The No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-1) travel to Ross-Ade Stadium to take on the Purdue Boilermakers (1-0) in Week 3. Last Saturday, beaten 16-14 as a 28.5-point favorite by Northern Illinois, Notre Dame fell 13 spots in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Purdue enters Saturday’s in-state clash off a bye week after dismantling Indiana State 49-0 in Week 1.
Somehow, following a devastating home loss, Notre Dame is a 10.5-point favorite over the Boilermakers in the trophy game. Notre Dame and Purdue play for the Shillelagh, which is currently with the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame won the last meeting in South Bend in 2021 by a final score of 27-13. The Boilermakers have lost the last eight matchups with the Irish. Purdue’s last victory in the series came in 2007 in a 33-19 home win. All told, the series stands at 59-26-2 in favor of Notre Dame. The Irish are 28-14-2 when playing at Purdue. Saturday’s game marks the 88th meeting between the two programs.
Where From Here?
With an inexcusable loss to Northern Illinois, Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff chances suffered a serious gash. It would have been difficult one week ago to predict that Saturday’s game against Purdue could be the Irish’s biggest game of the season. But that is where head coach Marcus Freeman and transfer quarterback Riley Leonard find themselves following a hard-fought win over Texas A&M in the season opener and an embarrassing loss to NIU last week.
“When you evaluate the film, here’s some of the key factors that led to the outcome,” Freeman shared from the podium at his weekly press conference on Monday. “The turnover margin we lost two to nothing. Explosive plays, they had six for 186 yards. We have five for 94 (yards). Time of possession: They had 35-plus minutes. We had 24 minutes. Rushing yards, they had 190. We had 123. And they won the third down battle. No matter who your opponent is, and you lose all those key areas you’re not going to win the game.
“The challenge for everyone in our program is to figure out why those things happened,” Freeman continued. “Obviously, there are going to be some schematic things we’ve got to improve. To me, the biggest thing I’ve been reflecting on over the last 48 hours, I think we have to learn how to handle success. That is what spoke to me watching the film. Everybody says, ‘Hey, you are going to the playoffs. You have an easy schedule.’ We all hear it. I think we started to believe that.”
Quarterback Comparison
Notre Dame must regroup facing a potentially tough Purdue team on the road. Additionally, Purdue has had an extra week to prepare for this game. Purdue’s efficient offense is led by quarterback Hudson Card. The senior signal-caller went 24-for-25 for 273 yards in Purdue’s first game of the season. Completing 96 percent of his passes, Card tied an FBS record. He also threw four touchdowns to four different players in the blowout win. In 2023, Card completed 215-of-365 attempts for 2,387 yards and a career-high 15 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
Leonard, on the other hand, has not thrown a touchdown pass through the Irish’s first two games this season. He completed 20-of-32 passes for 163 yards and zero touchdowns through the air in last week’s loss. More importantly, he tossed two costly interceptions. For the season, Leonard has thrown for 321 yards, rushed for 79 yards, and has one rushing touchdown. That score came on the 75-yard opening drive against NIU. Notre Dame lost the yardage battle 388 to 211 after that drive.
Leonard was among the most sought-after quarterbacks in the transfer portal last year. Granted, he is returning from an ankle injury and multiple surgeries. He is also playing behind an inexperienced offensive line. But he has not looked confident in the pocket. He has failed to find open receivers through the first two games and his poor decision-making has hindered more than helped thus far.
However, it was revealed on Tuesday, September 10, that Leonard injured his left labrum. Further, he underwent an MRI on his non-throwing shoulder over the weekend. Leonard is still expected to play on Saturday. He is backed up by Steve Angeli, who won his lone start in last year’s Sun Bowl after serving as Sam Hartman’s backup a season ago.
Notre Dame’s Offense is Stuck in Neutral
Notre Dame’s offense needs work and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock must find answers at quarterback. The Irish are 5-of-21 (23.8%) on third down through the first two games. Taking a page from NIU, Purdue is likely to try to apply pressure on Leonard early in hopes of a repeat performance from last week’s loss. Purdue’s defense allowed just 162 yards in the Week 1 win over the Sycamores. The experienced unit is anchored by senior nose tackle Cole Brevard and senior defensive tackle Jeffrey M’Ba. Sophomore safety Dillon Thieneman was a freshman All-American last season.
The Fighting Irish have amassed 642 total yards on the season. The offense has zero touchdowns through the air and four rushing touchdowns. Jeremiyah Love has found the house twice. Jadarian Price scored against Texas A&M, and Leonard scored last week. Love has 170 yards on 25 carries this season. Price has rushed for 68 yards on 12 carries. Finding more touches for Love and Price would alleviate some of the pressure from Leonard’s shoulders.
Turnaround Needed Against Purdue
Any slim hopes of making the College Football Playoffs will require the Irish to win out. A loss to Purdue this weekend will erase that idea. The Irish defense struggled to get off the field against NIU but proved stingy on the road in College Station. A return to form for the defense would also benefit the offense. Purdue second-year head coach Ryan Walters (5-8 ) is now on the lookout for a statement win for his program. Walters is not taking any chances in preparing his Boilermakers for Saturday’s game against the reeling Irish.
“We’re going to err on the side of thinking that they’re going to be an angry football team,” Walters shared in a press conference this week. “Anytime you are a top five (team) in the country, and you lose your home opener, that’s going to leave a bad taste in your mouth. I know coach Freeman will have those guys fired up and ready to play and we’re expecting their best shot.”
Notre Dame’s matchup against Purdue is more than just a rivalry trophy game. It is a must-win game for the Irish. A second consecutive loss could effectively end their season in Week 3. The Fighting Irish need a win on Saturday to reverse their fortunes, regain momentum, and keep their slim playoff aspirations alive.
