Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 3, 2026 21 BY TYLER JAMES AND KYLE KELLY N otre Dame football lined up ju- nior quarterback CJ Carr as a wide receiver for one snap in a wildcat formation on first- and-goal in the second quarter, so Pur- due defensive back Hudauri Hines took the opportunity to shove Carr to the ground while Irish running back Aneyas Williams kept the ball for a 1-yard gain. Carr responded to the shove by talking some smack to the Purdue defensive back, but the bigger statement came on the fol- lowing play. Carr ran around the left end for an untouched, 1-yard touchdown to give the Irish a three-score lead in what ended up being a 49-10 victory at Ross- Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. "That's what real competitors have to do," Notre Dame head coach Mar- cus Freeman said of Carr. "You can't be out of control. You can't lose control. You have to channel that competitive spirit where it needs to be channeled, and that's what I love about him most." The sequence between Carr and Hines was emblematic of a game in which Purdue (1-3) struggled to avoid nega- tive plays and build any real momen- tum. No. 3 Notre Dame (4-0) seemingly always had an answer on offense and defense as it built a 35-0 halftime lead. The Irish locomotive lost some steam in the third quarter when Carr threw an interception, and Purdue kicker Jacobo Echeverria Lozano eventually put Pur- due on the scoreboard with a 47-yard field goal. But Notre Dame's dominance became evident in the first half of the 90th meeting between these two teams. Junior wide receiver Micah Gilbert picked up where he left off the week prior in his breakout performance against Michigan State. He ran open down the seam for a 27-yard touch- down reception from Carr on Gilbert's first catch of the day. The next time Carr threw Gilbert's way, he turned a short throw into a 56-yard gain by running away from the defense on an easy cross- ing route. The long reception by Gilbert even- tually led to a 22-yard touchdown run by Williams on the first play of the sec- ond quarter. Williams, who was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct against Michigan State following a touchdown celebration, made sure to throw the football to an official, and head coach Marcus Freeman was the first to greet Williams on the sideline. "It was good to see him running the ball and having success," Freeman said. "I'm proud of him more than anything." Notre Dame's running game, which had up-and-down moments in the first three games, rolled to 179 rushing yards on 31 carries against Purdue before tak- ing a knee to end the game. Williams received 14 carries and turned them into 80 yards despite a demotion from the starting lineup. James, the starter, rushed 7 times for 28 yards. Freshman running back Jonaz Walton picked up 61 yards on 7 carries. Notre Dame's defense made sure the typically high-scoring Purdue offense couldn't find much momentum in the first half. The Boilermakers punted three times and attempted a fake punt, which didn't pick up a fourth-down conver- sion, on their first four possessions. After Carr's 1-yard touchdown run, the Notre Dame defense scored a touch- down of its own. Irish junior defensive end Bryce Young sacked Purdue quar- terback Ryan Browne and knocked the ball loose, which senior linebacker Drayk Bowen picked up and returned for a 15-yard touchdown. "That was a huge moment for us," Freeman said. "That play was huge. It was the four-man pressure that we were able to get on the quarterback that really helped this defense." The Irish defense stacked 6 sacks, 2 of which came from Young, and 3 more tackles for loss in a dominant effort. The Boilermakers totaled just 90 yards in the first half and 218 in the game. Notre Dame closed out its first half with a 3-yard touchdown pass in the final minute to sophomore running back Nolan James Jr., who started in the backfield for the first time in his career. Carr, who threw his first interception of the season, tossed one more touchdown pass to senior tight end Cooper Flana- gan early in the fourth quarter before exiting the game. Many Purdue fans seemed to filter out of the stadium before Carr's day — 14-of-22 passing for 237 yards with 3 touchdowns — ended. They may have started wandering to The Tippecanoe County Amphitheater, where Shaquille O'Neal and T-Pain were scheduled to perform in the early evening. Anything to distract from another lousy day for the Boilermakers with the Shillelagh Trophy on the line. FIRST QUARTER NOTRE DAME 7, PURDUE 0 Top Moment: Micah Gilbert's as- cension continued. On Notre Dame's eighth offensive play, junior quarterback CJ Carr read Purdue's Cover 2 defense perfectly and hit his junior wide receiver in stride for a 27-yard touchdown. Feature Performers: On the second play of the next drive, Carr found Gilbert again for a 56-yard gain. Gilbert caught both passes out of the slot and accounted for 83 of Carr's 114 passing yards. Fresh- man defensive lineman Rodney Dunham stopped Purdue's fake punt attempt. Stats: Notre Dame outgained Purdue 135-72 in yards despite running 11 plays compared to Purdue's 21. Items: The Irish punted on their first drive, making it the first time this sea- son Purdue had not surrendered on its opening defensive series. SECOND QUARTER NOTRE DAME 35, PURDUE 0 Top Moment: Junior defensive end Bryce Young was unblockable all game. FULL STEAM AHEAD Notre Dame dominates another meeting with in-state rival Purdue, 49-10