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

Old rivals Northwestern and Notre Dame could share horror stories about events suffered in the last week—or month—when they meet Saturday.

The 3-6 Wildcats enter riding a four-game skid capped off by a decision from coach Pat Fitzgerald last week to attempt a two-point conversion rather than kick an extra point to go to overtime. Michigan was awarded the 10-9 victory as a result.

Notre Dame has lost two of its last three, highlighted by fumbling away an opportunity in the desert to upend Arizona State and keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive.

A clean game from either team Saturday would be nice. A win over a rival would do wonders for morale as both programs begin to eye next season. 

Fighting for the Future

Notre Dame needs to rally around senior quarterback Everett Golson before it is too late.

Golson put on another dud of a performance last week in the 55-31 loss to the Sun Devils, as an illustration from ESPN CollegeFootball shows:

Brian Kelly's quarterback now has 15 turnovers in his last six games after none in his first three. Golson has as many fumbles in that span as games played. He has tossed 17 interceptions overall, a mark 87 teams have either matched or not reached.

Kelly is adamant, though, that his quarterback is not the only person to blame for the issues.

"There are 10 other guys that have a lot to do with those turnovers," Kelly said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "He's got 10 other players that have to do their job, and they've got to do their job better."

Fair enough. Last week two batted passes led to picks and Golson was sacked seven times. The offensive line certainly gets some blame. Regardless of where the finger points, it is imperative that things improve against a stingy Northwestern defense looking for a turnaround of its own.

Rekindling the Magic

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Expect Fitzgerald and his staff to pull out all the stops defensively to rattle the Fighting Irish, just as the Wildcats did back in 1995 en route to a shocking upset. 

Notre Dame has already shown it can be upended as Golson and his unit succumb to pressure. In that same vein, the Wildcats have already toppled elite offenses this season.

Think back to early October when the Wildcats welcomed then-No. 17 Wisconsin to town—the same Wisconsin that still averages 36.8 points per game and ranks No. 5 in the nation in rushing. That offense struggled on the way to a total of 14 points and Badgers quarterback Joel Stave tossing a trio of interceptions.

Kelly is well aware of the challenge the Wildcats present, as captured by Douglas Farmer of Blue and Gold News:

In total, the Wildcats surrender just 22.3 points per game on average, although two of their four recent losses have seen opponents score 38 or more.

Still, the recipe for upending Notre Dame is quite apparent and is something the Wildcats have already used to great success this season. Should the stars align, Saturday may be 1995 all over again.

When: Saturday, November 15, 3:30 p.m. ET

Where: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana

Television: NBC

Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):

• Over/Under: 50.5

• Spread: Notre Dame (-17.5)

Team Injury Reports

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Stephen Buckley	RB	11/09/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame	Questionable	undisclosed
Chance Carter	DT	11/09/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame	Questionable	leg
Collin Ellis	LB	11/11/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	concussion
Christian Jones	WR	08/14/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	knee
Daniel Jones	CB	11/11/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	knee
Venric Mark	RB	08/14/2014	has left the team	Out	personal
Sean McEvilly	DT	08/25/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	foot
Mike McHugh	WR	11/09/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame	Questionable	undisclosed
Miles Shuler	WR	11/11/2014	will miss Saturday's game against Notre Dame	Out	neck
Solomon Vault	RB	11/09/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame	Questionable	lower body
Brett Walsh	LB	10/28/2014	is suspended indefinitely	Suspended	disciplinary
Keith Watkins II	CB	11/09/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Notre Dame	Questionable	undisclosed
Dwight White	CB	10/24/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	kidneys

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Nicky Baratti	S	09/15/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	shoulder
Austin Collinsworth	S	11/09/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Northwestern	Questionable	shoulder
DaVaris Daniels	WR	08/15/2014	will miss the entire season	Suspended	disciplinary
Jarrett Grace	LB	09/03/2014	is out indefinitely	Out	knee
Mike Heuerman	TE	08/28/2014	is out indefinitely	Out	hernia
Will Mahone	WR	08/02/2014	was dismissed from the team	Suspended	disciplinary
Kendall Moore	LB	08/15/2014	is suspended indefinitely	Suspended	disciplinary
KeiVarae Russell	CB	08/15/2014	is suspended indefinitely	Suspended	disciplinary
Joe Schmidt	LB	11/03/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	ankle
Ishaq Williams	LB	08/18/2014	is suspended indefinitely	Out	disciplinary

Injury reports per The Sports Network, via USA Today.

Prediction

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A return home for the Fighting Irish is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Golson is sure to make his mistakes as Northwestern gets plenty of pressure against a shaky line. But taking advantage of it is another thing entirely considering the Wildcats average just 18.0 points per game, good for No. 122 in the nation.

Wildcats quarterback Trevor Siemian has just five touchdowns to eight interceptions, and lead back Justin Jackson has found the end zone just five times.

In short, Northwestern is no Arizona State in that it will not be able to take advantage of the surefire Notre Dame mistakes. As a result, the Fighting Irish will avoid back-to-back losses.

Prediction: Fighting Irish 36, Wildcats 17

Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.