Purdue Boilermakers Preview:
The Purdue Boilermakers have quietly put together back to back quality wins to kick off the season with wins over Oregon State and the UCONN Huskies. This team has to continue to keep its focus as they prepare for one of the toughest road games on their schedule.
In the Jeff Brohm era, Purdue holds a 19-25 overall record. During his tenure, his teams have gradually got worse, and it’s easy to assume he might be riding the hot seat as his time could be running its course. This would be a key win for Brohm with Big Ten play right around the corner.
Quarterback Jack Plummer has put together really strong back-to-back wins for Purdue and has helped lead this air attack that this team prides itself in. Plummer has thrown 6 touchdowns with 0 interceptions for 558 yards on 45/61 passing.
The ground game has really struggled to find its footing so far this year, but they are hoping it can make an appearance against the Irish as they will certainly head into this contest as underdogs on the road.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Preview:
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish came into this season with yet again high hopes of being contenders and competing for a national title. Through the first two games of the season, many are beginning to question how real this team is and if title aspirations are all but fake for another season.
The Irish are coming off a high-scoring affair against the Seminoles in week one 41-38 in overtime. Then last week against Toledo, the team didn’t look that much better as they had to fight hard for another game-winning 32-29.
There is a lot of time left in college football, but one loss could make or break a season in this sport. The good news is, nothing brings out changes like playing in an in-state rivalry contest.
There are still some areas the Irish need to clean up, especially on the defensive end, but if the defensive coordinator can get that side of the ball in line with the offense, this team will fall back into title contenders.
Jack Croan, the Wisconsin transfer, has had a solid season like the guy taking snaps opposite of him in this game. On the season, Croan has thrown 6 touchdowns to 2 interceptions with 605 yards on 47/68 passing.
Croan was removed from the Toledo game due to fracturing one of his fingers but was put back in as he led the team down the field in the final drive to win the game. HIs status ahead of this game is something to monitor.
The Irish are 7 point favorites in this game which fits the bill with how they have played. The Boilermakers are playing some good football and could use an upset win like this to keep momentum.
This rivalry dates all the way back to 1896 and has been played consistently since 1940. These two teams should meet every year if possible. The Irish currently hold a 56-26-2 record in the series. The Irish won the most recent meeting between the teams 30-14, dating back to 2014.