Notre Dame Looks To Groove The Run Game Against Purdue

Man, time flies, doesn't it, folks? It feels like just yesterday we were gearing up to start the season against Wisconsin, yet here we are preparing for the final game of September, completing the first quarter of the season.

This week, Notre Dame takes a short trip down the road to West Lafayette to face a Boilermaker team that should allow the Irish a chance to gain some confidence in the run game.

Notre Dame's run game must improve

Since the beginning of the season, the one aspect of Notre Dame in 2026 that has been questioned the most is the Irish run game.

Everyone knew and accepted that the ground game would not look the same as it did when Jeremiyah Love and JD Price were in the backfield, but it should still be better than it has been.

A combination of rocky offensive line play and uncertainty as to who should be the number one running back has led to some ugly rushing numbers at times and uneven production from one of the core parts of Notre Dame's program DNA.

This problem isn't overblown or imagined; the Irish are one of only a couple of teams left in the country that don't have a running gain of 20 yards or more. This is a major red flag.

The good news? Even with an unreliable running attack, Notre Dame has been able to win each of its first three games fairly comfortably.

That being said, the meat of the schedule is quickly approaching, and Notre Dame must find more consistency on the ground if it hopes to defeat teams like BYU and Miami.

This isn't a panicked situation, but there needs to be some sense of urgency regarding this situation, and Purdue is the perfect opponent to face under these circumstances.

Game week

Squaring off for the Shillelagh Trophy

at Purdue
📍 West Lafayette, Indiana
📆 Saturday, Sept. 26
⏰ 2 PM ET
📺 Peacock#GoIrish☘️ | @tirerack pic.twitter.com/XZ5u0du1GY
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 21, 2026

The Purdue run defense, and defense overall, leaves a lot to be desired

The Purdue defense allowed UCLA a whopping 369 yards rushing last week. Not total yards, rushing yards. If ever there was a perfect team to gain confidence in the run game against, Purdue is it.

At times, particularly in second halves, Notre Dame has gotten the run game going, which is a good sign, but it isn't explosive and has looked out of sync, disjointed, and lacking rhythm and proper timing much too often for a team that talks about being "O Line U".

This all needs to change this week against an opponent that is begging to be run on. This game provides the perfect opportunity for the offensive line to get in a "flow state" and should allow multiple backs to be able to gain some true confidence that can begin to carry over week to week.

And if we don't see the ground game take off? We will need to have a deeper discussion about this issue, its causes, and solutions.

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