Notre Dame vs Purdue: Expect the Irish to Play Angry

The Irish must direct their frustration towards the Boilermakers

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

The best thing Notre Dame can do right now is hit someone else

Notre Dame nation is still struggling to piece together not only what happened last week against Northern Illinois, but also how it happened. This has been a very awkward week for all involved with the program. That includes players, coaches, fans and media.

Nothing can be done now to undo the horrors of last week, all that can be done is to prevent it from happening again. The best thing right now for the Irish players is to be able to go out and hit the Boilermakers.

Take out the frustration on someone else.

Marcus Freeman on the mentality of Notre Dame's players this week getting ready for Purdue:

"Our guys have been great this week. Hungry, extremely driven, competitive, want to improve, embarrassed. But they're ready to roll."

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) September 12, 2024

If ever there was a week for a hot start, this would be it

Notre Dame has been in two ballgames that have gone down to the wire. They have provided absolutely no breathing room whatsoever. I don't know if it is likely or possible, but it'd be really nice to see the Irish get out to a comfortable lead.

Notre Dame will be playing under a unique kind of scrutiny this week, a hot start would go a long way to calming everyone's nerves and anxiety down a notch.

While I do expect the Notre Dame defense to struggle as they continue to find themselves and hopefully any semblance of a passing game, I'm more confident that the Irish defense will anchor the day.

I foresee them getting back to more sound run fits and being able to get off the field on 3rd down situations the way we are used to them doing before last week's performance.

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