Notre Dame Carries Unfortunate Statistic Into Rivalry Game vs. Purdue
Notre Dame's passing attack has seen better days. Heading into Saturday's rivalry game against Purdue, the Fighting Irish have yet to throw a touchdown pass in the first two weeks of the college football season.
After two weeks, only five FBS programs have failed to reach the end zone through the air: Notre Dame, Northwestern, Miami (Ohio), Air Force and Western Michigan. That's not great company to be part of entering Week 3 of the college football season.
It's salt in the wound for a Notre Dame team that dropped a 16-14 decision to Northern Illinois last week, falling to 1-1 on the season. The Fighting Irish are ranked No. 18 heading to Ross-Ade Stadium this weekend.
Notre Dame's passing offense ranks 114th nationally, averaging just 160.5 yards per game. Quarterback Riley Leonard has completed 38-of-62 passes (60.8%) for 321 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He's rushed for 79 yards and a score.
Will Notre Dame's weak passing attack prove to be an advantage for the Boilermakers on Saturday?
Purdue has only played one game, dominating Indiana State 49-0 in the opener. In that contest, the Sycamores completed just five-of-10 passes for 50 yards. That's a solid afternoon for Ryan Walters' defense, but it came against a bad FCS opponent.
It'll be interesting to see if Notre Dame tries to figure some things out through the air this week or if it sticks with a heavy rushing attack. At some point, the Irish have to learn to move the ball with the passing attack.
Saturday's rivalry clash is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff and will air on CBS.
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DUSTIN SCHUTTE