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Gold and Black Radio: Purdue-Notre Dame preview show

by: Derek Schultz09/19/25


The staff of GoldandBlack.com and host Derek Schultz break down Purdue’s Saturday’s matchup in South Bend. It’s everything you need to know heading into the game.

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Key Purdue-Notre Dame matchup

(an excerpt from Jordan Jones’ Matchup Preview)

Notre Dame running game versus Purdue against the run

In the transfer portal era, few programs possess a one-two punch at running back like Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. A consensus preseason All-American entering 2025, Love burst onto the scene last season with 1,125 rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns. Price, on the other hand, averaged 6.2 yards per carry last year with 746 yards on the season. Eyebrowns were raised when the two totaled just 16 carries in the season opening loss to Miami, but that quickly changed. The tandem totaled 35 rush attempts last week, racking up 162 yards and three scores.

Notre Dame operated a run-heavy offense last season with Riley Leonard as a borderline run-first quarterback. This season, CJ Carr doesn’t quite present the same run threat. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock gets lots of praise for adaptability, and he showed it with a much different approach against Texas A&M than he did Miami.

Purdue defended the USC run game well early on last weekend, forcing the Trojans to throw the ball deep. While USC saw success doing so, Purdue’s run defense placed USC in difficult positions. As the game progressed, Purdue’s front seven wore down, as USC finished the game with a sack-adjusted average of 4.8 yards per carry.

Safety Myles Slusher along with linebackers Charles Correa and Mani Powell seemed to make every tackle for the Boilermakers, as the trio totaled 30 tackles. The UNLV transfer linebacking tandem continues to impress. Purdue’s run defense has handled its first three opponents with varying degrees of success, but the two-headed monster of Love and Price will present the strongest challenge yet.

Pregame: First Look: Notre Dame | First and 10: Notre Dame | Barry Odom, Purdue brace for test at tradition-rich Notre Dame | Odom pre-Notre Dame press conference | The 3-2-1: Deciphering disconcerting signals, genesis of ‘Nitro,’ maturation of a QB and more | Potential turning into production for Purdue’s Nitro Tuggle | Opponent View: Notre Dame | Saturday provides full-circle moment for Purdue’s Joey Tanona in South Bend | Purdue punter Jack McCallister’s silver cleats have produced golden results |

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