Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Purdue Boilermakers Prediction: Who Wins, and Why

What to watch for as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish face off against the Purdue Boilermakers in this Week 3 college football game with our updated prediction.

Purdue Boilermakers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Prediction / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Coming out of a historic loss at home, No. 18 Notre Dame is sliding down the rankings and holding on by its fingernails to its lingering playoff hopes, heading down-state to square off against Purdue in college football’s Week 3 action on Saturday.

A field goal with 31 seconds left in regulation found the Fighting Irish on the wrong end of a 16-14 decision against Northern Illinois in the first-ever win by a MAC team against an AP top-five team.

That result put Notre Dame’s offense and particularly quarterback Riley Leonard under some intense criticism, and places the team under even greater pressure to get things right and avoid falling under .500 in what would be a harsh indictment of Marcus Freeman’s tenure as coach.

This is Purdue’s second game of the season, taking an early bye after pounding Indiana State by a 40-0 count, and quarterback Hudson Card remains at the helm of an offense that can turn some heads and get guys in space with some ease.

What can we expect from the matchup? Here’s what you should watch for as Notre Dame goes on the road against Purdue in this Week 3 college football game, with our updated prediction.

Notre Dame vs. Purdue prediction, preview

1. House of Card. The aforementioned Hudson Card is a legitimate threat against a good Irish secondary. He went 24 of 25 passing with 273 yards and four touchdowns in the opener, tying the FBS record for the best completion mark with at least 20 attempts. 

Notre Dame’s back seven, led by safety Xavier Watts and corner Benjamin Harrison, will be challenged by a Boilers quarterback who can be hard to stop if he gets in a rhythm.

2. Turning point? Freeman’s time as Irish coach has had its ups and downs. He’s a respectable 20-9 overall with a 2-1 bowl mark, is 8-4 against ranked opposition, owns a win over a 5th ranked Clemson, and has finished in the AP poll every season. 

But there are also losses to Marshall and Stanford, an 0-2 mark against Ohio State, and most recently NIU. How his team responds in this moment could be a statement for Freeman’s reign and its future.

3. Battle at the line. It’s no secret that Notre Dame’s offensive line is young and inexperienced, starting two freshmen and three sophomores, in front of a mobile quarterback with an injury history who is yet to throw a touchdown pass.

That could give Purdue an advantage after it played strong along the line against the Sycamores. Take the opponent into consideration, but the Boilermakers finished that game with 11 tackles for loss and three sacks, bringing consistent pressure from the edges and their linebacker corps.

Notre Dame vs. Purdue odds

Lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Notre Dame: -7.5 (-115)
Purdue: +7.5 (-105)

ND to win: -315
Purdue to win: +250

Over 47.5 points: -105
Under 47.5 points: -115

Notre Dame vs. Purdue prediction

Despite losses to overmatched opponents during Freeman’s tenure, his teams have responded to those defeats well enough: beating Duke after losing to OSU, USC after losing to Louisville, Cal after losing to Marshall, and UNLV after losing to Stanford.

Purdue will give the Irish a real challenge, especially if its protection proves worthy enough to keep Card in the pocket and with enough time to make decisions.

Notre Dame will look to run the ball early and chew away at the clock while taking pressure off Leonard, but this one will come down to the wire.

College Football HQ picks ...

• Notre Dame wins 26-20
• Doesn’t cover the spread
• And hits the under

More ... Notre Dame vs. Purdue score prediction

Notre Dame vs. Purdue game time, schedule

When: Sat., Sept. 14
Time: 2:30 p.m. Central
TV: CBS network

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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