Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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26 OCT. 3, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1. Running Game Makes More Strides Notre Dame set a new season high in rushing yards with 177 against Purdue on the same num- ber of carries (32) that produced 111 and 118, respectively, against Wisconsin and Rice. The im- provement to 5.5 yards per carry reflects an Irish offense that continues to determine what works best each week. The willingness to ride the hot hand rewards the rotational duo of sophomore Nolan James Jr. and junior Aneyas Williams. Though James logged his first career start a week after rushing for 121 yards against Michigan State, Williams proved to be more efficient at Purdue with 14 carries for 80 yards. The 22-yard touchdown run by Williams in the second quarter became Notre Dame's longest run of the season until freshman running back Jonaz Walton broke free for 44 yards in the fourth quarter. As the season progresses, Notre Dame may need all three of those backs to provide meaningful pro- duction. Allowing the trio to build confidence be- hind the Irish offensive line in a dominant victory should pay dividends in October and November. 2. Watch Out For Notre Dame's Pass Rush Notre Dame's defensive end duo of senior Bou- bacar Traore and junior Bryce Young might be starting a compelling race to lead the Irish in sacks by season's end. Young edged ahead with a pair of sacks against Purdue, including a strip sack senior linebacker Drayk Bowen returned for a touchdown. But Notre Dame's pass rush is developing into much more than the production from Young (3 sacks this season) and Traore (2.5 sacks). Senior defensive tackle Armel Mukam recorded his first career sack, and freshman safety Joey O'Brien finished off a sack started by Traore in the first half. Freshman defensive end Rodney Dunham, who saw increased playing time, and junior defensive end Loghan Thomas added sacks against Purdue's backup quarterback. Notre Dame needed to de- velop depth at the defensive end position, and the early indications are that's happening. Notre Dame wants to be able to generate pres- sure with four rushers, and it showed the ability to do so versus the Boilermakers. That's bad news for opposing offensive coordinators left on the schedule. 3. Carr Keeps Exposing Weaknesses Purdue decided it wanted to run a lot of Cover 2 with its secondary against Notre Dame. That wasn't necessarily what the Irish expected, accord- ing to junior quarterback CJ Carr, and Notre Dame's first possession of four plays before a punt might have been a reflection of the coverage. But the Irish quickly found ways to exploit the weaknesses in that scheme. It required Carr to use the middle of the field with slants, seams and crossing routes, and he didn't hesitate to take advantage of those opportunities. Carr's 27-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Micah Gilbert, who lined up in the slot, exposed the coverage gap between Purdue's safe- ties. And the slant route Gilbert ran late in the first quarter gave him plenty of room to run after the catch on a 56-yard reception. Carr's remaining touchdown passes to senior tight end Cooper Flanagan and James were a result of Notre Dame receivers keeping the coverage oc- cupied while the Irish targets sprung loose. 4. Let's Move On From The Porath Saga That Notre Dame even sent junior kicker Spencer Porath out as one of three players to speak to re- porters following the game overplayed the impact he made in his return to Ross-Ade Stadium. Notre Dame asked Porath to kick seven extra points, which he did successfully, and nothing else prior to his postgame appearance. Porath did take a somewhat controversial route to Notre Dame by making an academic transfer without entering the transfer portal this past off- season, but players transferring to a rival program is nothing new. Notre Dame special teams coordinator Marty Biagi was even asked about preparing Porath to enter a potentially hostile environment at Purdue. As if opposing kickers aren't always rooted against at road venues anyway. The Irish needed a kicker like Porath, and Pur- due seemingly found a quality replacement with freshman Jacobo Echeverria Lozano, who made a 47-yard field goal to extend his start to 8 of 9. The Boilermakers have bigger concerns than Porath's departure. 5. Cheers To Many Firsts The depth Notre Dame has built on its roster was reflected in the list of firsts highlighted in the team's postgame notes. Like O'Brien making his first start in the fourth game of his career or the first career sacks for Mukam, a senior who surged after three seasons in the shadows, and Dunham, a former five-star recruit taking advantage of early playing time. Even the moments that occurred with the game already decided — a first touchdown pass for freshman quarterback Noah Grubbs, a first touchdown reception for junior wide receiver Matt Jeffery, a first kickoff return for Walton — could prove valuable if or when those players are asked to do more. FIVE THOUGHTS BY TYLER JAMES Freshman running back Jonaz Walton ripped off a 44-yard run — the longest this season for Notre Dame — while helping the Irish to a season-high 177 yards on the ground against Purdue. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER