Sep 123 min read

Notre Dame Looking to Bounce Back Against Purdue

Notre Dame | Fighting Irish, Purdue clash in 2021 — © Nikos Frazier/Journal & Courier via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-1) will battle for the Shillelagh Trophy against the Purdue Boilermakers (1-0) on Sept. 14 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. The game will start at 3:30 p.m. Eastern and will be shown on CBS/Paramount+. The Irish are coming off a stunning 16-14 loss last weekend against the Northern Illinois Huskies (2-0).

What's at Stake?

For Notre Dame, everything is at stake. Some fans are already disgruntled with head coach Marcus Freeman. Freeman has multiple losses to Group of 5 schools under his resume now following last Saturday due to a 2022 loss against Marshall. If Notre Dame loses another game, then their College Football Playoff hopes are over. Purdue, however, is coming off of a bye week with a 1-0 record. On Aug. 31, the Boilermakers defeated Indiana State 49-0. Purdue has a lot less to lose in this game than the Irish. A win against Notre Dame in front of their home crowd would be huge for their resume. Notre Dame has won the last eight matchups between the two schools. Purdue's last win against Notre Dame was in 2007.

Key Players: Notre Dame

Offense: Riley Leonard. Leonard started off last week with a rushing touchdown up the middle on the first drive of the game against Northern Illinois. After that, his play continued to decline. There were many missed throws from the veteran quarterback, including a late-game interception forced over the middle. For the Irish to succeed against Purdue, Leonard must improve on both his rushing and passing game.

Defense: Drayk Bowen. Bowen logged 7 total tackles (2 solo tackles) last week, which was second on the team behind the 8 tackles by Xavier Watts. However, Notre Dame needs to prioritize the trenches this week. After letting the Huskies handle them at the line of scrimmage, Bowen and the entire defensive line should have a fire lit under their tails on Sept. 14.

Key Players: Purdue

Offense: Devin Mockobee and Marcus Mbow. Mockobee is going to be well rested after the bye week. He is the key for Purdue. Northern Illinois saw a lot of success behind their running back. Anatario Brown and Purdue should try to do the same with their running back. Mockobee logged 11 carries for 89 yards in their Week 1 win against Indiana State. Mbow will need to be an anchor once again for the Boilermakers. His Week 1 performance was the first time he stepped on the field since he broke his leg last season.

Defense: Will Heldt. Heldt had an incredible game in Week 1, logging 6 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 tackles for losses. Purdue should focus on the trenches and give Heldt a lot of matchups against freshman tackle Anthonie Knapp.

Trends to Watch

Notre Dame's performance in the trenches last week was glaringly bad. Purdue has just as much, if not more, firepower on their defensive line as Northern Illinois. Watch out for the Boilermakers to try and pound the rock. As for the Irish, it is hard not to believe last week wasn't an effort-and-execution issue. Notre Dame should look a lot better and win this ballgame with a statement victory. If they don't, then it may be panic time in South Bend, Ind.