A vengeful performance
Northern Illinois wasn’t on the field in West Lafayette, but the Notre Dame Fighting Irish nonetheless clearly saw Saturday as an opportunity for revenge. Their wrath was poured out on the hapless Purdue Boilermakers to the tune of 66-7, a ruthlessly efficient blowout and the most lopsided score in the rivalry’s long history. See below for an exclusive look inside the Irish locker room after the game:
As is so often the case, revenge didn’t erase the anger Notre Dame and its fans felt over their previous game; in fact, many things about the NIU loss have only become more maddening with this game as a comparison point. But we can only move forward, and there were plenty of good things for Notre Dame fans to get excited about in this game. Let’s get into it!
An Electric Backfield
Most commentary on the Irish offense has centered around Riley Leonard, but I want to show some appreciation here to the Irish running backs because they were so effective in this game that Riley Leonard’s shortcomings as a passer were rendered inconsequential. Leonard – who had a 100-yard rushing day and three touchdowns – functioned as more or less the bell-cow back, moving the chains for the Irish and scoring in the red zone while the running backs served as home-run threats (though Leonard did crack an impressive 34-yard touchdown run). And boy, did those backs deliver.
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Love’s speed embarrassed the Boilers’ defense on the game’s opening touchdown, as the sophomore got to the corner and galloped to a seemingly effortless score. Jadarian Price, meanwhile, administered instant ego death to Boilers everywhere by turning a throwaway handoff into a 70-yard touchdown run right before halftime. Together, the two backs gained 195 yards on just 18 carries.
Whatever Mike Denbrock’s plans are to open up the playbook, they should involve getting these two guys the ball in space as much as possible because they both showed they can be deadly from anywhere on the field.
Traore Steps Up
Jordan Botelho’s injury was a tough one to swallow, as he had seemed to come into his own and was having a great game. But it was heartening to see Boubacar Traore step into the fifth-year senior’s shoes and immediately produce for the Irish. Traore delivered a sack, a TFL and rare pick-six from the Vyper spot, making clear why so many who observed the Irish in camp were excited to see him step into a larger role.
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With Botelho now out for the season, Traore will hope to bring the same level of production in a full-time role. His shining on Saturday was also part of a larger story: that of the depth and dominance of Notre Dame’s defensive front reasserting itself after a dismal performance the week prior (also of note in this game was Jason Onye, who got 1.5 sacks and a pass breakup from his tackle spot).
Dominant Linebacking
Purdue only gained 80 yards from scrimmage on the ground (38 with adjustments made for sacks of Hudson Card). The aforementioned defensive line was a huge factor in this, but also deserving of recognition were the Irish linebackers, who backed up the line’s physicality with speed, athleticism, and solid tackling that gave Devin Mockobee and Reggie Love virtually nowhere to go with the ball. The linebackers were also both solid in coverage and relentless in their pursuit of Card as blitzers, forcing early throws even when they didn’t make it home.
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Notre Dame’s five-man rotation kept any one Irish linebacker from stuffing the stat sheet too much, but there were solid moments to be found everywhere:
- 3 tackles, a sack and a tipped-ball interception from true freshman Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
- 3 solo tackles, all run stuffs, from Jack Kiser
- Continued outstanding coverage in the short passing game from Jaiden Ausberry in his rover role.
- A ferocious hit by Jaylen Sneed to force a fumble that unfortunately went unrecovered.
- Solid-gap filling in the run game by Drayk Bowen, which forced Purdue running backs into the hands of other Irish defenders.
Running amok behind this stout defensive front, the Irish linebackers wreaked havoc in all phases of the game. This unit should be able to do the same to just about every team on the Irish schedule, so look for them to continue making an impact as the season progresses.