Reflections on Notre Dame Football’s Obliteration of Purdue

We never know what we’re getting with this team

Reacting to Notre Dame’s demolition of that team from West Lafayette.

1. The rollercoaster nature of Marcus Freeman’s head coaching career continues.

I genuinely was not shocked by Notre Dame’s performance Saturday. Not in the slightest. Did I predict such a dominant performance before the game? Absolutely not. But if there is anything we can glean from Freeman’s short time as head coach, it is that his team’s level of performance can be a bullseye one week and poke out someone’s eye the next. Fortunately for the Irish, the dart hit the dart board and then some against the Purdue Boilermakers.

2. You are entitled to feel however you wish to feel after this game, whether it’s a sense of relief because Notre Dame can indeed put a good offensive product on the field or infuriation that they couldn’t manage to do the same against Northern Illinois, or anywhere in between. I think I feel both of those in equal measure.

3. Thank God for Florida State being a dumpster fire. Notre Dame and it’s coaching staff should never be absolved of losing to NIU at home, but at least they aren’t the primary laughingstock of college football after week 3. The Seminoles are 0-3 — which offers some much-appreciated perspective on how bad things could be for the Irish right now, even if it also tanks Notre Dame’s already-paltry strength of schedule.

4. I personally found it hilarious at halftime when Notre Dame’s only receiving touchdown of the season belonged to defensive end Boubacar Traore, who “caught” (intercepted) the touchdown pass from Purdue quarterback Hudson Card. And I can only give you my word that I came up with that joke independently, as did several other people on social media, apparently.

5. It didn’t take too long after Traore’s score at the end of the first half for the Irish to notch an actual passing touchdown — courtesy of their backup quarterback, who finally threw it in the 11th quarter of the season. I’m sure that didn’t provide too much fodder for comments sections everywhere.

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

6. In all seriousness, you can have a legitimate discussion about which quarterback is best for Notre Dame’s offense. Not that anyone has ever indicated that they cared what I think, but here’s my take:

Steve Angeli is Ian Book 2.0. You can win a lot of games with a quarterback who can competently spin a football, has some decent mobility and doesn’t take too many risks. Case in point, Book won 30 games as a starting quarterback. He also went 0-2 in the College Football Playoff. Maybe Angeli could do better. But, to me, it seems more likely that after a few games as a starter, opposing defensive coordinators would pick up on Angeli’s tendencies and make him less effective, just like what happened with Book.

Riley Leonard clearly has the higher ceiling than Angeli. His running ability is outstanding. His passing ability is the opposite. But the mere possibility that he might eventually play like Lamar Jackson — coupled with his three prior years of collegiate experience (one-and-a-half as a starter) at a Power 4 program — is enough to convince Notre Dame’s coaches that Leonard is the guy to stick with as long as the Irish can still make the Playoff this season.

Of course, with a couple of injuries along an already inexperienced offensive line, the whole offensive game plan can fall apart no matter who the quarterback is. But when you can’t trust your line to hold up in pass protection, who would you rather have under center? At that point it makes even more sense to go with the guy who can rush for three touchdowns in a single half.

7. Speaking of the offensive line, there will certainly be tougher tests for them down the line than Purdue. But taking the opponent for what it was, those guys played great. After all, the Irish rushed for 364 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

The injuries to center Ashton Craig and right guard Billy Schrauth are concerning because those are the best two players in the starting five. But with both of them back on the sideline before Saturday’s game was over, the prognoses seem promising.

And, not for nothing, this is where Notre Dame’s weak schedule helps them. Louisville might be the second toughest team on the schedule and they come to town in two weeks. Not that the Cardinals are pushovers, but Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler started 13 and 10 games last season, respectively, and they’re the ones filling in for Craig and Schrauth, also respectively. That’s not the worst position for Notre Dame offensive line to be in, all things considered.

8. On the other side of the trenches, Jordan Botelho looks like he’s done for the year with a lower leg injury. It sucks for a guy that seemed to finally be putting the pieces together in his presumed final year. The “bright side” is that he could now redshirt and return for another season in 2025. The question is whether he’s ready to move on from Notre Dame or if he thinks another year of college tape can earn him a place in the NFL Draft. One relevant factor in his decision may be the potential to be a team captain next year.

9. The rest of the Irish defensive line stepped up big against the Boilermakers, holding the opponent to 38 rushing yards on 25 carries (not adjusted for sacks). If only the line could play like this without having its manhood challenged by an embarrassing performance against a Group of 5 team the week prior.

Passive aggressive comments aside, Traore looks like a star in the making. He’ll have to produce against better competition, but the physical traits are such that him clicking is a must for Notre Dame to make noise in the postseason — assuming they get there.

10. Good on Gary Danielson (or whichever uncredited studio person got in his earpiece to correct the booth) for clarifying to Brad Nessler that Jordan Faison was the Sun Bowl MVP, not Steve Angeli. Bad on Danielson for saying he thinks Notre Dame will host a home Playoff game if they finish the regular season 11-1. The Irish will still probably get an at-large bid at 11-1 — although with a loss to NIU at home, I wouldn’t think it’s guaranteed — but losing to a Group of 5 team at home just feels too devastating to be allowed to host a first-round game.

The issue that would probably present itself is that an 11-1, independent Notre Dame would be sitting just outside the top 8 during Conference Championship weekend, and multiple teams ranked ahead of them will lose their Conference Championship games to higher ranked teams. The CFP Committee isn’t (or at least shouldn’t) punish those teams who play for a conference title by dropping them below the idle Irish. That’s why going 12-0 was crucial, because it would position Notre Dame above many teams by regular season’s end. Then the only worry for the Irish would be getting jumped by an underdog conference championship winner.

Alas, the Huskies of Northern Illinois threw a wrench in the plan.

11. Lastly, a shoutout to “my guys” Jadarian Price, Rocco Spindler, Kenny Minchey and Davis Sherwood. The boys showed out for my 2024 Draft Class of picking five players to roll with for this season.

I’m still waiting on Gabriel Rubio to return from injury, but Price logged a 70-yard touchdown run (that was only supposed to run out the clock before halftime), Spindler filled in for Schrauth, Minchey got his first career rushing touchdown and I’m pretty sure Sherwood logged at least one tackle on special teams.

I doubt I get this same kind of production from them in subsequent weeks, but at least I can enjoy it for now.