Notre Dame's struggling start in football has dissuaded some Notre Dame fans, like junior Ron Kerelegon, from making the trip to West Lafayette, Ind., Saturday to see the Irish take on the Purdue Boilermakers.
Kerelegon said he will watch the game on television from campus and get some homework done. The team's performance this year has made it hard for Kerelegon to be enthusiastic for the upcoming games.
"I am just hoping at least to win the last half of our games," Kerelegon said.
Not all students are despairing after Notre Dame's rough start. Sophomore Miguel Berrios plans to drive to Purdue with two of his friends.
Notre Dame's performance in the last four games did not impact his decision to make the three-hour drive, Berrios said.
"I would have gone anyways," he said. "I'm a hardcore fan."
Berrios does not have tickets, but he plans to purchase them at Purdue or, if he cannot find any tickets, to watch the games with some Purdue friends. As of Wednesday night, Purdue had nearly 300 tickets available, including 235 that were returned by Notre Dame, according to Purdue's official athletics Web site.
Sophomore Michelle Perone said she would have liked to travel to Purdue this weekend, but she had already made plans with friends.
"I would definitely consider going to an away game, even now," Perone said.
Freshman Kate Clitheroe also has other plans that prevented her from making the drive to Purdue this weekend.
"I am going to the women's volleyball game," she said. "I think it is important to focus on more than just football."
Clitheroe said she wants to go to an away game at some point in her college career.
The Student Union Board will be providing round-trip bus transportation for Notre Dame students. The bus departs at 7 a.m. from Library Circle and will return after the game on Saturday. As of Wednesday, SUB had sold 70 of its $10 tickets, and 36 were still for sale.
The two Indiana rivals will kick off at noon. The Irish have beaten the Boilermakers, who are undefeated this season, two times in a row.
Despite a poor starting record, ticket sales have remained high, as they have in previous years when the team had winning records. Assistant Athletic Director Josh Berlo said people are still calling the ticket office seeking tickets for games later in the season.
The ticket office saw a line at the window through the day for the Michigan State game.
