No. 18 Notre Dame hoping tough lessons lead to continued domination of Purdue rivalry

Updated Sep. 12, 2024 11:33 a.m. ET

Associated Press

This was a learning week for No. 18 Notre Dame.

Players and coaches took time to figure out what went wrong in last week's stunning loss to Northern Illinois. They searched for corrections, and believe the team will emerge stronger because of it.

On Saturday, they'll get a chance to show the college football world this is not the same team. No, this is a team that intends to take care of business.

“We've got a great challenge,” third-year coach Marcus Freeman said. “Our guys will be ready.”

Speeches don't get any simpler than that.

But fixing the problems Northern Illinois exposed last week could prove more complex, especially against a hungry, longtime rival such as Purdue (1-0).

Notre Dame (1-1) has dominated this series recently winning eight straight since the late Joe Tiller celebrated his fifth and final victory in the series back in 2007.

The Boilermakers enter this game with a defense that allowed 154 yards in a season-opening rout, an offensive coordinator, Graham Harrell, who faced Freeman's defenses at Southern California and a ground game capable of doing some serious damage.

“They led the Big Ten in rushing last year in conference games, and they rushed for 250-plus in three of the last four,” said Freeman, whose team has scored 37 points this season. "So, we’ve got to make sure we’re prepared to stop the run, and they have good skill — really good tight ends, and some good, skilled wideouts.”

Purdue coach Ryan Walters has been following Freeman's career trajectory, too.

Both are 38 years old, were defensive coordinators before becoming first-time head coaches and already have faced the scrutiny for sub-par results. And when they square off Saturday, the game will feature two of the 16 Black coaches in the 134-school FBS.

“I think the thing that I’ve sort of admired from afar is just the quick rise, the consistent success and consistent play on the defensive side of the ball,” Walters said. “Obviously, I’m a defensive guy, so you study a little bit. You pay attention to people that are also playing good defense, and he’s definitely done that.”

And while Walters would like to become the seventh coach in school history to beat Notre Dame in his first meeting, Walters has another reason for wanting this victory.

His father, Marc, was on the Colorado team that had its perfect season and national championship quest end with an Orange Bowl loss to the Irish on Jan. 1, 1990.

“Notre Dame was like their arch nemesis in the national championship game,” Walters said. “I remember the Rocket Ismail days and all the great players that have come through there. So to be able to host a ranked Notre Dame team at home in Ross-Ade in front of the best and loyal fans out there, it’s a special moment.”

Passing woes

Notre Dame would have preferred to see its name in a group of five with Georgia, Texas, Alabama and Ohio State and a debate over the playoffs.

Instead, after that stunning loss, Notre Dame finds itself lumped into a different group of five — Air Force, Miami (Ohio), Northwestern and Western Michigan — as the only FBS schools without a passing touchdown this season. The air attack is ranked No. 114 nationally and quarterback Riley Leonard has become a focal point for the critics.

“The quarterback is just like the head coach, right?” Freeman said. “Rightfully so. He is going to get the blame and he’s going to get the praise.”

Freeman said that Leonard must make better decisions such as the fourth-quarter interception that led to Northern Illinois’ decisive field goal. But Freeman knows it's not just the quarterback struggling and Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock believes Leonard will get things turned around soon.

Card's accuracy

Hudson Card came to Purdue partly because he liked the school's reputation as the Cradle of Quarterbacks. And if he's going to earn a spot among that elite group that includes names such as Len Dawson and Drew Brees, he needs to play more like he did in the opener.

Card set an FBS single-game record for players throwing at least 20 passes when he competed 96% of his throws (24 of 25).

And his encore will come in front of another member of the group, former Purdue star Gary Danielson, who will be part of the CBS broadcast team.

No sympathy needed

Freeman understands nobody is going give a high-profile program like the Irish a break.

He doesn't want it, either.

“Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for us. Let’s go," he said. “I’m a competitor and I’m surrounded by competitors. Let’s get back to work and let’s challenge each other. Let’s have the right mindset. I’m ready to just get back to work and go. I don’t want sympathy. Nobody needs sympathy. Let’s just get back to work.”

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