Why Notre Dame Could Benefit from an Away Game This Week vs Purdue

Can Irish right the ship in West Lafayette? Getting away from South Bend might not be a bad thing.

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Ryan Walters leads Purdue onto the field Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, ahead of the NCAA football game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue Boilermakers won 49-0. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Notre Dame looks to right the ship at Purdue this week

Under normal circumstances, football teams always prefer to play home games. The crowd is welcoming, there's no travel involved, and the team can enjoy all of the typical benefits of being in an area of comfort and familiarity leading into the contest.

But, these are not normal circumstances Notre Dame is playing under this week.

The Irish head to West Lafayette reeling after a mind-numbing unfathomable loss to Northern Illinois in Notre Dame Stadium, ruining the Irish's homecoming.

How bad was it? Bad enough that the home crowd booed the team off the field heading into halftime and after the game as well.

Boos rained down on Marcus Freeman & Notre Dame today in 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois, Freeman’s third loss since ‘22 at home as a double-digit favorite. “The entire program underachieved” https://t.co/kWjem5Kknj pic.twitter.com/RIBdelDObn

— John Brice (@JohnDBrice1) September 8, 2024

Notre Dame will be able to play more freely on the road this week

The Notre Dame fan base is very upset.

The fans do not trust the team right now and are very much on edge. Having another home game this week would only worsen things - even though traveling over to West Lafayette isn't exactly like going to USC.

There would be an odd, quiet feeling in the stadium that would be palpable. A "what can go wrong next" type of vibe would permeate the air in South Bend, and the team would feel it.

For this reason, the best thing for Notre Dame right now is to hit the road somewhere that won't be too intense, but also won't be full of 87,000 angry and anxious Irish fans as well.

Purdue fits this bill. Hopefully the Irish can let out their anger in Ross-Ade and get back on the winning track while the fan base gathers itself for a week before reconvening at home for Miami University.

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