Who to expect on the field while Purdue’s scores touchdowns on Saturday.
Defense
Vyper
#12 – Jordan Botelho – 6’3”, 250 – Sr.
#5 – Boubacar Traore – 6’4”, 243 – Fr.
#44 – Junior Tuihalamaka – 6’2”, 255 – Jr.
Three-Tech Defensive Tackle
#99 – Rylie Mills – 6’5”, 295 – Sr.
#47 – Jason Onye – 6’5”, 290 – Jr.
#88 – Armel Mukam – 6’3”, 302 – Fr.
Nose Tackle
#56 – Howard Cross III – 6’1”, 288 – Sr.
#41 – Donovan Hinish – 6’2”, 278 – So.
Strong-Side Defensive End
#9 – RJ Oben – 6’3”, 265 – Sr.
#40 – Joshua Burnham – 6’4”, 251 – So.
or
#30 – Bryce Young – 6’7”, 258 – Fr.
Will Linebacker
#24 – Jack Kiser – 6’2”, 231 – Sr.
#4 – Jaiden Ausberry – 6’2”, 216 – Fr.
#27 – Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa – 6’3”, 240 – Fr.
Mike Linebacker
#34 – Drayk Bowen – 6’2”, 239 – So.
#27 – Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa – 6’3”, 240 – Fr.
Rover
#3 – Jaylen Sneed – 6’1”, 224 – So.
#4 – Jaiden Ausberry – 6’2”, 216 – Fr.
Nickel
#1 – Jordan Clark – 5’10”, 180 – Sr.
#21 – Karson Hobbs – 6’1”, 192 – Fr.
Boundary Corner
#20 – Benjamin Morrison – 6’0”, 190 – Jr.
#15 – Leonard Moore – 6’2”, 191 – Fr.
Field Corner
#29 – Christian Gray – 6’0, 190 – So.
#7 – Jaden Mickey – 6’0”, 182
Boundary Safety
#8 – Adon Shuler – 6’0”, 200 – Fr.
#28 – Luke Talich – 6’4”, 211 – So.
#23 – Kennedy Urlacher – 5’11”, 197 – Fr.
Field Safety
#0 – Xavier Watts – 6’0”, 203 – Sr.
#2 – Rod Heard II – 5’11”, 195 – Sr.
Special Teams
Kicker
#98 – Mitch Jeter – 5’11”, 195 – Sr.
Punter
#16 – James Rendell – 6’6”, 225 – Sr.
Kickoff Return
#2 – Jayden Harrison – 5’10”, 198 – Sr.
or
#4 – Jeremiyah Love – 6’0”, 210 – So.
or
#24 – Jadairan Price – 5’10”, 206
Punt Returner
#1 – Jaden Greathouse – 6’1”, 215
Injury Notes
- Reserve defensive end Joshua Burnham is questionable with an ankle injury.
Notes
- Notre Dame runs a base 3-man front with a hybrid defensive end/linebacker at the Vyper Spot.
- The Fighting Irish play a “boundary” and “field” safety as opposed to a strong and free safety.
- Defensive end Adon Shuler has the only Notre Dame sack this season.
- Vyper (stand up defensive end / outside linebacker) Jordan Botelho leads the team in quarterback hurries with 2.
- Jack Kiser leads the team in tackles from his Will linebacker spot with 14.
- 2023 Unanimous All-American Xavier Watts leads the secondary with an interception and 11 tackles.
Overall
The defense hasn’t been the problem for Notre Dame, and they come into this game relatively healthy despite opening the season with two tough games. This is an upper classman heavy defense that won’t lose focus. Purdue will need to come out and take the game from the Fighting Irish.
This one could be a dog fight.