Final score prediction for Notre Dame vs. Purdue: Will the Irish get back on track or underwhelm against the Boilermakers?
Notre Dame football welcomes the Purdue Boilermakers to South Bend this weekend. The Fighting Irish need to put together an impressive performance.
It has been an ominous feeling amongst the Notre Dame fan base this past week following a 0-2 start, and two gut-wrenching losses to the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies. Head coach Marcus Freeman and his Fighting Irish squad welcome the Purdue Boilermakers to South Bend this weekend, and it is an extremely important matchup. Not only must Notre Dame win, but they desperately need to put together an impressive overall performance.
This is a bit of a tougher game to predict for several different reasons. There is no questioning that Notre Dame has the more talented team in this battle, and it isn’t particularly close. When comparing against the Boilermakers, there isn’t a single position that the opposition should have the advantage, at least on paper. As we know, however, games are not won on paper.
Matchup Breakdown
For the Fighting Irish offense, this game is going to be about finding its full identity. With star running back Jeremiyah Love, as well as speedster Jadarian Price, this backfield is one of the most dangerous in all of college football. Notre Dame has the clear speed advantage with their backfield, and they will need to create some explosive runs. It will be dependent on what type of performance the offensive line turns in.
The Boilermaker secondary is also susceptible to big plays, and the hope is for the Irish to continue getting nice performances out of Malachi Fields and tight end Eli Raridon. The biggest thing to watch should be if offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is able to get junior wide receiver Jaden Greathouse more involved.
Greathouse tends to make things happen when he gets targets, but they don’t come consistently for whatever reason.
Even with some improvements that the Irish offense needs to make, that unit has been worlds better than the defense. Chris Ash’s unit has been a major letdown to begin the season, and finding some quick answers is paramount. That is especially true in the secondary, where this Notre Dame pass defense has gone from elite to pathetic in one offseason despite having three starters return.
Do I believe that Notre Dame will beat Purdue this weekend? There is no question. Will it be a decisive victory? I also believe so, but it could be a slower start coming off a letdown home loss to the Aggies. The Fighting Irish should get things going in the second half, but it’s unlikely that everything gets fixed instantly.
Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Purdue 17
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