Purdue vs. Notre Dame: TV Info, Key Players, Preview and Prediction

Purdue 2025 results

• Week 1: Purdue defeated Ball State 31-0
• Week 2: Purdue defeated Southern Illinois 34-17
• Week 3: USC defeated Purdue 33-17

Notre Dame 2025 results

• Week 1: No. 10 Miami defeated No. 6 Notre Dame 27-24
• Week 2: OFF
• Week 3: No. 16 Texas A&M defeated No. 8 Notre Dame 41-40

Players to watch

Purdue

Ryan Browne, QB — Browne struggled in last week's outing against USC, throwing three interceptions in the red zone. Still, the redshirt sophomore quarterback has done some really good things for the Purdue offense through three games. Browne has thrown for 786 yards and five touchdowns with four interceptions. He's also proven to be a threat on the ground. He needs to cut down on the mistakes, but he's shown he can move the football down the field for the Boilermakers.

Charles Correa, LB — Last week, Correa was piling up the tackles, totaling 11 for the Purdue defense. He's been a disruptor at the linebacker position, accounting for at least one tackle for loss in each of Purdue's first three games this season. Correa has also been responsible for 1.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry. Early in the season, the linebacker has done a nice job of locating the football and bringing guys to the ground.

Arhmad Branch, WR — Branch's best performance came in Purdue's opener against Ball State, totaling 101 yards on three receptions. In the last two games, he's caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. He's still one of the best options in the deep passing game for the Boilermakers and is also a solid blocker when he's not trying to catch passes. Branch was poked in the eye in last week's game against USC. He eventually returned, but it resulted in a dip in his production.

Tahj Ra-El, DB — There may not be a defensive back at Purdue who is flying around the field quite like Ra-El right now. The veteran has tallied 17 tackles, 16 of which have been solo stops. Like the rest of the Purdue defense, Ra-El needs to be a little more opportunistic and try to create a turnover to help the team's cause.

Notre Dame

Jeremiyah Love, RB — Love was a 1,000-yard rusher for the Fighting Irish a season ago and was one of the top returning backs in college football. In two games, he's totaled 127 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries. Love isn't only capable of hurting defenses with carries, he's also a talented pass-catcher out of the backfield. A year ago, he accounted for 237 receiving yards on 28 catches. He's already caught eight passes for 79 yards and a score this season.

Eli Raridon, TE — It's only been two games, but already Raridon has outperformed his numbers from a season ago. He leads Notre Dame with 182 yards on nine receptions, proving to be a weapon in the passing attack. His 6-foot-7, 251-pound frame provides quarterback CJ Carr with a big, reliable target on the field. Raridon has been productive on first-down plays, catching five passes for 155 yards in those situations.

Drayk Bowen, LB — Bowen showed how productive he can be a season ago, doing a little bit of everything for the Fighting Irish. He ended the 2024 campaign with 78 tackles, four tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and two passes defended. Through two games, he's Notre Dame's top tackler, racking up 14 stops. The Irish would like a little more productivity from their star linebacker moving forward, especially in terms of getting into the backfield and causing some problems.

Adon Schuler, S — Another player who had some big moments last season. Schuler had three interceptions, five pass break-ups, and 59 tackles a season ago. He has big play-making ability, something Notre Dame has lacked defensively through the first two games.

The coaches

Barry Odom, Purdue

Odom is in his first year at Purdue after a successful two-year run at UNLV. The Rebels won 20 games in the past two seasons, reaching the Mountain West Championship Game each of the last two years. It was an impressive turnaround for a program that has struggled to find and sustain success over the course of its history.

Now, Odom comes to Purdue hoping to turn things around in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers ended the 2024 campaign with a 1-11 record. Although many would consider this a rebuilding project, Odom has refused to use that terminology with his team.

This year will be Odom's seventh as a college head coach. He was at Missouri from 2016-19, posting a 25-25 record and reaching a bowl game twice in that span. As an assistant coach, Odom has worked at Missouri (2003-15) and Arkansas (2020-22).

• Overall record: 46-34
• Record at Purdue: 2-1

Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame

With no head coaching experience, Freeman was named the leader of one of the most prestigious college football programs in the country following Brian Kelly's departure after the 2021 season. There's no question Freeman has excelled in his first three years as the head coach in South Bend.

Notre Dame improved every season under Freeman, going 9-4 in 2022 and posting a 10-3 record in 2023. Last year, the Fighting Irish finished with a 14-2 record, reaching the National Championship Game and falling to Ohio State, Freeman's alma mater.

Freeman played college football at Ohio State from 2004-08 and shortly got involved in coaching. He joined the Buckeye staff as a graduate assistant in 2010, then worked at Kent State as the linebackers coach from 2011-12. Freeman then had a four-year run at Purdue under coach Darrell Hazell, serving as the linebackers coach from 2013-15 and co-defensive coordinator in 2016. He was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Cincinnati from 2017-20 before joining the Notre Dame staff in 2021.

• Overall record: 33-12
• Record at Notre Dame: 33-12

Preview and prediction

Notre Dame has lost a pair of heartbreakers to start the season, and it's already put their College Football Playoff dreams in jeopardy. The Fighting Irish will certainly be looking to bounce back in a big way.

But Purdue is out to prove something, too, especially after a 33-17 loss to USC to open Big Ten play. The Boilermakers also have last year's drubbing fresh on their minds.

The Fighting Irish have a lethal running back combination in the backfield with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, but they've struggled to run the football efficiently. Part of that is the opponent, and another part is physicality in the trenches.

Can Purdue's defensive line and linebackers provide some of that push up front and slow down Love and Price, forcing freshman quarterback CJ Carr to throw the ball? That will be a major key on Saturday.

Similarly, Purdue's offensive line has struggled to get much push up front through three games. Despite having Devin Mockobee in the backfield, the Boilermakers rank 17th in the Big Ten in rushing offense. Last week, they struggled in pass protection, giving up five sacks to USC.

The biggest issues for Purdue, along with offensive line play, have been the inability to create turnovers and getting off the field on third and fourth down. If the Boilers can generate some turnovers and improve their defense on those critical downs, they may have a shot.

Ultimately, though, Notre Dame's physicality in the trenches is a step ahead of Purdue's, a major factor in this game. The Fighting Irish should have a more balanced offense and wear down the Boilermakers defensively.

• Score prediction — Notre Dame 34, Purdue 21

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.