Notre Dame Football: Everything Irish Fans Need to Know About Purdue

SOUTH BEND, Ind. —Saturday's matchup with Purdue won't match the hype of last weekend's showdown with Michigan, but don't tell that to Notre Dame football head coach Brian Kelly.

As Kelly has said throughout the early weeks of the season, they all count the same.

Notre Dame will square off with Purdue in the sixth edition of the Shamrock Series, the off-site home game for the Irish, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Notre Dame will showcase its special Under Armour uniforms against the Boilermakers, adding buzz to an otherwise less-hyped atmosphere.

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New kicks! Our guys are breaking in their new @underarmour cleats for this weekend's Shamrock Series in Indianapolis. pic.twitter.com/hd2I0EIXmE

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 9, 2014"

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Your thoughts??? #GoIrish #ShamrockSeries pic.twitter.com/YgYy2h1r3K

— Ryan Grooms (@NDFBEquipment) September 10, 2014"

The Boilermakers enter this week’s contest at 1-1 following their 38-17 loss to Central Michigan on Saturday at home.

So what do Irish fans need to know about this Purdue squad heading toward the weekend?

Close Games

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

For whatever reason, the Boilermakers have played the Irish tough in each of the past two seasons.

Purdue went 6-7 in 2012 but found a way to take Notre Dame down to the wire in South Bend, Indiana, as Irish kicker Kyle Brindza needed to drill a 27-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining in regulation to lift Notre Dame to a 20-17 win. And despite a 1-11 mark in 2013, a season in which Purdue’s only victory came over Indiana State (FCS), the Boilermakers nearly clipped the Irish last season, carrying a lead into the fourth quarter before losing by seven.

So it should come as no surprise that Kelly is preaching focus and preparation despite the Irish being 29.5-point favorites, per Odds Shark, against Purdue.

“Coming off a very good victory against Michigan, you're always on guard the next week,” Kelly said Tuesday. “We began Monday talking about the games we've had against Purdue over the last couple years that have been really tough ones.”

Kelly went on to note the resolve and enthusiasm with which he expects Purdue to play in a nationally televised game at an NFL venue. Typically, that would appear to be standard coachspeak, aimed at ensuring Notre Dame doesn’t look past a lesser opponent.

In some ways, it sure is. Purdue is a lowly opponent.

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#Purdue missed 17 tackles on Saturday and doesn't know who its starting QB is. That wraps us this week's #NotreDame opponent preview.

— Tyler James (@TJamesNDI) September 8, 2014"

But at the same time, Notre Dame has struggled in each of the past two meetings. Irish fans shouldn’t simply write this game off.

Quarterback Indecision

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Boilermakers head coach Darrell Hazell has yet to announce who will start at quarterback Saturday, according to Mike Carmin of the Lafayette Journal & Courier. Sophomore Danny Etling started each of the first two games, but sophomore Austin Appleby saw time in the second half against Central Michigan.

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#Purdue QB update: Etling and Appleby will share 1st team snaps in practice.

— mike carmin (@carminjc) September 9, 2014"

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Hazell isn't considering playing 2 QB's in the same.

— mike carmin (@carminjc) September 9, 2014"

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Hazell said Etling is "processing too many things. Plant your left foot and let it fly"

— mike carmin (@carminjc) September 9, 2014"

Kelly was asked Tuesday how Notre Dame’s preparation changes in planning for two possible quarterbacks.

“We've kind of vetted out both quarterbacks and got a chance to see a little bit of them later in the game against Central Michigan,” Kelly said. “They're both physical kids that can do some things. Neither one of them is a threat to run like [Rice quarterback Driphus Jackson], but both of them are capable of running.”

In some ways, preparing for two similar quarterbacks makes things easier on the Irish defense. Kelly has spoken this year about the simplicity of only preparing one game plan since Everett Golson and Malik Zaire have similar styles of play. The same logic can be applied here. Either way, the Irish will be facing a bigger-bodied signal-caller with an ability to run.

There are certainly differences between Etling and Appleby, but Notre Dame shouldn’t fret much over the unannounced quarterback situation in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Penalty Prone

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For as disciplined as Notre Dame has been through the first two games of the season—the Irish have committed just five penalties, tied for the third fewest, per NCAA.com—Purdue has been nearly as undisciplined.

The Boilermakers have committed seven penalties in each of their first two games. In his press conference Tuesday, Hazell mentioned how some of Purdue’s seven penalties against Central Michigan proved particularly costly. A second-quarter targeting penalty led to a touchdown. A third-quarter personal foul spurred another touchdown drive for the Chippewas. Purdue also had 12 men on the field at one point, pulling back a potentially crucial conversion before halftime.

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Purdue had converted a 4th and 2, but was wiped out for having 12 men on the field. It then misses a 47-yard FG. WAY to many mistakes.

— Pete DiPrimio (@pdiprimio) September 6, 2014"

“Those are the things that defeat yourself,” Hazell said. “We always talk about, there’s one team on the schedule you never want to beat, and that’s yourself.”

So far, the Boilermakers haven’t helped themselves out. If that continues, the Irish should coast. It’ll be hard enough for Purdue to top the No. 11 team in the country.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Mike Monaco is a lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.