Eric Hansen

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame head football coach Charlie Weis spent the end of Tuesday’s practice staging a place-kick-off of sorts, trying to see if a junior who had yet to attempt a field goal in his collegiate career (Ryan Burkhart) could beat out the incumbent sophomore (Brandon Walker), who is 6-of-15 on field goals in his career, including an underwhelming 1-of-10 from beyond 30 yards.

Most of Walker’s unconverted kicks, though, have been misaimed and not out of range (his misses this season of 51, 41 and 47 yards all had plenty of distance).

Given that Burkhart, the kickoff guy at the moment, hasn’t exactly been booming those, someone suggested to Weis that perhaps one of the other 3,998 male students on campus might warrant a tryout.

Or perhaps even one of the women on campus?

Notre Dame’s women’s soccer team is No. 1 in the nation, and roughly a decade ago Irish defender Jen Grubb volunteered to try out for then-coach Bob Davie’s kicking-challenged squad. Davie didn’t take up the two-time football letter-winner from Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Ill., on the offer, however.

Weis, meanwhile, said he has kept an open mind, but without reward,

“We've had Gong Show after Gong Show, just so you know,” Weis said. “It isn't like we haven't given people opportunity to do exactly this.

“But you want to know something? When it comes time to do it in front of eyes, it's amazing how much different those kicks look. They might be the greatest backyard kicker in the entire free world, but when all of a sudden it comes to actually having to do it in front of other people, just somehow it doesn't play out the same way.”

With junior tight end Will Yeatman likely out for Saturday’s matchup with Purdue for both injury (sprained shoulder) and legal reasons (being investigated for minor consumption of alcohol, resisting arrest and false informing) and classmate Luke Schmidt missing practices due to chronic headaches, Weis may need to hold a Gong Show for aspiring tight ends.

The only two remaining healthy scholarship tight ends on the Irish roster are both freshmen -- Kyle Rudolph, who has started all three games, and Joseph Fauria, a lanky 6-foot-7, 245-pounder who was targeted for a redshirt year until this week.

“We have other contingency plans, yes,” said Weis, who may move a player or two from another position. “The names, I can't give you on those. But we do have them.”

He’ll need all his contingency plans to beat the visiting Boilermakers. Purdue (2-1) hasn’t won many big games in recent years. In fact, its last victory over a top 25 team was five seasons ago (No. 10 Iowa, 27-14), but coach Joe Tiller, in his 12th and final season, has won plenty of little ones. While at Purdue, Tiller is 73-20 against unranked teams -- which Notre Dame (2-1) is -- including 24-12 on the road.

The Boilermaker matchup is big for Notre Dame in at least one sense beyond the in-state rivalry aspect. It is a remarkable indicator of how the season will eventually unfold for the Irish.

Since the end of World War II, when Notre Dame has played and beaten Purdue on their scheduled date, the Irish have avoided a losing record 38 of 39 times. The exception was the first Lou Holtz squad (1986), which finished 5-6. Bob Davie’s last Irish team (2001) beat Purdue and finished with a losing record, but that game was moved to the end of the season because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Here then are the five keys to Weis getting his happy harbinger on Saturday:

Get back in the running
Purdue may be 99th in the FBS in rushing defense but the Boilermaker coaches are smart enough to follow Michigan State’s template and force the Irish to beat them with the pass by cheating with their safeties near the line of scrimmage. The Spartans limited the Irish to 16 yards on the ground last week in a 23-7 smothering.

Schematically and proficiently, Irish offensive coordinator Mike Haywood must make the Boilermakers pay unless he wants to face this strategy for the rest of the season.

That means loosening Purdue up with the pass, perhaps coming out in an empty backfield or running no-huddle out of the gate. The Irish want to run and need to run, but they have to be a little more creative than simply trying to play smash-mouth all the time.

Turn up the pressure
The collaboration of Jon Tenuta and Corwin Brown has resulted in a defense that largely dictates tempo and strategy, but it’s been lean on producing the one thing Tenuta’s influence has been known for at his earlier coaching stops -- sacks.

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Notre Dame has one sack total in its first three games. Only Washington and North Texas, with zero, have fewer among the 119 FBS schools.

The best way to fluster Purdue fifth-year senior quarterback Curtis Painter – 73rd nationally in passing efficiency -- is to get in his face.

Create many unhappy returns
Purdue ranks second nationally as a team in kickoff returns and Desmond Tardy leads the nation at 40.3 yards per return. Kicking to Kory Sheets isn’t much better (30.5).

Chances are someone will be bringing them back. The Irish are one of only 25 FBS schools that haven’t recorded a single touchback this season. But the Irish are No. 3 nationally in kickoff return coverage. And they’ll need to keep that trend alive to keep the edge in field position.

Stay out of a track meet
Purdue will try to drag the Irish into a scorefest, where defense is secondary if not optional. The Boilermakers are adept at winning these types of games, with the magic number being 30.

When Purdue scores 30 or more points under Tiller, the Boilermakers are 61-5. The Irish haven’t given up more than 23 points in a game so far this season and if against Purdue they keep to that number or below that should be enough to take home win No. 3.

Win one for the Gimper?
Weis, still limping around with a massive knee brace, needs to either improve his halftime oratories are perhaps free-lance them out. The Irish have yet to score in the third quarter this season. It’s also Purdue’s worst quarter but at least the Boilermakers have accumulated 14 points in the quarter.

“I think that stat will change,” Weis said. “I am very optimistic about things moving in the right direction there.”