Notre Dame is looking to get things back on track after suffering the biggest upset of the season last weekend losing to Northern Illinois at home, 16-14. After 2 weeks, the Irish offense has been the team’s weak point while their defense has played decent at the very least.

As Notre Dame prepares for Purdue, Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden met with the media and had the ultimate compliment for the Boilermakers’ starting QB Hudson Card.

“One of the fastest quarterbacks I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Golden said. “I put him in the lead with Caleb (Williams). He’s that fast. Sudden player. We have to be alert for him.”

It’s interesting Golden made a point to mention Card’s speed as the Purdue QB has just 3 carries for 16 yards after 2 games.  In 2023, he finished with 203 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns, but he’s proven to be more of a threat as a passer than a runner in his collegiate career.

Williams put up similar numbers as a rusher last season, finishing the year with 136 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.

It’s clear Golden wants to emphasize Card’s ability to extend plays with his legs even though he isn’t a traditional dual-threat QB. If the Irish are going to come out with a win, they can’t let Card get into a rhythm and will have to rely on a great defensive effort as their offense continues to try to find its identity.

In Week 1, Notre Dame went into College Station and held veteran Texas A&M QB Connor Weigman to just 100 yards passing, no touchdowns and forced 2 interceptions.

Against Northern Illinois the Notre Dame defense struggled against the rush allowing 190 yards on the ground, but also allowed 198 passing yards and 1 touchdown from Huskies’ QB Ethan Hampton.