Data Driven: Purdue Notre Dame

Each week after Purdue football games, we’ll take a closer look back at the game through PFF data and analytics. Today, Notre Dame 66, Purdue 7.

(Editor’s note: PFF data is just one organization’s interpretation of the happenings from Saturday’s game. It is not to be taken as gospel)

OFFENSE

Offensive snap counts:

Hudson Card all 53
Gus Hartwig all 53
Marcus Mbow all 53
Mahamane Moussa 47
DJ Wingfield 46
Max Klare 41
Corey Stewart 40
De’Nylon Morrissette 33
Jaron Tibbs 32
Jahmal Edrine 31
Devin Mockobee 31
Reggie Love III 23
Leland Smith 20
Kam Brown 19
Shamar Rigby 15
Drew Biber 15
Joshua Sales Jr. 13
Jalen Grant 13
Jayden Dixon-Veal 5

Grades and notes:

• Purdue’s pass-blocking grades match the eye test on Saturday. Not a single lineman graded well in pass blocking, including some really poor grades on the interior of the offensive line.
• On the flip side, Purdue’s run blocking grades on the offensive line came back solid. Marcus Mbow and Gus Hartwig graded out well here.
• Pretty nice grade for Reggie Love III considering the circumstances. Purdue seems to have gotten a nice piece there.
• Middling grades across the board for Purdue’s wide receivers.
• Not as much rotation for Purdue at wide receiver after a liberal rotation pattern in the opener.
• Second-lowest grade for Hudson Card during his time at Purdue

Hudson Card’s passing chart:

• Clean: 9-16, 68 yards, TD, INT (good grade)
• Under pressure: 2-8. 56 yards, INT (poor grade)
• Not blitzed: 8-14, 112 yards
• Blitzed: 3-10, 12 yards, TD, 2 INT
• Play action: 1-2, 21 yards
• No play action: 10-22, 103 yards, TD, 2 INT
• Screen: 2-3, 21 yards
• No screen: 9-21, 103 yards, TD, 2 INT

• Card’s average depth of target: 7.1 yards downfiel
• Just 5.2 yards per attempt for Card
• On passes less than ten yards downfield, Card completed just nine of his 18 attempts with two “turnover-worthy” throws in the mix
• He did grade well throwing more than ten yards downfield, albeit on just four attempts
• Two drops by wide receivers

Running game:

• PFF takes sack losses out of the rushing stats. The final tally: 21 carries for 78 yards, with plenty coming in garbage time
• Love and Mockobee combined for 80 yards. 50 of those came after contact.
• Both Love and Mockobee forced three missed tackles a piece
• While the offensive line struggled in pass-blocking, both did grade out respectably as pass-blockers

DEFENSE

Defensive snap counts:

Dillon Thieneman all 69
Will Heldt 68
Antonio Stevens 67
Shitta Sillah 62
Markevious Brown 61
Tarrion Grant 53
Kydran Jenkins 53
Kyndrich Breedlove 47
Jeffrey M’ba 44
Yanni Karlaftis 42
Joe Anderson 35
Botros Alisandro 33
Cole Brevard 33
Mo Omonode 30
Damarjhe Lewis 28
CJ Madden 20
Demeco Kennedy 16
Jamarius Dinkins 15
Jamarrion Harkless 9
Joseph Jefferson 6
Hudson Miller 5
Anthony Brown 4
Caleb Irving 2
Derrick Rogers Jr. 1

Grades and notes:

• Purdue’s lowest-graded defender? Dillon Thieneman. Rough day.
• 15 missed tackles for the Boilermakers, four a piece charged to Thieneman and Stevens
• Run defense grades came back very poorly across the board for Purdue’s starters, especially outside of the D-line
• In pass coverage, no grades stood out either positively or negatively
• A “welcome to college football” game of sorts for Tarrion Grant, who struggled mightily in run defense and tackling
• Just three edge rushers saw the field for Purdue: Heldt, Sillah, Madden

Riley Leonard’s passing chart

• Clean: 10-13, 110 yards
• Under pressure: 1-3, 2 yards
• Not blitzed: 1-2, 9 yards
• Blitzed: 10-14, 103 yards
• Play action: 1-2, 12 yards
• No play action: 10-14, 100 yards
• Screen: 2-3, 19 yards
• No screen: 9-13, 93 yards