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Around the Big Ten: Purdue at No. 12 Notre Dame Game Recap

Despite Purdue leading in first downs, passing yards, and possession time, No. 12 Notre Dame was able to fend off the Boilermakers for a 27-13 victory, allowing the Fighting Irish to move to 3-0 on the season.

Molly Keshin

Around the Big Ten: Purdue at No. 12 Notre Dame Game Recap
Around the Big Ten: Purdue at No. 12 Notre Dame Game Recap /

On a toasty day in South Bend, Indiana, the Purdue Boilermakers looked to continue their offensive success coming off of last week's 49-0 domination over UConn. However, the Notre Dame defense did just enough to stifle their B1G foe long enough to regain the lead and pull ahead in the fourth quarter and therefore remain perfect on the young 2021 season. 

Although Purdue held the robust Fighting Irish offense scoreless in the first quarter, the Boilermakers themselves only had one successful drive, which was comprised of 10 plays and a 34-yard field goal from senior kicker Mitchell Fineran. 

The 3-point lead would not prove to be enough for the Boilermakers in the first half, as the Irish offense came to life in the second quarter almost immediately. Senior quarterback Jack Coan ran the charge for Notre Dame, as he efficiently led the Irish down field to ultimately connect with sophomore running back Kyren Williams for a 39-yard touchdown and the lead. 

With the addition of a 28-yard field goal from senior kicker Jonathan Doerer, the Irish went into the locker room at halftime with a 10-7 lead; however, the Boilermakers would mount their attempt at a comeback after the intermission. 

Yet, despite outscoring the Irish in the third quarter thanks to a 34-yard field goal from Fineran and a 2-yard touchdown connection between junior quarterback Jack Plummer and junior receiver Milton Wright, that's all the scoring Purdue would summon up for the day as Notre Dame took the reigns and never looked back. 

On the stat sheet, the Boilermakers seemingly had the better Saturday. Specifically, they outperformed the Irish in terms of: first downs (Purdue had 19, Notre Dame came away with 16); total yards (348 to the Irish 343); passing yards (291 vs. 223); and possession time, as Purdue maintained the ball for around 9 more minutes than the Irish. 

However, the two interceptions thrown for Purdue, along with crucial penalties allowed Notre Dame to run away with the game, also thanks to notable performances by Williams with 91 rushing yards on 12 attempts and one touchdown, as well as senior receiver Avery Davis, who racked up 120 receiving yards on five catches and one touchdown. 

The Boilermakers will look to get back on track next week when they take on Illinois next week. 

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Molly Keshin
MOLLY KESHIN

Molly Keshin is a reporter/contributor for Wildcats Daily on Sports Illustrated's FanNation Network. She is a graduate student in the Northwestern University Medill School journalism program, specializing in Sports Media. Molly recently graduated from the University of Virginia, where she was a member of the softball team. 

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