WEST LAFAYETTE – Linebackers could be roaming, coverages could be disguised, blitzers could come from any angle or simply drop into coverage, a 305-pound nose guard will line up over center and defensive ends will try to smother offensive tackles.

Facing Notre Dame’s 3-4 defense could be a challenge for Purdue, which has three new starting offensive linemen and a new quarterback.

Projected starting center Peters Drey is new to the position – he was moved from offensive tackle in camp – and he’s joined up front by first-year starting right tackle Nick Mondek and new starting left guard Justin Pierce.

It is Drey’s responsibility to make the calls on the line and set the protections. Most likely without being able to be heard by his teammates: Notre Dame Stadium should be loud Saturday for the opener.

“We go on center’s count,” Drey said of combating noise. “We’ve got different plans for it, so we’ll be ready. I feel like I’ve made the transition well, and I feel real comfortable. I feel good about it. I feel like the O-line, all of us, we feel good about each other.”

Purdue rarely sees a 3-4 defense, but coach Danny Hope said his team has been working against it in practice. One of the biggest differences for the offensive line is where the linemen line up. Typically, the guards are covered and the tackles aren’t against a 4-3, Hope said. But against a 3-4, the center has a 300-pounder lined up directly across from him. That changes how offensive linemen block, whether they are “covered or uncovered,” Hope said.

But Hope said he wants his group to “minimize the amount of thinking you have to do.”

Hope doesn’t anticipate calling plays to be a challenge for Drey. He just wants Drey to focus on getting the snap to quarterback Robert Marve and blocking his assignment.

The other members of the line have their “rules,” too, that should account for every defender Notre Dame will bring.

“If someone runs through there unscathed, it means someone didn’t apply their rule properly,” Hope said. “Sometimes they bring more than what you’ve got to block with, too, and that’s on the quarterback. He’s got to have someone to go to or get himself in a different protection, whatever the plan might be.

“They’ll make some mistakes up front, but I’m not worried about a paralysis through analysis type scenario this Saturday. We have to execute well, not a lot of thinking going on.”

Marve knows he must read the defense quickly and take what’s available. He’s confident in Purdue’s offense.

“They could throw anything at you at anytime, and you have to make a decision in a split second to figure out what’s the best situation to put your team in,” Marve said.

“The coaches put you in a position to understand what’s going on. It’s always OK to throw the ball away and live for the next down. (Quarterbacks) Coach (Gary) Nord is a great guy, you come to the sidelines, asking him about coverages, what blitz they came with and make things more clear.

“If you don’t see it, don’t throw it. That’s my motto. When the big play is there, you’re going to know it and feel it and take advantage of it.”

sclardie@jg.net