavejunior center

Observer File Photo

Freshman TJ Jones pulls in a pass during spring practice in March.Jones enrolled early in the spring and claimed a starter’s spot.

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