Purdue vs. Notre Dame: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

On the hunt for a sixth consecutive win over rival Purdue to retain the Shillelagh Trophy for the foreseeable future, No. 11 Notre Dame hits the road Saturday to Lucas Oil Stadium in the last of one of the sport's longstanding series.

One week removed from ending its series with Michigan—in dominant fashion, by the way—Notre Dame now looks to come out on top as a 68-year feud comes to a close.

The finality of the rivalry for the time being adds a layer of intrigue to this matchup that would otherwise be absent given the trajectories of both teams at this point. Desperation is a surefire motivator, so expect the Boilermakers to go down swinging Saturday. 

Then again, many thought the same for Michigan last week. With any luck, this one will turn out to be a much more entertaining affair between heated rivals. 

Questions and Answers...or Lack Thereof

The return of senior quarterback Everett Golson has provided the Fighting Irish with a spark most could not have fathomed before the season.

Really, it's as if he never left. Through two games, Golson has thrown for 521 yards and five touchdowns with another three scores on the ground. It's not as if Golson is doing it against strictly bad competition, either, with three of those passing touchdowns coming against the Wolverines. In that game, he completed 67.6 percent of his passes.

Not only is Golson suddenly a Heisman contender, but he has the attention of those at the next level, such as Bleacher Report's Matt Miller:

As it stands, the questions as to how quickly the Notre Dame offense could be effective have been met with a resounding answer.

That is, of course, a bit of bad news for the Boilermakers. Darrell Hazell's team actually started the season on the right foot, beating Western Michigan 43-34. Sophomore quarterback Danny Etling went for 181 yards and two scores. Running back Raheem Mostert tallied 146 yards and a score on 22 carries.

It all turned bad the week after, though. Etling threw two picks in a 38-17 loss to Central Michigan while Mostert gained all of 53 yards with a 2.8 average. As Tyler James of NDinsider.com humorously notes, the defense did not exactly show up, either:

The up-and-down play of the entire team has done nothing short of raise more questions than answers. Hazell hinted to the press in the week leading up to the game that neither quarterback is technically the starter (the other being Austin Appleby, who attempted 17 passes against Central Michigan).

"We'll let you know here in a couple of days," Hazell said, per Mike Carmin of IndyStar.com. "I'm not going to say it's a competition. We'll make the decision here as we go forward, come out of (Tuesday's) practice and see where we are and go from there."

Barring an epic turnaround, Saturday's contest will be a continued search for Purdue's identity.

The Notre Dame Effect

R Brent Smith/Associated Press

This is one ugly contest set to unfold—on paper.

The thing is, even when the Boilermakers are at their worst, they still pull a great performance out of the hat against Notre Dame. Kelly understands this, as captured by Irish Illustrated:

He's certainly not exaggerating.

Last year, a Purdue team that wound up 1-10 welcomed then-ranked No. 21 Notre Dame to town and held a lead going into the final frame before the Fighting Irish rattled off 21 points to win, 31-24.

The year before that, the Boilermakers rolled into Notre Dame Stadium and about ruined the Fighting Irish's perfect season before a late field goal ended the game at 20-17.

So yes, things look bleak for Purdue. But the program does its finest work in even downtrodden years against Notre Dame, so there is an outside chance Saturday turns out to be a competitive affair.

When: Saturday, September 13, 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Television: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):

• Over/Under: 56.5

• Spread: Purdue (-29.5)

Team Injury Reports

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Jimmy Herman	LB	09/02/2014	will miss at least two weeks	Out	thumb
Austin Logan	S	09/10/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame	Questionable	concussion
Taylor Richards	S	09/07/2014	is probable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame	Probable	two-game suspension served

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Austin Collinsworth	S	08/30/2014	is out indefinitely	Out	knee
DaVaris Daniels	WR	08/15/2014	is suspended indefinitely	Suspended	disciplinary
Jarrett Grace	LB	09/03/2014	is out indefinitely	Out	knee
Eilar Hardy	S	08/29/2014	is suspended indefinitely	Suspended	disciplinary
Mike Heuerman	TE	09/07/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Purdue	Questionable	hernia
Torii Hunter, Jr	WR	08/09/2014	is out indefinitely	Out	groin
Will Mahone	WR	08/02/2014	is suspended indefinitely	Suspended	disciplinary
Kendall Moore	LB	08/15/2014	is suspended indefinitely	Suspended	disciplinary
KeiVarae Russell	CB	08/15/2014	is suspended indefinitely	Suspended	disciplinary
Tony Springmann	DT	08/04/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	back
Ishaq Williams	LB	08/18/2014	was dismissed from the team	Out	disciplinary

Injury reports via USA Today.

Prediction

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

There is a slim, slim chance Notre Dame has a bit of a hangover as it rides high into the matchup thanks to the upset over Michigan.

But in reality, the Fighting Irish are simply too talented to suffer an epic letdown against a Purdue team that can't even decide on a starter under center two games into the season. That reeks of an ugly offensive performance, especially against a defense that picked off Michigan's Devin Gardner three times.

Expect this one to get out of hand by the half. This is Kelly's most talented squad since 2012, and he is sure to apply lessons learned in that debacle against Purdue to great success.

The Shillelagh Trophy is set to reside with the Fighting Irish for a long time.

Prediction: Fighting Irish 35, Purdue 7

Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.