Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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7 Consecutive victories by Notre Dame over Pur- due. It is the third longest streak in the 86-game history between the in-state rivals, in which the Irish hold a 58-26-2 advantage. The Irish won 11 straight under head coach Lou Holtz (1986-96) and eight in a row from 1906-23. The two teams, which had played every season since 1946, won't meet again until Sept. 19, 2020. 14 Notre Dame has scored on all 14 red-zone chances (inside or at the opponent's 20-yard line) this season, with 10 of them touchdowns. Three of the four red-zone possessions against Purdue resulted in touchdowns. The .714 percentage on touchdowns (10 of 14) is appreciably better so far than the .533 figure last season. 16-16 All 16 passes in the first quarter were completed, nine by Notre Dame senior Everett Golson and seven by Purdue sophomore Danny Etling in short, controlled attacks. With the Irish leading 17-14 at halftime, Golson had completed 14 of 18 passes for 126 yards while add- ing a team-high 34 yards rushing. Etling was good on 12 of 14 attempts for 114 yards. 146:13 Minutes and seconds played this year before Notre Dame com- mitted its first turnover. Senior tight end Ben Koyack fumbled in the second quarter, setting up a 26-yard drive in three plays that put the Boilermakers ahead 14-10. The Irish defense had forced seven turnovers prior to the offense's first of 2014. 147 Minutes played this season before Notre Dame trailed for the first time. A Purdue touchdown with three minutes left until halftime gave it a temporary 14-10 advantage. The Irish tallied their own touchdown with 13 seconds left until the inter- mission to regain the lead, so it has been behind only 2:47 in the first 180 minutes this season. 1970 The 78-point differential by this year's 3-0 Irish team (109-31) is the most during such a start since quarterback Joe Theis- mann's senior year in 1970. That season the Fighting Irish 3-0 start had a 98-point differential (112-14) while defeating Northwestern (35-14), Purdue (48-0) and Michigan State (29-0). Sophomore Will Fuller caught a touchdown pass for the third consecutive game, becoming the first Irish wide receiver to haul in scoring passes in each of the season's first three contests since 2009. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA