In what was supposed to be a battle of two unbeaten teams, Notre Dame will look to rebound against the 1-0 Purdue Boilermakers in what should be a fascinating matchup in what has become an early must-win game for the Fighting Irish.
Purdue comes off an early bye week after a 49-0 beatdown of Indiana State, and the Irish will have to bounce back in a hurry after losing to Northern Illinois in a shocking 16-14 upset
Here’s everything you need to know about this Week 3 contest.
Notre Dame and Purdue Announcers, Broadcast Details, and More
- Start time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Channel: CBS
- Radio Stations: 96.5 FM WAZY, 960 AM WSBT
- Announcers: Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson
- Betting lines: Notre Dame -10
- Over/Under: 45
- Moneyline: Notre Dame -360, Purdue +285
- Location: West Lafayette, Ind., Ross-Ade Stadium
Notre Dame vs. Purdue Game Preview
Purdue is still somewhat unknown as it has only played one game, against FCS Indiana State.
Hudson Card led the team with an impressive 96% completion rate and threw for four touchdowns on 273 yards to fuel the Boilermakers past the Sycamores.
For just one game, Card looks to have improved on his 2023 performance, which saw him throw for 15 touchdowns on a 58.9% completion rate.
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The Shillelagh Trophy will be on the line as Purdue tries to beat a ranked Notre Dame team for the 17th time in series history.
While Notre Dame leads the series by a record of 59-26-2, the Irish also won the last matchup between the two teams back in 2021 by a score of 27-13. The last time Purdue beat Notre Dame was in a 2007 home game by a score of 33-19.
The Irish will have to figure out how quarterback Riley Leonard’s injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder will impact the offense. The team’s scoring output of 18.5 points per game is well below its 39.2 average mark in 2023.
Notre Dame may end up relying even more heavily on sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love, who is averaging an impressive 6.8 yards per rush.
The Irish will also have to scheme around Dillon Thieneman, the Boilermakers’ outstanding sophomore defensive back. In 2023, he was the FWAA Defensive Freshman of the Year and landed on multiple All-America lists, including the AP’s Third Team.
Will Heldt will also be a marked man, as he already totaled two sacks in just one game.
For Purdue, it will be a test of Card and running mate Devin Mockobee against a ferocious Notre Dame defense that is holding opponents to just 14.5 points per game.
Howard Cross is one of the top defensive linemen in the country and will try to pad his sack total as he has one on the year thus far, and Xavier Watts will be lurking from his safety position, as well. Watts has 11 total tackles on the season to go with an interception and a pass breakup.
Card will have his hands full with the Notre Dame defense. Still, if he can find tight end Max Klare and junior wideout Jahmal Edrine with the same kind of consistency he did against Indiana State, there may be another upset brewing as the Boilermakers will try to steam their way into the national conversation.
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