Notre Dame defeated Purdue 66-7 during its last visit to Ross-Ade stadium, September 14, 2024. (Photo: Chad Ryan)
Apparently, the FIP staff is expecting a pretty relaxing Saturday afternoon.
Notre Dame heads to West Lafayette riding a 10-game winning streak over Purdue, and our predictions suggest No. 11 could come with some fireworks.
We’ve got the Irish running game finally breaking loose. We’ve got touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams. We’ve got Mylan Graham having his breakout game, Joey O’Brien finding the end zone and Spencer Porath enjoying his return to Ross-Ade.
And then there’s AJ, who fortunately isn’t paid by the word.
His entire analysis:
“It’s Purdue.”
Enough said.
Here’s how the Fighting Irish Preview staff sees Saturday’s trip to West Lafayette.
Phil Houk — Senior Editor
This is the week the Notre Dame running game finally breaks loose. UCLA just ran for 369 yards and averaged 7.7 yards a carry against Purdue. The Irish still haven’t produced a 20-yard run this season. That ends Saturday — emphatically.
I also like Spencer Porath in his return to Ross-Ade. He kicked three field goals against Notre Dame for Purdue last year. Saturday, he flips the script and kicks three for the Irish.
And let’s have some fun with safety Joey O’Brien. The super freshman gets his opportunity with Brauntae Johnson and Luke Talich out. I’m calling his first big Notre Dame moment: a scoop-and-score.
The running game rolls, the defense does what it does, and Notre Dame makes another statement.
Prediction: Notre Dame 54, Purdue 14
Caleb Conrad — Senior Intern
Notre Dame has not had much trouble winning against Purdue in recent seasons. The Irish will look to continue that this week.
Notre Dame’s run game is going to come alive this week. The Boilermakers have struggled to stop the run so far this season, and the Irish need to get their run game established. Aneyas Williams and Nolan James Jr. will both find the end zone in this game. The confidence will grow in the run game, and the offensive line will have its best game of the season.
For the Notre Dame defense, Purdue has an offense that has been able to put up points, but the Boilermakers have not faced a defense anywhere near Notre Dame’s caliber. Purdue may find some success early, but the Irish defense will take over as the game goes on.
Notre Dame should get a convincing win to end its September schedule.
Prediction: Notre Dame 49, Purdue 14
Jesse Craig — Webmaster/Host of Five With Phil
Not a lot of color or nuance needs to go into projecting the outcome of this game.
The Irish are 8-0 vs. Purdue since 2010. Freeman, who once coached at Purdue, is 3-0 vs. the Boilermakers as the Notre Dame skipper. Those three games were won by an average of 49.7 to 16.7. I’ll stick with that.
My more interesting prediction is Notre Dame will score a touchdown on offense, defense and special teams, and Mylan Graham will be the offensive standout. I have a working theory that OC Mike Denbrock is trying to feature one receiver each game leading up to BYU and Miami. Week 1, Faison. Week 2, Greathouse, then Bettis Jr. when the starters were pulled. Week 3, Gilbert. Week 4? MG3. He is an Indiana kid after all.
Prediction: Notre Dame 50, Purdue 17
Connor Fitzharris — Staff Writer
Purdue is trying to beat Notre Dame for the first time since 2007. Since then, the Irish have won 10 straight against the Boilermakers, including the last two meetings by a combined score of 122-37.
Purdue finished last in the Big Ten a year ago but is expected to be improved. The problem is that the talent gap between these two teams remains extremely wide.
Notre Dame walks into West Lafayette and takes care of business.
The Pick: Notre Dame 42, Purdue 17 (4-0)
Adam Schenkel — Producer/Audio Editor
Notre Dame heads to West Lafayette this week to take on Purdue, and while I don’t think the Boilermakers are quite the Big Ten bottom-dweller they’ve been over the last two years, they’re still not ready to give the Irish much of a game.
Notre Dame’s running game remains a concern, but even if those issues aren’t fixed this week, it won’t matter. The Irish have too much talent on both sides of the ball, jump on Purdue from the start and roll to another convincing victory.
Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Purdue 13
AJ Houk — Photo Journalist/Director of Brand Strategy
It’s Purdue.
Prediction: Notre Dame 55, Purdue 17
The Final Byte
The staff average comes out to approximately Notre Dame 48, Purdue 15.
But the Final Byte is independent of the staff picks. This one follows the numbers.
The betting market has Notre Dame favored by roughly four touchdowns with the total around 58.5, producing an implied score in the neighborhood of 43-16. Multiple analytics projections land in essentially the same place, with Notre Dame favored by the high 20s.
The matchup explains why. Purdue can move the football, but its defense has been vulnerable. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has allowed only 193 total yards per game through three games — the first time since 1975 the Irish have opened a season allowing fewer than 200 yards per game through their first three.
Purdue should produce more offense than Notre Dame’s first three opponents, but the numbers suggest the Boilermakers won’t produce nearly enough of it to keep pace.
FINAL BYTE: Notre Dame 44, Purdue 16.