Boy, I could watch that ND/Michigan video all night. But the team has moved on, and so must we, to embrace Boiler Nation as only we can. Thus the Irish Blogger Gathering reconvenes to ponder the great questions of the day … well, four of them at least. As last week, to read the answers the guys had to my question (which appears at the end), follow the links in their names below (which will appear when their articles are posted). Meanwhile, I’ll do my best to address their queries.

Frank Vitovich, UHND: Notre Dame has struggled against Purdue the last two years even though the Boilers have had back to back down years. 1) Why has Purdue given Notre Dame such problems the last two seasons 2) what does Notre Dame have to do avoid a similar fate this weekend and 3) will Notre Dame be able to keep this game from being too close for comfort this year?

Based on the (granted, limited) exposure I’ve had to PU’s play this season, the answers to (2) and (3) should be resounding “do what they’ve done so far this season”. Underwhelming does not even begin to describe the Boilermakers in 2014. I can’t, off the top of my head, think of a single thing they’re doing well, let alone exceptionally. Darrell Hazell has that deer-in-headlights look down pat, and there is absolutely no reason this game shouldn’t be a carbon copy of the one we watched against the Owls Labor Day weekend.

I wish I had an answer for (1). Last year with all the talk of Purdue “stacking the box” and allegedly preventing us from doing what we wanted to do on offense made me want to throw a chair through the window. I’m hoping the kind of focus we’ve seen so far this season returns, because that team should steamroll the Boilermakers back to West Lafayette. But the return to dink-and-dunk-and-they’re-not-letting-us-run-the-ball could make for a longer afternoon than we’d like.

Ryan Ritter, Her Loyal Sons: Since Michigan still hasn’t scored, let’s talk about the defense: who stood out for you against Michigan?

I liked the secondary from top to bottom. Cole Luke and Max Redfield, occasional lapses aside, have looked quite ready for prime time so far. The quality play in the backfield has allowed the front seven to get the job done, and as long as that unit continues to produce, ND fans are going to get positive results. It’s the Mullet defense — all business up front, party in the back.

The Subway Domer: With all of this recent talk of different series ending and scheduling issues, what are your opinions on scheduling B16 teams? How does Notre Dame keep a strong regional presence while continuing to live nationally?

God knows I’m no fan of the B1G. I think playing six games in Notre Dame Stadium will keep ND’s regional presence strong, so I don’t think they should enjoy preferred placement on the schedule, particularly with home-and-home slots as dear as they are. Having said that, though, I’d have no objection to two-game series the likes of which were just signed with Ohio State. But I’d like to see some variety mixed in, like the Iowas and Minnesotas. Teams like Indiana and Illinois might be useful for the Shamrock games should those continue.

Aaron Horvath, Fighting Irish Blog: It seems as there is always talk about how the current head coach at Notre Dame is not the right man for the job, however in the past five years Brian Kelly has created a system of consistency and led the Irish in the BCS Championship Game. What do you say to the people out there who still think Coach Kelly is not the man for the job?

I tell them they’re not necessarily wrong yet. Going into this season, Notre Dame lost at least four games in three of Brian Kelly’s four seasons. This season certainly is looking a lot more like 2012 than 2013, and I’d certainly love to see more of the former than the latter, but there’s a long way to go and a few ranked teams yet to play.

Having said that, it’s obvious BK has grown into some of the aspects of his job at which he struggled early. The cringeworthy moments in press conferences are fewer and further between. He seems to be doing a better job with non-player interaction. I’d feel better if some of the assistant coaching changes we’ve been enjoying so far this season had come about due to definitive action on BK/ND’s part — after all, if UConn hadn’t taken a flyer on Diaco, he’d still be spouting his gibberish on our sidelines rather than in Storrs — but he certainly made a good hire when he had the chance, not to mention someone outside his “comfort zone”.

There’s been a lot to enjoy so far this season, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Now, my question that dazzled the masses:

While it will be difficult to make many definitive statements about the team this week due to the poor quality if opponent, what is one thing you really want to see them do against Purdue?