Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame-Purdue: Boilers Head Coach Ready for 'Angry' Irish Football Team

Purdue head coach Ryan Walters sees a different Notre Dame team coming to West Lafayette on Saturday
Nick Shepkowski|
Notre Dame defensive lineman Boubacar Traore, second from right, celebrates getting a stop during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Northern Illinois at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in South Bend.
Notre Dame defensive lineman Boubacar Traore, second from right, celebrates getting a stop during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Northern Illinois at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in South Bend. | Michael Clubb / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Notre Dame Fighting IrishPurdue Boilermakers

Whatever that was Saturday by Notre Dame when it was upset at home by Northern Illinois certainly wasn't its best shot.

After marching 75 yards on the opening drive, Notre Dame was outgained 388-211 the rest of the way.

No discredit to Northern Illinois, but it was truly a horrendous showing by a Fighting Irish team that now looks to start to pick up the pieces with a trip to Purdue this weekend. Waiting there will be a Purdue team that fully expects to see a different looking Notre Dame squad than what showed up this past Saturday.

Purdue Head Coach Ryan Walters on Notre Dame

Purdue head coach Ryan Walters had his weekly media availability on Monday and spoke about playing Notre Dame.

"We're going to air on the side of thinking they're going to be an angry football team," said Walters, "I know Coach Freeman will have those guys fired up and ready to play and we're fully expecting to get their best shot."

Walters' father was a quarterback at Colorado in the late 1980's, when the Buffaloes met Notre Dame in consecutive Orange Bowl games that helped decide national championships in both years. Walters also spoke about remembering the Rocket Ismail days and what it means to host a nationally ranked Notre Dame team this week. You can check out the full video below.

How to Watch Notre Dame vs. Purdue on Saturday

Notre Dame takes on Purdue Saturday afternoon a 3:30 p.m. ET in a game that will be aired on CBS TV.

Despite coming off the loss to Northern Illinois, Notre Dame remains a significant betting favorite against the Boilermakers.

More from Notre Dame on Sports Illustrated

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Notre Dame-Purdue: A Look at Long History Between Two In-State Rivals

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI. Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.

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