Notre Dame woke up Sunday morning with its first win of the season after Saturday’s 56-30 home win over Purdue. The Fighting Irish defense, which is allowing 32.6 points per game, still leaves a lot to be desired but it did take micro steps forward in the second half of the weather delayed game.  

The Fighting Irish saw the Boilermakers score on five of their seven first half drives. Three of the scores were field goals with two touchdowns, including Ryan Browne’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Nitro Tuggle at the end of a 75-yard drive in the final seconds of the first half.  

“That drive, I don't think there was anything that we could -- we tried cover one, cover two, cover three, cover four,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman frenetically explained afterward. “What happens is you start to panic. Okay, this coverage isn't working. Let's try this. This isn't working. Let's try this. Then you're doing nothing. You're doing nothing. They're going to make plays. They're going to make some plays. You’ve got to trust, ‘hey, this is our game plan, this is what we can do’ and execute. You’ve got to trust your players to go out there and get it done. I thought after that they did a really good job (until) that last drive (of the game).” 

The Irish yielded 286 yards and 23 points to Purdue in the first half but just 93 yards and seven points in the second half as they started pressuring Browne more. They finished with two sacks, six pass breakups, two interceptions, five tackles for loss, and four quarterback pressures. Those were all more than their first two games combined.  

Purdue’s only points of the second half came on its final drive with a slew of reserves on the field for both teams. Notre Dame’s defense forced four straight punts while allowing 18 net yards on the Boiler’s first four drives of the second half and Dallas Golden snared his first career interception on the fifth drive.  

Dallas Golden Shines In Debut

Notre Dame’s secondary was without Alabama transfer DeVonta Smith for a second straight game as well as preseason All-American Leonard Moore. The absences pushed freshman Dallas Golden not only into his career debut but also into the starting lineup against the Boilermakers.  

The former four-star recruit from Florida found his footing and flashed across the stat sheet in his first game. Golden snagged his first career interception in the fourth quarter and had a pass breakup, five tackles and half a tackle for loss in his introduction to college football. 

“I think Dallas is a guy that since he got here in June he's played boundary corner, played field corner, and now he is playing nickel,” Freeman explained. “He doesn't bat an eye and doesn't complain and say woe is me, ‘Yes, coach. Teach me. Make me better’. He's blessed with a skillset that very probably few people have, but he also has the mentality of he wants to be coached, and he wants to be better and wants to find ways to improve. So, he is on the bumpy road like we all are, right? But because of what he did today, because of the work he puts in, the good and the bad, he's at a higher level on the bumpy road, a higher place.” 

Carr Keeps Driving The Offense 

CJ Carr had his most efficient day passing the ball. It began with a play-action 66-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Fields on Notre Dame’s first offensive play. He was just 3 of 4 for 94 yards in the first half and finished his day by going 10 for 12 (83%) for 223 yards and two touchdowns. 

“The guy has been different from the minute he walked on campus,” Freeman said of Carr. “Like he is an ultra-talented individual and ultra-competitive individual that uses that competitive spirit to prepare. When you add all those things together you get an output that you’ve seen in three games. I've seen it for a year and a half. But, yes, he's blessed (with) talent, but the competitive spirit that he has and work that he puts into it, I see him preparing -- he goes to class; after class he's spending time studying film. I see the guy getting better. He has a high ceiling and is right now playing high and he's got way more to go. I mean, that's a credit to the preparation and the work he puts into it.” 

Jadarian’s Price Is Right 

Irish running back Jadarian Price had an efficient day of his own. Price had just nine carries, but they went for 74 yards (8.2 ypc) and three of those carries went for touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to mark the first Notre Dame kick return to cover 100 yards since Julius Jones in 2000.  

Price doesn’t get the same attention as backfield mate Jeremiyah Love, who had 157 yards and two touchdowns of his own Saturday, but his value is well known to his head coach. 

“I'll say this every time you ask about JD: Yes, he is talented but he's the most unselfish individual, along with others on our team,” Freeman remarked. “That's what I want to point out. Not his great play. Not his touchdowns. But that guy, that individual could have the ball be on the field every single play. What does he do? He says, ‘Coach, if you want J-Love in there, put him in there. When I get my opportunity, I'm going to make the most of it’. If we have a team of unselfish individuals like that and they continue to be selfless and sacrifice, we'll be pretty special. But that's what I always praise about that guy. That's the trait that I want our players to emulate. Not the talent, the touchdowns. It's the unselfishness that he displays.” 

Consistent Jordan Faison 

Jordan Faison turned in Notre Dame’s first 100-yard game this season with his five receptions for 105 yards. He reeled-in Carr’s second touchdown pass, a 48-yarder in the third quarter, and his 12 total receptions now lead the Irish through three games.  

“He is two Cs: Competitive and consistent,” Freeman said of Faison. “You know he's going to be exactly where he's supposed to be. He's going block exactly who he's supposed to block every opportunity he gets. That gives a quarterback confidence that, hey, I know exactly where Jordan Faison is going to be. If I decide to throw it to him it's probably going to be a successful outcome. That's a credit to the way he works and prayers. He's a consistent competitor.” 

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