Irish romp on the road

It didn’t take long for Notre Dame to establish themselves in West Lafayette on Saturday night. A quick interception of Purdue QB Caleb TerBush on the first play from scrimmage led to a 35-yard TD catch by Michael Floyd and Notre Dame never looked back. The Irish were up 7-0 in the first minute of play and continued to roll all night. They derailed the Boilermakers before they could even get their engine running. Notre Dame’s D dominated the first half and remained strong into the second half only allowing 3 points until the final minutes.

The offensive attack for the Irish fired on all cylinders. Tommy Rees threw for 254 yards and 3 touchdowns on 40 attempts, completing 24 of them. The rushing attack was a two-headed monster in the form of Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray. They combined for 285 yards as each tallied a TD each and averaged over 6 yards per carry collectively. Michael Floyd led all receivers with 12 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown. The Irish looked sharp from the opening kick-off and spread the field with ease against Purdue. A performance like this is a big momentum-builder going forward.

The defense was led by Teo, whose pressure in the Purdue backfield was a distraction all night. Purdue QB Caleb TerBush never got into a rhythm and backup Robert Marve was just as unsuccessful. The duo combined to go 19-37 for 192 yards and a touchdown pass after TerBush was intercepted on the first play of the game. The run defense was tough and gritty, getting pressure and closing the gaps before Purdue could penetrate. Sound leadership from Gray and Teo led the way for the Irish.

The win is the 5th for the Irish in their last 6 games against Purdue and Notre Dame now leads the all-time series 55-26-2. There are lots of positives to take from the victory on both sides of the ball. Notre Dame committed no turnovers for the first time all season and looked sharp throughout the night. Good momentum that will hopefully continue into next week as the Irish welcome the Air Force Academy to South Bend. Weekly notes and preview will be up mid-week.

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