A two-hour drive separates the campuses of Notre Dame and Purdue.
The football programs seem much further apart.
No. 3 Notre Dame (3-0) will look to continue its perfect start to the season when it visits Purdue (1-2) on Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette, Ind.
The Fighting Irish already have knocked off a pair of Big Ten teams in Wisconsin and Michigan State. They also beat Rice 52-0 at home.
Now comes a test against Purdue, which has struggled for several seasons and is trying to build a stronger foundation with coach Barry Odom at the helm.
Odom is an optimist, calling this weekend’s game an opportunity to move to 2-2.
“There’s not anything really worthwhile in having that you don’t have to go through hard,” Odom said. “I’m just going to keep swinging, and eventually this wall’s going to break down. I owe it to this team, to these players to give every ounce I’ve got in my soul to get that done. It doesn’t matter how close we are. None of that matters. We’ve just got to keep fighting.”
The Boilermakers will fight a Notre Dame squad that has outscored opponents 120-23.
CJ Carr has completed 72.6% of his passes for 726 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. Nolan James Jr. and Aneyas Williams have rushed for three touchdowns apiece while Micah Gilbert leads the receivers with 13 catches for 251 yards and a score.
Odom said he was impressed by Notre Dame’s ability to dominate despite losing top-end talent to the pros. Running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price were selected in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
“They haven’t missed a beat,” Odom said. “Obviously, they lost two great runners last year, drafted in the first round. Both running backs right now are playing at a high level. They’re unbelievable up front, the quarterback play is elite and then they’ve got receivers that can blow the top off coverage and run really well after the catch.
“I don’t see a lot of weaknesses in what they do.”
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman is focused on creating a sense of urgency as his players hit the road to face another Big Ten opponent. Freeman said this week’s practices in South Bend would set the tone for how the Fighting Irish perform at Purdue.
“The secret is the way you prepare,” Freeman said. “That’s the secret to success. It’s not you get lucky on Saturdays. It’s the way you prepare Monday through Friday, the way you have a routine, you stay committed to the routine and you enhance your routine if you need to.
“So they’ve got to believe that, and you’ve got to remind them and show them examples.”
Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne has completed 73.3% of his passes for 1,024 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. Fame Ijeboi leads the Boilermakers with 248 yards and six touchdowns on the ground while Asaad Waseem has snagged a team-high 20 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown.
