People watching Notre Dame and Purdue might want to ask if they’d rather have their top receiver gain more yards or score more touchdowns. The Irish’s Michael Mayer is a tight end, but he also finds the end zone a bunch. John Madden used to frequently say in his video game that tight ends were more of a threat in a red zone than regular receivers, so that theory holds water here. All Irish fans care about is Mayer not disappearing for long stretches as he has been prone to do in the first two games.
The Boilermakers’ David Bell is an actual receiver but has fewer receptions and far fewer touchdowns than Mayer despite accumulating more yardage. That has to make fans wonder if he’s better at helping his team get downfield than finishing off drives. Irish fans saw that a lot with Javon McKinley last year. While Bell may not be absolutely necessary to help the Boilermakers pull out a win in South Bend, it sure would help to unlock all facets of the game that are required of a receiver.