The Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the Purdue Boilermakers this Saturday at 2 p.m. ET in a matchup that should showcase plenty of offensive talent on both sides.

Head coach Marcus Freeman and his squad continue their quest toward a deep playoff run, and this week presents a prime opportunity to build momentum. After taking a final look at the challenges Purdue presents, here is how I see this contest playing out, along with a final score prediction.

Notre Dame 45, Purdue 17

My final score prediction for this game is 45-17 in favor of Notre Dame, and it starts with what should be a dominant day on the ground for the Fighting Irish.

Purdue’s defense is very poor against the run. After giving up 370 yards rushing to UCLA a week ago, the Boilermakers are statistically one of the worst run defenses in college football, allowing over 200 yards per game on the ground. That should be the perfect opportunity for Aneyas Williams, Nolan James Jr., and potentially Jonaz Walton to get the Notre Dame running game going.

There has been an emphasis from Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock to jumpstart the Irish rushing attack, which has struggled over the first three weeks. There were signs of life during the team’s 27-10 victory against Michigan State in the second half, finishing with 161 yards on the ground. That game also included the first 100-yard game of James Jr.’s career.

I do believe Notre Dame has more success running the football early in this contest, which has been something missing from this team so far.

With that early jump start, I think the first half flies by with the ball on the ground on the Notre Dame side. As long as they are efficient, the clock should keep on churning. That is why this is a slightly lower-scoring game than it was a year ago, when Notre Dame gave up 30 points to this Purdue team.

Purdue’s offense has more bite than people think

On the Purdue side, quarterback Ryan Browne and former Minnesota transfer running back Fame Ijeboi are both talented players with the ability to create explosives and make some chunk plays. I have a feeling Brown will make a couple of flash plays, and it would not be shocking to see Purdue unleash his abilities as a runner.

While he is not a dynamic athlete like a Riley Leonard was, he has more than enough juice to keep the chains moving and sneak out a first down or two when the Notre Dame defense is least expecting it.

There will be a couple of moments where Notre Dame fans are frustrated with the defensive effort because Purdue does have a little bit more offensive talent than most people are giving them credit for.

The run game unlocks everything for CJ Carr

The Notre Dame run game should unlock the ability to get some one-on-one matchups in the passing game and perhaps even some play action with quarterback CJ Carr. Through three games, Carr has been very efficient as a passer, completing over 70% of his passes, and he has yet to throw an interception on the year.

If the run game does get going early, that only makes Carr’s job a lot easier.

My eyes will be set on wide receiver Micah Gilbert, who had his breakout performance last week against the Spartans with eight receptions for 170 yards. Can he continue that progress? He does not have to have a historic day like that one, but his consistent presence in the boundary would be a great thing to see for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame’s pass rush takes over in the second half

On defense, I think eventually when Notre Dame takes a substantial lead, that is when you really see the impact of the Fighting Irish defensive line with Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young, and potentially a little bit more of true freshman five-star Rodney Dunham. You could also throw in Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa at linebacker for his abilities as a blitzer.

In the second half, Notre Dame gets after the quarterback in a big way and ends up with a lopsided blowout to move the record to 4-0.