The 24th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish move onto their third game of the season against the Purdue Boilermakers (2-1) this Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Indiana. These two teams met last season in West Lafayette, and Notre Dame picked up their biggest victory in the series history 66-7. This season, however, there's a different outlook on this matchup. The Irish are 0-2 and the Boilermakers have a new head coach, Barry Odom, who came over from UNLV. This is a "get right game" for Notre Dame; we've broken down the three biggest storylines, two biggest position battles and one player to keep your eye on for the offense in Saturday's in-state rivalry game.
Three Biggest Storylines
1. Get Jaden Greathouse Involved - Not many players ended their season in 2024 the way wide receiver Jaden Greathouse did for the Fighting Irish. He racked up 105 receiving yards and one touchdown against Penn State in the Orange Bowl and 128 receiving yards and two touchdowns against Ohio State in the National Championship game. Fast forward to the start of 2025, the Texas native has only been targeted four times and has two receptions for 41 yards. This is a player Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will have to get going against the Boilermakers. Across the board, the Irish have a stout group of pass catchers. It's time to get them all involved.
2. Strong Offensive Line Play - This unit got off to a rough start. The Notre Dame offensive line had an extremely forgettable performance against Miami in week one. They improved in pass protection against Texas A&M, but it remains unclear how much of that was due to the level of competition, after all, the Aggies don't have a Rueben Bain rushing off the edge. So far this season, we've seen Joe Rudolph's unit play passively, catching defensive lineman instead of driving them off the ball. This Saturday, we need to watch this unit drive off the ball in the run game to open up lanes for their dynamic backfield and keep quarterback CJ Carr clean in the pocket.
3. Take Care Of The Football - Despite some dynamic performances on offense, taking care of the football has been an issue for Denbrock's group. In week one, they turned the ball over twice, and were a goal line fumble away from losing another. Last Saturday, Carr threw an interception on a drive where they could have extended their lead over the Aggies and also put the ball in harms way later in the matchup. Notre Dame has to get back to playing clean football and give their defense an opportunity to win the turnover battle.
Two Key Battles
1. Notre Dame's Interior Offensive Line vs Purdue's Interior Defensive Line - The interior of Notre Dame's offensive line is still finding their footing. Center Ashton Craig still has yet to reach double digit career starts even though he's been playing since 2023, and right guard Guerby Lambert is stepping into his third start of his career. On the other side of the ball, Purdue's interior defensive line has quality size up the middle. Defensive tackle Jamarrion Harkless is 6-3, 345 pounds. Lining up next to him is TJ Lindsey, a 6-3, 310-pound defensive tackle. Notre Dame has allowed too many defensive tackles and interior defensive players to run free up the middle blowing up run plays in the backfield. They allowed 8.0 tackles for a loss against Texas A&M; that will have to get cleaned up this Saturday.
2. Notre Dame Running Backs vs Purdue Linebackers - Last Saturday, we saw Notre Dame's dynamic duo in the backfield on full display. Star running back Jeremiyah Love and highlight reel running back Jadarian Price combined for 215 total yards of offense and four touchdowns. This weekend, they'll square off against Purdue's two best defensive players in linebackers Charles Correa and Mani Powell, both UNLV transfers. The two linebackers have combined for 37 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss and 23 run stops. Love and Price will have to win their matchups in space. Denbrock will have to get creative in the run game and get Love matched up on Purdue's linebackers in the passing game.
One Player To Watch: Running Back Jeremiyah Love
In their first two games, Carr has carried this offense in two close losses. Love played a major role in their shootout against Texas A&M last weekend, but has yet to have that signature performance we've been used to seeing. Fact of the matter, Love hasn't rushed for over 100 yards in the regular season since the Shamrock Series against Army last season. The explosive plays we grew accustomed to seeing haven't happened yet in 2025. Love's longest carry of the season in 33 attempts has gone for 16 yards. This is an opponent Love can have a field day against.
Last season, through the first two weeks, Love averaged 6.9 yards per carry. This season, he's averaging 3.8 yards per carry through the first two games and only has one rushing touchdown. The offensive line will have to do their part in opening up better running lanes for the star back, but Love will have to play with better footwork and more patience. I firmly believe that the 6-0, 214-pound St. Louis native is the best running back in the country and he'll have a prime opportunity to remind every body of that this Saturday against Purdue.
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