Purdue vs. No. 3 Notre Dame Live Blog & Updates With News, Analysis, Highlights

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Football has returned to Ross-Ade Stadium. After traveling to Pasadena last week, Purdue returns home to host No. 3 Notre Dame in an in-state rivalry game. It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon, a perfect day for a game.

The Boilermakers are searching for their first victory over the Fighting Irish since 2007, losing each of the last 10 meetings. Purdue is also still trying to beat a Power Four opponent for the first time since 2023.

Can Purdue pull off the upset and stun the college football world? Follow along with Purdue Boilermakers On SI for live coverage from Ross-Ade Stadium. You can refresh this page regularly for the latest news, updates, highlights and analysis.

Purdue vs. #3 Notre Dame live game blog

3rd quarter

7:45 — Purdue forces Notre Dame into its second punt of the afternoon. The Boilers will take over right at midfield. Good defensive start to the second half, but the hole is too deep to dig out.

9:48 — The interception doesn't result in any points. Purdue had a 4th-and-goal from the 4-yard line. Notre Dame brought pressure and pushed Ryan Browne out of the pocket. He was forced to throw it out of the end zone. The Irish take over at their own 4-yard line.

14:12 — Purdue's defense finally makes a play as Charles Correa intercepts a pass on 3rd-and-10. That gives the Boilermakers the ball at the Irish 31-yard line. Can te Boilers take advantage?

2nd quarter

END — Notre Dame 35, Purdue 0. Notre Dame gets the ball out of halftime. If you're a Purdue fan, take a break. You've earned it.

0:29 — Notre Dame 35, Purdue 0. CJ Carr completes a pass to Nolan James Jr. for 3 yards and a touchdown. Fans are headed to the exits and the student section is filtering out. This has been an embarrassing half of football for the Boilermakers. Only 87 yards compared to Notre Dame's 273.

2:00 — There really isn't much to write at the moment. Purdue can't do anything offensively, the defense can't get stops. It almost looks like the Boilers have thrown in the towel, that's how dominant Notre Dame has been today. There will be a 4th-and-12 punt out of the two-minute timeout.

4:15 — Notre Dame 28, Purdue 0. Ryan Browne is sacked, fumbles the football and Notre Dame linebacker Drayk Bowen recovers it and races to the end zone for a touchdown. This one is over in the first half. Purdue has done nothing right at any stage of this game.

5:47 — Notre Dame 21, Purdue 0. This one has gotten out of hand. Purdue can't get a stop on defense and can't move the ball past midfield offensively. The Fighting Irish are really good, but the Boilermakers are putting up no fight.

6:23 — Purdue appeared to pick up a third-down stop, but Smiley Bradford was flagged for pass interference and puts Notre Dame at the Purdue 2-yard line. Another mistake by the Boilermaker defense.

9:38 — Notre Dame was faced with a 4th-and-inches from its own 24-yard line. Because Purdue's defense has been so dreadful, the Irish run a QB sneak from the shotgun from formation and CJ Carr picks up two yards to keep the drive alive.

12:14 — The Irish are starting to generate confidence on both sides of the football now. Ryan Browne was sacked on back-to-back plays for a total of 12 yards and the Boilers are forced to punt. We've reached the danger zone for Purdue.

Aneyas Williams goes UNTOUCHED to the crib. 💪

📺 Big Ten Football: Notre Dame at Purdue on Peacock & NBCSN pic.twitter.com/UJVTg3MD3k
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 26, 2026

14:56 — Notre Dame 14, Purdue 0. Aneyas Williams takes a handoff 22 yards to the end zone completely untouched. Another awful showing for the Boilermaker defense. Purdue has to find the end zone on this drive, or Notre Dame is going to take a stranglehold on this game.

1st quarter

END — Notre Dame 7, Purdue 0. CJ Carr completed a 56-yard pass to Micah Gilbert to get Notre Dame deep into Purdue territory to close out the first quarter. The Fighting Irish are facing a 2nd-and-5 from the 22-yard line to start the second quarter. This one has the potential to get ugly if Purdue's offense can't get something working on the next drive.

1:18 — Purdue's offense has not seen a defense as talented as Notre Dame's and it's showing. The Boilermakers haven't done much with the ball in the opening quarter. They've totaled 72 yards, but haven't ever threatened the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame's offense takes over at its own 14-yard line.

3:52 — Jerrick Gibson makes a ridiculous grab, having to tip the ball two or three times before collecting it. Then he picks up the first down on a short gain. Good start to the drive for Purdue's offense.

The Irish strike first on a dime from CJ Carr to Micah Gilbert. 🙌

📺 Big Ten Football: Notre Dame at Purdue on Peacock & NBCSN pic.twitter.com/n7hozzhvAN
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 26, 2026

4:09 — Notre Dame 7, Purdue 0. The Fighting Irish only need four plays to go 53 yards and score the game's first touchdown. That was a 27-yard strike from CJ Carr to Micah Gilbert. Purdue had a great defensive possession to start the game, but Notre Dame had no trouble finding the end zone.

5:46 — Purdue tries to strike gold on a fake punt attempt, but the Boilers are stopped one yard short of the sticks. The Boilers did some positive things on that drive, but it ultimately stalled at midfield. This is an important possession for the defense now.

8:19 — Offensive lineman Marques Easley was on the ground following that play and appeared to have suffered an arm injury. We'll continue to monitor that situation.

10:12 — On third down, Ryan Browne scrambles and picks up an important first down. He picked up nine yards to keep the offense on the field. Smart decision from the quarterback.

11:28 — The defense gives up a first down on the first play but then forces a Notre Dame punt. A couple of really good defensive plays by John Slaughter and Don Saunders to break up passes thrown by CJ Carr to get the Boilers off the field.

13:34 — Purdue's first possession is a three-and-out. Ryan Browne was sacked by Bryce Young on the first play from scrimmage, putting the Boilermakers behind the sticks right off the bat. Purdue's offense needed a good start, but didn't get it.

Pregame

Purdue has won the toss and has elected to receive. The Boilermaker offense will be on the field first.

We had a flyover for the National Anthem, which gets the first big roar from the crowd. The Boilers are getting ready to run out of the tunnel for this afternoon's contest.

Purdue legend Drew Brees is in Ross-Ade Stadium for today's game.

We're about 35 minutes from kickoff and the stadium is beginning to fill in. There are several green shirts inside Ross-Ade Stadium this afternoon to support the Fighting Irish.

It's a beautiful day in West Lafayette. We have mid-60 temperatures and there isn't a cloud in sight. It's a perfect day for a college football game.

Purdue and Notre Dame is scheduled for a 2 p.m. ET kickoff. The game will air on Peacock.

What's at stake

Purdue Boilermakers

The Boilermakers are trying to snap several losing streaks on Saturday. They have lost their last 22 games to Power Four opponents and Notre Dame. They have also dropped each of the last 10 meetings with the Fighting Irish, with their last win coming at Ross-Ade Stadium in 2013.

Saturday serves as a chance for Purdue to even its record and shock the college football world. It would also take some of the pressure off of Barry Odom and this coaching staff, at least for one week.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Marcus Freeman's team is off to a 3-0 start, defeating a pair of Big Ten teams in Wisconsin and Michigan State already. This could be the Fighting Irish's third victory over a Big Ten team and would get them to 4-0 on the year.

Notre Dame has aspirations of winning a national championship this year after missing the College Football Playoff last season. A loss doesn't entirely derail their season, but it would be a major setback for a program that has set high goals for itself in 2026.

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