The Purdue Boilermakers (2-1) visit the No. 21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-2) at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Date: Sept. 20

This drive was all about star running back Jeremiyah Love. The Irish back touched the ball seven-times gaining 39-yards and plunging into the end zone from one-yard away. After the Boilermakers answered Notre Dame’s touchdown, they did the same, but retook the lead 14-7 with 7-minutes left in the first quarter. It’s been a wild one so far.

While Notre Dame is in clear need of improvement on the defensive side of the ball, head coach Marcus Freeman still believes in Ash’s unit moving forward. Freeman responded to postgame questions about his defense, which he insists is “getting better.”

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Marcus Freeman Candidly Expresses Frustration With Notre Dame's Defense After Win. Marcus Freeman wasn't satisfied Saturday night, even after Notre Dame claimed its first victory of the young season by defeating Purdue 56-30 in South Bend, Ind.

The Fighting Irish have had a tough start to the season, perhaps tougher than any other team, and doing so with a freshman quarterback.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish may have started off the 2025 college football season 0-2, but there's definitely a path to win out the rest of the way.It won't be easy, but as Notre Dame destroyed Purdue 56-30 on Saturday it seems the key to their bright immediate future revealed itself.

When Texas A&M marched into South Bend and won a thriller over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to establish itself as a serious contender early in the 2025 season, the Aggies overcame the Ted Cruz Curse and became the first team to do so in recent memory.

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit won't let Notre Dame's 0-2 start to the season negatively affect how he views Marcus Freeman's program. Notre Dame started its 2025 campaign with a 27-24 loss to Miami on Aug.