It’s only the 14th game of Purdue head coach Ryan Walters ‘ career as the man in charge of the Boilermakers, and he gets to welcome the No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish to West Lafayette for the two intrastate rivals’ first game against each other there since 2013. He’s been waiting for this one.
“I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say this game was circled on my calendar,” Walters said in his Monday press conference .
Here’s everything else Walters said about the matchup against Notre Dame.
On if he expects an angry Notre Dame team or one filled with doubt
“We’re going to err on the side of thinking they’re going to be an angry football team. Any time you lose a home opener, that’s going to leave a bad taste in your mouth. I know Coach Freeman will have those guys fired up and ready to play. So we’re fully anticipating getting their best shot.”
On if this is an early ‘prove it’ game for the season and his career as a head coach
“I definitely think there is an element of proving it or earning respect. I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say this game was circled on my calendar. So we’re excited. We’re glad we had a bye week to get some guys healthy, to get some extra prep in. We had a really good practice on Sunday. I’m anticipating having a really good week of practice this week and we’ll line it up and go compete on Saturday.”
On what Purdue did in its bye week
“You get back to basics. Fundamentals, technique. Still did a lot of good on good just to maintain speed of the game. But you also get a lot of jump on early downs. We’ll introduce third downs earlier than we normally do. We’ll introduce red zone area a little bit earlier than we usually do. Get a chance to get your legs back fresh coming back off fall camp and that first game. You’re continually improving. That’s got to be the goal throughout the course of the year.”
On the health status of junior DB Nyland Green and sophomore wide receiver CJ Smith
“I wouldn’t anticipate them being out there this week. They’re close. They’re really close. I got to not watch them work out in rehab because it’s making me more excited and wanting them to be out there. But they’re doing a great job just attacking every day, trying to get back healthy. They’re chomping at the bit to get out there. Our training staff along with our strength and conditioning program, they’ve collabbed really well to put them in a position to get back as early as possible.”
On getting touchdowns from depth pieces
“I do think, obviously, a week ago we played more guys than you would anticipate playing in a normal game. I think the numbers are a little skewed that way. But I think the guys that got in early scored. The good thing about our offense is the ball can find anybody. It depends on what the defense is presenting and how they’re reacting post-snap. Hudson does a great job of spreading the ball around and not forcing the issue and taking what the defense gives him.”
On getting oft-injured wide receiver Jahmal Edrine the ball early with screens
“That’s exactly why we did it. They’re playing off, let’s just spit it out to him. Let him take that to settle into it, get the cobwebs out of there and get used to taking a blow.”
On Purdue’s history with Notre Dame
“I’m a football fan. You talk about Notre Dame, obviously my dad played at Colorado in the late 80s and early 90s. Notre Dame was their arch nemesis in the national championship game. I remember the Rocket Ismail days and all the great players that have come through there. To be able to host a ranked Notre Dame team at home at Ross-Ade in front of the best and loyal fans out there, it’s a special moment. I’m excited for it. I know our guys are excited for it. It’ll be fun to go out there and compete.”
On specific memories of Notre Dame
“I remember Rocket took a punt return back and there was a phantom holding call which led to Colorado winning the game. That’s probably the most pivotal play I remember.”
On senior defensive back Antonio Stevens
“He’s a lot more confident with what he’s doing. The Michigan game sort of validate his belief in what he’s capable of doing. And us as a staff entrusting him to be a starter in that position. That’s an important position in our defense, in our scheme. He’s more comfortable, he’s more confident with what we’re asking him to do. I’ve been really impressed with his leadership and his willingness to hold other people accountable. He’s a guy who’s been around for a long time and has overcome a lot of adversity and is resilient and I think guys in the locker room respect that. He works at it. He is diligent in his craft. He respects his preparation. That’s why he’s playing with confidence.”
On the Big Ten being a coast to coast conference and what that does in recruiting
“It’s time on task. We’re still three time zones away from the West Coast. It’s not wroth it, if I’m being honest, to go out there when you got a bunch of talent within a two and a half to three hour driving radius. It’s awesome you get to see different venues and play against different storied programs but there would have to a prior relationship or a guy reaching out to say he’s interested for us to travel that far and skip over a bunch of talented guys that are right in your backyard.”
“I didn’t really know what to think. You watch his high school tape and you see why he was rated as high as he was and why he was recruited as hard as he was. When we decided to take him, the thing that I was most excited about was his excitement. His willingness and desire to be a Purdue Boilermaker and to play football again. His excitement and passion for that led me to believe it would be a quick turnaround. And the way he went to work when he got here and changed his body and got back in the swing of things from a technique standpoint, his mindset and attitude, that’s why it’s not surprising he’s been able to give us some quality minutes right now.”
On his relationship with Notre Dame Coach Marcus Freeman
“The thing that’s unique about this profession is everybody’s career path is different and there’s no blueprint for success. I think the thing that I’ve admired from afar is the quick rise, the consistent success and success play on the defensive side of the ball. Obviously, I’m a defensive guy. So you study a little bit and you pay attention to people that are also playing good defense and he’s definitely done that.
“I was happy as heck for him when Notre Dame decided to hire him as head coach when Coach Kelly went to LSU. I thought that was a bold and a deserving response to that departure. So yeah, I have a lot of respect for him and can’t wait to go compete against him.”
On the Notre Dame secondary
“Obviously they’ve got some experience on the back end. They’re athletic. They play some man coverage and they understand where their help is and where they can’t get beat. I think that experience and the two teams that they’ve played haven’t stressed them a whole lot either. But you can tell it’s a group that’s played a lot together and is well-versed with what they’re doing schematically.”
On how he spent his off day Saturday
“Watched a lot of ball. Went to the soccer game also with my 8 year old. Then went home and watched a lot of football.”
On if Corey Stewart and Cam Brown will play against Notre Dame
“Yes.”
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