Game Thread | No. 18 Notre Dame at Purdue

No. 18 Notre Dame (1-1) at Purdue (1-0) 

Ross-Ade Stadium | 3:30 PM ET | CBS | Line: Notre Dame -7.5 | Total: 47.5

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Five Players To Watch

Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard
All eyes will be on Leonard after last week's struggles. Will he be healthy enough to run as much as he'll need to? Will he be able to make the throws he needs to against the blitz? Notre Dame needs good answers to those questions for their offense to get in gear.

Purdue S Dillon Thienamen
Xavier Watts isn't the only standout safety in this game. Thienamen had a sensational freshman season with six interceptions and over 100 tackles. He's a potential game wrecker for Purdue's defense and he's returning punts this season as well.

Notre Dame WR Beaux Collins
Collins has been the only real bright spot of Notre Dame's passing game so far and he'll be facing a ton of man coverage all day long. They'll need more than just him to be a playmaker catching the football, but he'll have opportunities to make a massive impact in this game.

Purdue TE Max Klare
Klare was on his way to a great season in 2023 when an injury took him out after only five games. He's healthy now and the former high school quarterback was a weapon in their opening game with five catches for 71 yards. Expect to see him matched up against Adon Shuler often.

Notre Dame Vyper Jordan Botelho
Botelho was great in week one against Texas A&M, but didn't get a chance to rush the passer much last week. An Air Raid offense means he'll get more chances to get after the passer and should pick up where he left off putting pressure on QB Hudson Card.

Quotes of the Week

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman:
”Nobody’s roles have changed. Riley (Leonard) has had a really good week of practice. He’s made some really good throws, really good job of decision-making and taking care of the football. Everybody else has done a great job in terms of what they’ve been asked to do. Nobody has been asked to do anything differently than previously.” 

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock:
“It looks like a long and dusty trail right now, doesn’t it? No, I mean, listen, there's signs. There's just such incredible inconsistency across the board. One play, it's a running back. One play, it's an O-lineman. One play, it's a receiver. One play, we're not making the best decision with the ball. Whatever happens, I mean we're all taking turns. And we've got to get to the point where — one by one, position group by position group — we eliminate ourselves from that equation. Then comes consistency.

“Where does that happen? It happens right out there. The more consistent we show ourselves in practice and the reps that we're taking and the things we're asking them to do, confidence builds. And you carry that to the game. I didn't think we were a very confident group, for whatever reason, going into the game on Saturday. And it showed in the way we played. The mistakes that we made on the practice field during the week reared their ugly head during the game on Saturday, and it cost us.” 

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden:
“(Hudson) Card at quarterback is throwing the ball really well right now. He’s one of the fastest quarterbacks I’ve seen since I’ve been here. I put him in the lead with Caleb (Williams). He’s that fast. He’s a sudden player, so we have to make sure he’s accounted for in the run game, in the scramble game, certainly in special situations. We have to be alert for him.

Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love:
“You just gotta make plays, you feel me. Whoever is in or whoever gets the ball, just try to make a play. Play to the best of your ability. It’s not really like you have to hurdle somebody or you have to do something special. Play to the best of your ability every snap. If something happens, something explosive happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, on to the next play.” 

For Your Nerves 

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