Irish Breakdown

MVPs from Notre Dame's Destruction of Purdue

The Irish dominated Saturday in West Lafayette, but a few players shone brightest.

Mason Plummer

Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) outruns Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) to score a touchdown during the first quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) outruns Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) to score a touchdown during the first quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
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From the first snap to the last, Notre Dame absolutely decimated Purdue in West Lafayette on Saturday. The Irish came out angry, rightfully so, after an embarrassing loss to Northern Illinois and took it out on in-state rival Purdue to the tune of a 66-7 victory.

Notre Dame ran for over 350 yards of offense, including two explosive runs from the two-headed monster at running back. The first, was Jeremiyah Love's 48-yard scamper down the sideline that gave his team the lead early and it never looked back.

The second, from his counterpart Jadarian Price ended the half with an improbable 70-yard run where Price was shot out of a cannon on his way to the endzone. Both plays were rough for All-American safety Dillon Thieneman, who did not have his best day as a Boilermaker.

MVP #1: Jeremiyah Love

Simply put, the Notre Dame offense revolves around sophomore tailback Jeremiyah Love.

He had a tremendous day Saturday, rushing for a career-high 109 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown, along with two receptions for 18 yards through the air. Love is the most explosive running back Notre Dame has had in a long, long time and he is just getting started.

Love's touchdown run to open the scoring on the first drive of the game set the tone and the Irish never looked back from there. Enjoy him while you can Irish fans, something tells me it won't be long before we see him doing these things on Sundays.

MVP #2: Boubacar Traore

Another budding star gets the second MVP award for this week - its sophomore defensive end Boubacar Traore.

Traore was a menace all day long, wreaking havoc and causing fits for Purdue quarterback Hudson Card. He finished the day with two tackles, both tackles for loss, one sack and one interception return for a touchdown.

The Boston native is coming into his own as a pash rusher and quickly.

MVP #3: Kyngstonn Villiamu-Asa

True freshman linebacker Kyngstonn Villiamu-Asa earns the third and final MVP award for Saturday.

KVA has come in and demanded playing time immediately on the Irish defense and has earned every snap. He came in as a highly-regarded recruit and has lived up to the hype and then some so far, just three games into his Notre Dame career.

Villiamu-Asa was all over the field against Purdue, finishing second on the team in tackles (3) and adding his first career interception. He has the tools and traits to be the next elite Notre Dame linebacker, following in the shoes of Te'o, Smith and Owusu-Koramoah.

Notre Dame Football: Irish Discover Offensive Identity in Win Over Purdue

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Mason Plummer

MASON PLUMMER

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