Notre Dame got on the board with its first win of the season as the Irish dominated Purdue to earn a 56-30 win. The Irish needed a strong performance to get some momentum on the season and they got that, as all three phases of the game contributed to the win. There were a number of standouts for the Irish, which happens when you blow a team out, but there were a few players that stood above the rest.
Here are my top players for the Irish from the win over Purdue.
OFFENSE: Jadarian Price - Jeremiyah Love, Running Back
Love Stats: 19 carries, 157 yards, 8.3 YPC, 2 TD
Price Stats: 9 carries, 74 yards, 8.2 YPC, 3 TD
Runners Up: QB CJ Carr (223 pass yards, 2 TD), WR Jordan Faison (5 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD), G/T Guerby Lambert
The Notre Dame running back duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price was absolutely dominant against the Boilermakers. It was impossible to pick just one, and both players had brilliant moments in this win.
Love was the grind-it-out back in the first half, rushing for 81 yards on 14 carries. Purdue lined up in a lot of three-man fronts in the first half, almost daring the Irish to run the football. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock obliged, feeding the two backs 20 times in the half and Love was the primary beneficiary. In the second half, Love returned to his big play form, racking up 76 yards on just five carries.
Price was the big play back the entire game. After Love churned out tough yards to get the Irish into Purdue territory, Price came in and ripped off a 21-yard touchdown on his first carry of the game. On the next series Price took over, racking up all 36 yards on the drive, ending with a 9-yard run to put the Irish up 28-10.
Notre Dame's dynamic backfield duo combined for 231 rushing yards on 28 carries, which was good for an 8.3 per carry average.
Quarterback CJ Carr and wide receiver Jordan Faison were runners up and could easily have been named the top standouts. Carr was excellent in the game, kicking things off with a gorgeous 66-yard bomb to Malachi Fields. He was a highly efficient 10-12 in the game and hit two more deep balls, with the shot to fields kicking things off and he hit Faison for a 48-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Faison was outstanding in the game, hauling in five passes for 105 yards and a score. Offensive lineman Guerby Lambert had the best game of his young career, and he played right guard, left tackle and right tackle in the game.
DEFENSE: Boubacar Traore, Defensive End
Traore Stats: 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 forced fumble
Runners Up: CB Dallas Golden (5 tackles, 1 INT, 0.5 TFL), DT Gabriel Rubio (3 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks)
Notre Dame struggled defensively for the third straight game, but there was some progress in the second half. There wasn't anyone on defense that was truly dominant but there were a number of solid performances. Junior end Boubacar Traore had a strong all-around game, performing well on the edge against the run and he had four pressures in the pass game.
Traore forced a fumble on first-half sack of Ryan Browne and he limited some of the run game miscues we saw in the first two games. It was certainly a step in the right direction for Traore, who is still shaking off some of the rust that comes with him missing the last 11 games of the 2024 season.
Nickel corner Dallas Golden stepped in and performed well, despite giving up the late touchdown. He was solid on the edge in run support and his coverage was strong throughout the game. Golden picked off the first pass of his career in the fourth quarter. Defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio was a force up the middle for the Irish. He was very stout in the run game and was a key figure in the Irish holding Purdue to just 76 yards on the ground. Rubio had three tackles, half a sack and also had four pressures in the game (PFF).
I didn't think any individual linebacker played well enough to be in the player of the game situation, but as a unit it was their best performance of the season. Drayk Bowen was active and physical, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa was a playmaker (when given the chance), Jaiden Ausberry had a quality game and freshman Madden Faraimo had a huge pass break up that ended with Christian Gray picking off the pass. That was actually the first series of Faraimo's career and he certainly made his presence felt.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Jadarian Price, Kick Return
Price Stats: 2 returns, 142 yards, 1 TD
Price didn't just star on offense. He went 42 yards on his first touch of the season and was one player away from breaking that return for a score. Purdue made an unwise decision to give him a chance to return another kick late in the second quarter, and Price made them pay with a 100-yard return for a touchdown.
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