Purdue Football Depth Chart Review: Notre Dame – Offense
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I’m not sure I need to say much about this performance, or rather, I’m not sure there is much to say that doesn’t boil down to Notre Dame having significantly better talent across the board. Still, the difference between an estimated 40-million-dollar roster and a 20-million-dollar roster is most noticeable on the offensive and defensive lines.
Purdue’s offensive line didn’t stand a chance against Notre Dame’s front, and subsequently, none of the skill players had a chance to showcase their abilities. By the time the receivers got into their breaks, Ryan Browne was fighting off multiple Notre Dame defensive linemen. The running backs had to struggle to get past the line of scrimmage and couldn’t find any space to bounce the ball outside.
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There are levels to this sport, and Purdue isn’t on Notre Dame’s level. The good news is that, in theory, the last “elite” team Purdue plays is Indiana. I wouldn’t read too much into this one. Purdue shouldn’t schedule Notre Dame in the future. The gap in resources is too wide to overcome; don’t feel bad, Purdue’s not the only team in this situation. The only team the Fighting Irish play this season in their spending tier is Miami.
There are still winnable games on the schedule. This one was never in play.
Quarterback
*Starters in Bold
- Ryan Browne: Snaps – 51 – Comp – 18/28 (64.3) – Yds – 111 – Td – 0 – Int – 0 – Rushes – 2 – Yds – 11
- Evans Chuba: Snaps – 19 – Comp – 7/9 (77.8) – Yds – 67 – Td – 1 – Int – 0 – Rushes – 2 – Yds – 6
Grade: Inc
It’s hard to evaluate a quarterback group that was sacked 8 times, hit 3 times, and hurried 20 times for a grand total of 31 pressures on 37 passing attempts. The withering Notre Dame pass forced Ryan Browne to mostly operate either behind or within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. On the rare occasions when he wasn’t running for his life, he was pretty OK. If you’re looking for a positive, I’m pretty sure he throws at least 1 interception, if not 2 or 3, under the same pressure last season. He didn’t get rattled.
I was impressed with the way Evans Chuba handled mop-up duty. Notre Dame was on their 2nd and 3rd string when he came in, but that doesn’t change the fact that he executed the game plan and led Purdue to their only touchdown of the day. There will come a time when Evans is asked to come into a close game and run the offense. This outing gave me slightly more confidence that he’ll be able to handle the basics of the position (calling plays, taking the snap, getting the team in and out of the huddle, etc.) when/if his number is called.
Running Back
- Fame Ijeboi: Snaps – 44 – Rushes – 12 – Yds – 41 (3.4 YPC) – Tds – 0 – Rec – 2 – Yds – 6
- Antonio Harris: Snaps – 15 – Rushes – 3 – Yds – 16 (5.3 YPC) – Tds – 0
- Jerrick Gibson: Snaps – 12 – Rushes – 3 – Yds – 6 (1.7 YPC) – Tds – 0 – Rec – 1 – Yds – 9
Grade: Inc
Like the quarterback position, it’s hard to grade this group because they are reliant on an offensive line that was completely dominated by Notre Dame. Fame ran hard, had one of the few explosive plays of the game with a 10-yard run, and picked up 4 first downs.
For those of you who have been calling for more Antonio Harris, you got your wish. He ran angry and was Purdue’s most effective back in terms of yards per carry. Jerrick Gibson got some work, but I’m starting to question this Texas Longhorn reclamation project. The former 4* back and Texas starter hasn’t done anything that Antonio Harris can’t, and I’m assuming he’s doing it at a much higher price.
Wide Receiver
- Chauncey Magwood: Snaps – 48 – Targets – 7 – Rec – 2 – Yds – 14
- Xavier Townsend: Snaps – 35 – Targets – 7 – Rec – 5 – Yds – 16
- De’Nylon Morrissette: Snaps – 31 – Targets – 1 – Rec – 1 – Yds – 9
- Assad Waseem: Snaps – 27 – Targets – 4 – Rec – 4 – Yds – 34
- Jesse Watson: Snaps – 19 – Targets – 3 – Rec – 4 – Yds – 8
- Bisi Owens: Snaps – 18 – Targets – 3 – Rec – 2 – Yds – 23 – Tds – 1
- Tra’Mar Harris: Snaps – 16 – Targets – 3 – Rec – 3 – Yds – 12
- Jaylan Hornsby: Snaps – 13
- Brandon Kinsey: Snaps – 6
Grade: Inc
The wide receivers were hounded all day. Browne didn’t have enough time to let anyone get open, and Notre Dame did a good job of getting Purdue’s receivers on the ground shortly after catching the ball, if not in the act. It was nice to see Bisi Owens and Tra’Mar Harris get more involved. Magwood and Morrissette continue to dominate the snap count, but neither has been better than average. I’m hoping to see more of Owens and Harris after the off week.
Tight End
- Cooper McCutchan: Snaps – 30 – Targets – 2 – Rec – 2 – Yds – 12
- Jackson Berryman:Snaps – 17 – Targets – 0 – Rec – 2 – Yds – 12
- Ar’Mari Towns: Snaps – 9 – Targets – Rec – 1 – Yds – 11
- Luca Puccinelli: Snaps – 11 – Targets – 0
Grade: C
The George Burhenn experience continues as the oft-injured tight end didn’t leave the bench in this game. True freshman Cooper McCutchan ascended to the top of the depth chart and did OK in his first start. He caught a couple of passes and did a decent job in pass protection. His run blocking left something to be desired, but that’s not exactly surprising considering the level of competition.
Hopefully, they are saving George for a more winnable game. No, since getting him hurt in this one.
Offensive Line
Left Tackle
- Nuku Mafi: Snaps – 45
- Rico Schrieber – 25
Left Guard
- Brock Brownfield: Snaps – 60
- Marques Easley: 10
Center
- Boaz Stanley: Snaps – 59
- Ethan Trent: Snaps – 11
Right Guard
- Micah Banuelos: Snaps – 59
- Makai Saina: Snaps – 11
Right Tackle
- Jude McCoskey: Snaps – 29
- Terrell Berryhill Jr.: Snaps – 25
- Rico Schrieber: Snaps – 16
Grade: F
This is like saying a 1997 Toyota Corolla struggled to keep up with a Lamborghini in a drag race. The Corolla is a nice, functional automobile. It will get you where you need to go in most cases, but it won’t fare well against a high-performance machine built to go fast. Purdue’s line has been functional this season, but the ask was too much on Saturday.
I don’t put a ton of stock in PFF’s offensive line grades, but I must say that starting center Boaz Stanley’s 8.7 (out of 100) pass block grade is one of the lowest I’ve ever seen. According to PFF, he gave up 5 hurries and 5 pressures to Notre Dame’s interior defensive line and committed a penalty. Right tackle Jude McCoskey didn’t cover himself in glory either, coming in with a pass-block grade of 16.7 after giving up 1 sack, 4 hurries, and 5 pressures.
While the right side of the line (including the center) was about as effective as traffic cones in stopping the Notre Dame pass rush, the left side, featuring Nuku Mafi and Brock Brownfield, actually held up respectably well. I almost bumped up the overall grade to a D- before remembering how horrific the other three members of the unit were on Saturday. Needless to say, the run blocking was also abysmal. More than once, I worried a Notre Dame defensive lineman would be our back at the mesh point and take the handoff directly from Ryan Browne.
The only slight bit of good news is that the young guys got some reps. The more Purdue develops its freshmen and sophomores, the less it has to overpay guys like Stanley and Banuelos in the portal. Granted, they weren’t particularly good outside of Brownfield; Rico Schrieber looked like the world’s largest matador, giving up a QB hit, 3 hurries, and 4 pressures, and finished the game with an 11.8 PFF pass-block grade. Hopefully, it was an eye-opening experience that motivates the big man to keep working on his body. 6’8”, 330 gets you a long way in high school, but it doesn’t mean anything at the college level unless it’s paired with footwork and balance. On a more positive note, Terrell Berryhill Jr. did a solid job in both pass protection and run blocking in his limited time on the field, granted, against Notre Dame reserves.