The 24th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the Purdue Boilermakers (2-1) this afternoon inside of Notre Dame stadium. The Irish and head coach Marcus Freeman are looking to pick up their first win in the 2025 season while the Boilermakers, and new head coach Barry Odom, are looking to pick up their first ranked road victory since 2022.
Where: Notre Dame, Ind. - Notre Dame Stadium
When: 3:30 PM EST
Television: NBC/Peacock - Dan Hicks (play-by-play); Jason Garrett (analyst); Zora Stephenson (sideline)
Radio: Notre Dame Radio Network: Tony Simeone (play-by-play); Ryan Harris (analyst); SiriusXM 129
Spread: Notre Dame -25.5; O/U 51.5 (FanDuel)
What To Know: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame is not off to the start they imagined in year four of the Freeman era. They've dropped their first two games by a combined margin of four points. Fortunately, this hasn't been an offensive problem and the Fighting Irish finally have their quarterback of the future in redshirt freshman CJ Carr. Unfortunately, the loss of former defensive coordinator Al Golden proved to be a bigger issue than what was originally perceived. The Irish have given up 27 and 41 points respectively in their first two games against Miami and Texas A&M.
Their defense ranks dead last in the country in tackles for a loss and tied for dead last in the country in sacks generated. They've allowed 812 total yards in two games with 565 of those yards coming through the air. This isn't the Notre Dame defense we've grown accustomed to seeing in South Bend. Today is a "get right" game for the Irish and will need the defense to look drastically different than what they have in the last two games. Thankfully, the Notre Dame offense has shown it's ability to put points on the board behind players like Carr, Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Malachi Fields and Eli Raridon.
What To Know: Purdue Boilermakers
The Purdue Boilermakers are off to a 2-1 start after an abysmal 1-11 season last year. This past offseason, they brought in a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator and a new defensive coordinator along with 54 transfer portal players to completely overhaul this roster. While they might not be on the same level athletically as other schools in the mid-west like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State or Michigan, this program is significantly better coached than the team last season. They kicked off their season beating Ball State 31-0 and Southern Illinois 34-17. They lost last weekend to USC 33-17, but a late pick six by the Trojans extended their lead to 16.
The Boilermaker offense is led by dual-threat quarterback Ryan Browne who started a few games for them last season. Running back Devin Mockobee is one of the few returning starters from last year's roster. Their receiving corps features all new faces including Nitro Tuggle, Michael Jackson III and Arhmad Branch. Unfortunately, they offensive line is still underperforming and allowed 31 pressures and 12 hits plus sacks on the quarterback against USC. Defensively, they're led by two UNLV transfer at linebacker, Charles Correa and Mani Powell. Even though they might not be contenders in the Big 10, this program under Odom should return to being a consistent bowl-eligible team.
Notre Dame and Purdue have played 86 times in the past; the Irish lead the series 58-26-2 and won their last meeting in West Lafayette 66-7. That was Notre Dame's largest margin of victory in the series.
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