Spoilers? 3 Things Purdue Must Do to Help Its Upset Chances vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
In this story:
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After back-to-back losses to Wake Forest and UCLA, it probably seems like a long shot that Purdue can upset No. 3 Notre Dame at Ross-Ade Stadium this weekend. Well ... it is.
This is college football, though, and anything is possible. In the past, we've seen Notre Dame lose games to Marshall (2022) and Northern Illinois (2024) randomly. Purdue has also pulled off several improbable upsets throughout its history. So, why can't there be chaos in Week 4?
For Purdue to do the unthinkable, though, the Boilers are going to have to do several things right. Here are a few keys for the Boilers to play spoiler and knock off the Fighting Irish.
Get into a shootout
Unless something drastically changes from last week, Purdue's defense is going to have trouble slowing down Notre Dame's offense. The Irish haven't run the ball particularly well this season, but CJ Carr is one of the top quarterbacks in the country and can move the offense up and down the field.
For Purdue to have a chance, it needs to get into a shootout with Notre Dame, much like it did last week with UCLA. Although you can't pin last week's loss to the Bruins on the offense, if the Boilermakers don't have three costly turnovers in that game, they may have left Pasadena with a win.
Offensive coordinator Josh Henson showed a lot of trust in quarterback Ryan Browne last weekend, allowing him to throw the football all over the field. Wide receivers made plays and the run game did just enough to get across the goal line when it reached the red zone.
Creative and aggressive play-calling and a prolific passing attack could keep Purdue in this game. The Boilers are also going to need some help from Fame Ijeboi and the rushing attack, too.
Force multiple turnovers
If Purdue's defense can't slow down Notre Dame's offense, then it must make it come to a screeching halt. Coming into the season, defensive coordinator Kevin Kane wanted to emphasize takeaways. That hasn't happened yet, as the Boilers have only forced one turnover through three games.
Notre Dame's offense has been mistake-free, going through the first three weeks without a turnover. That has to change on Saturday. Even if Purdue can turn Saturday's game into a shootout, it's still going to need to get a couple of stops to pull off the upset.
At this point, it's almost irrelevant if Purdue gives up big plays. That's probably going to happen anyway. Put your players in position to force turnovers and try to take advantage of those opportunities offensively.
Avoid the big mistakes
Last week, Purdue had some issues with turnovers, but the Boilers protected the football well through the first two games. What has really hindered them through the first three weeks is penalties. There have been multiple times already when a costly penalty forced Purdue to punt or settle for a field goal after getting into the red zone.
The margin for error is already razor-thin for the offense, but it's even thinner this week against Notre Dame. Purdue can't afford those setbacks that have crushed drives.
Get top Boilermakers stories, expert analysis, and can't-miss moments straight to your inbox for free by signing up for the Purdue Boilermakers on SI newsletter!
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
Follow SchutteDustin